שָׂרַט (sa.rat)
sa.rat
to incise
H:VQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 2 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:V
Word Overview
The Hebrew verb sa.rat means to incise, scratch, or cut into a surface. It appears only twice in the Old Testament, both times in contexts prohibiting self-mutilation for the dead. In Leviticus 19:28 and Zechariah 14:31, it describes the act of making marks on the skin, likely referring to ritual scarification or tattooing associated with pagan mourning practices.
The word carries a physical sense of breaking the skin’s integrity. Its usage in Leviticus is part of a broader set of laws distinguishing Israelite worship from surrounding cultures, where cutting the body was a common expression of grief. The term emphasizes the permanent nature of the mark, whether as a tattoo or a scar, rather than a temporary wound.
Translators often render sa.rat as "cut" or "make incisions," though some versions specify "tattoo" to capture the intent of marking the body permanently. This distinction highlights the cultural boundary Israel was called to maintain: their bodies were not to bear the marks of foreign religious rites.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The Hebrew word sa.rat describes the act of cutting or incising the skin. In the Old Testament it appears in commands that forbid God’s people from making such marks on their bodies for the dead. At first glance that rule can feel distant from modern life. Yet the instruction points to something enduring: our bodies are not containers for despair. In a world where grief often demanded visible, permanent scars, Israel was called to remember that the living God, not the powers of death, held their future.
Leviticus 21:5 applies this directly to those who served closest to God’s presence. When sorrow came, they were not to disfigure themselves like surrounding nations did. The restriction was not a denial of pain but a protective boundary. Today we may not reach for a blade, but we still reach for marks of identity that promise meaning. The verse gently invites us back to the truth that our worth is already carved into our creation, not into our skin. You are known fully, and that knowing does not need to be proven with wounds.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 2 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- they will injure themselves1×
- they will cut1×
- severely <injure>1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- שָׂר֣וֹט1×
- יִשָּׂרֵ֑טוּ1×
- יִשְׂרְט֖וּ1×
Key Verses
-
Leviticus 21:5
“‘They shall not shave their heads or shave off the corners of their beards or make any cuttings in their flesh.
This law specifically forbade priests from cutting their flesh, preserving their bodies as unblemished for service and visibly setting them apart from pagan mourning customs.
-
Zechariah 12:3
It will happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all the peoples. All who burden themselves with it will be severely wounded, and all the nations of the earth will be gathered together against it.
The term is used figuratively of the harm that comes to every nation that opposes Jerusalem—just as incisions scar the body, so their schemes will bring lasting damage upon themselves.