To break the neck
עָרַףStrong’s H6202araph (a-raph)
Appears in 6 verses of the Old Testament
In short
Araph is the Hebrew word usually translated “break neck its”, “break neck of” and “broken necked”. It appears in 6 verses of the Old Testament.
“And every firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb; and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break his neck: and all the firstborn of man among thy children shalt thou redeem.”
Meaning
- (Qal) to break the neck (of an animal)
How it's translated
- and you will break neck its 2
- and they will break neck of 1
- broken necked 1
- breaks neck of 1
- he will break 1
Word-by-word English from the STEPBible tagged text.
Where it's used most
- Exodus 2
- Deuteronomy 2
- Isaiah 1
- Hosea 1
4 books in all.
Explore in Scripture
- Exodus 34:20But the firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb: and if thou redeem him not, then shalt thou break his neck. All the firstborn of thy sons thou shalt redeem. And none shall appear before me empty.
- Deuteronomy 21:4And the elders of that city shall bring down the heifer unto a rough valley, which is neither eared nor sown, and shall strike off the heifer’s neck there in the valley:
- Deuteronomy 21:6And all the elders of that city, that are next unto the slain man, shall wash their hands over the heifer that is beheaded in the valley:
- Isaiah 66:3He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog’s neck; he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine’s blood; he that burneth incense, as if he blessed an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations.
- Hosea 10:2Their heart is divided; now shall they be found faulty: he shall break down their altars, he shall spoil their images.
Hebrew dictionary
עָרַף araph · to break the neck
(Qal) to break the neck (of an animal)
From STEPBible’s Hebrew lexicon (based on Brown-Driver-Briggs).
Webster's 1828 Dictionary
How the English word “break” was understood when the King James Version was still the common Bible of English readers.
BREAK, verb transitive
preterit tense broke, [brake.obs.] participle passive broke or broken.
- To part or divide by force and violence, as a solid substance; to rend apart; as, to break a band; to break a thread or a cable.
- To burst or open by force.
- To divide by piercing or penetrating; to burst forth; as, the light breaks through the clouds.
- To make breaches or gaps by battering, as in a wall.
All definitions and other forms of “break”
- To destroy, crush, weaken, or impair, as the human body or constitution.
- To sink; to appall or subdue; as, to break the spirits, or the passions.
- To crush; to shatter; to dissipate the strength of, as of an army.
- To weaken, or impair, as the faculties.
- To tame; to train to obedience; to make tractable; as, to break a horse.
- To make bankrupt.
- To discard, dismiss or cashier; as, to break an officer.
- To crack, to part or divide, as the skin; to open, as an aposteme.
- To violate, as a contract or promise, either by a positive act contrary to the promise, or by neglect or non-fulfillment.
- To infringe or violate, as a law, or any moral obligation, either by a positive act or by an omission of what is required.
- To stop; to interrupt; to cause to cease; as, to break conversation; to break sleep.
- To intercept; to check; to lessen the force of; as, to break a fall, or a blow.
- To separate; to part; as, to break company of friendship.
- To dissolve any union; sometimes with off; as, to break off a connection.
- To cause to abandon; to reform or cause to reform; as, to break one of ill habits or practices.
- To open as a purpose; to propound something new; to make a first disclosure of opinions; as, to break one's mind.
- To frustrate; to prevent.
- To take away; as, to break the whole staff of bread.
- To stretch; to strain; to rack; as, to break one on the wheel.“BREAK off thy sins by righteousness” Daniel 4:27
- To sever; to divide; as, to break off a twig.
- To open or lay open; as, to break up a bed of earth.
- To plow ground the first time, or after lying long unplowed; a common use in the U.
- To separate; as, to break up a company.
- To disband; as, to break up an army.
BREAK, verb intransitive
To part; to separate; to divide in two; as, the ice breaks; a band breaks.
- To burst; as, a storm or deluge breaks.
- To burst, by dashing against something; as, a wave breaks upon a rock.
- To open, as a tumor or aposteme.
- To open, as the morning; to show the first light; to dawn.
- To burst forth; to utter or exclaim.
- To fail in trade or other occupation; to become bankrupt.
- To decline in health and strength; to begin to lose the natural vigor.
- To issue out with vehemence.
- To make way with violence or suddenness; to rush; often with a particle; as, to break in; to break in upon, as calamities; to break over, as a flood; to break out, as a fire; to break forth, as light or a sound.
- To come to an explanation.
- To suffer an interruption of friendship; to fall out.
- To faint, flag or pant.“My soul breaketh for longing to thy judgments” Psalms 119:20
- To appear in eruptions, as pustules; to have pustules, or an efflorescence on the skin, as a child breaks out.
- To throw off restraint, and become dissolute.
BREAK, noun
A state of being open, or the act of separating; an opening made by force; an open place. It is the same word as brack, differently written and pronounced.
- A pause; an interruption.
- A line in writing or printing, noting a suspension of the sense, or a stop in the sentence.
- In a ship, the break of the deck is the part where it terminates, and the descent on to the next deck below commences.
- The first appearance of light in the morning; the dawn; as the break of day.
Noah Webster, An American Dictionary of the English Language (1828). Verse references are checked against the KJV. Read the full entry.
Verses are from the King James Version. Word meanings come from the original Hebrew, not from any one translation.