Hebrew word · H1333

בָּתַק

uvitekukh

to cut up

Occurs only here in the Hebrew Bible. Meaning fixed mainly by related words in other languages: Akkadian batāqu, 'to cut off, cut through, breach', and later Hebrew and Aramaic usage meaning 'cut, sever'. The verb form here (Piel) points to intensive or repeated action: hack, cut up, cut to pieces.

Appears once in the Hebrew Old Testament. · Updated November 15, 2026

What it means

(Piel) to cut, cut up, cut off, cut down

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Ezekiel 16:40

Range of meaning: Occurs only here in the Hebrew Bible. Meaning fixed mainly by related words in other languages: Akkadian batāqu, 'to cut off, cut through, breach', and later Hebrew and Aramaic usage meaning 'cut, sever'. The verb form here (Piel) points to intensive or repeated action: hack, cut up, cut to pieces.
Against the English: BSB 'cut you to pieces' (likewise ESV, NASB; NIV 'hack you to pieces') matches the cognate evidence. KJV/WEB/YLT 'thrust thee through' describes a single piercing stab, which is a different and milder picture.
How it drifted: The KJV translators, working before Akkadian could be read, seem to have guessed from context. Comparison with Akkadian later showed the root means cutting through or off, not piercing.
Used elsewhere in the period: Septuagint: katasphaxousin se, 'they will slaughter you'. Vulgate: trucidabunt, 'they will butcher/massacre'. The parallel Ezek 23:47 uses a different verb, bare', 'cut down, clear out'. HALOT and BDB both give 'cut off, cut in pieces', citing the Akkadian.

Where it appears

Ezekiel · 1

Ezekiel 16:40 וּבִתְּק֖וּךְ and they will cut to pieces you

They will bring a mob against you, who will stone you and cut you to pieces with their swords.

Here: This word occurs only here in the Hebrew Bible. The verb form stresses repeated, thorough action: to hack, to cut up. After the stoning the body is hacked apart, the most complete destruction possible.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.