Hebrew word · H1491
גָּזָה
gozi
to cut
This exact form appears only here. Standard lexicons (BDB) link it to גָּזָה / גָּזַז, "cut off, sever, shear," and translate "he who severed me," that is, brought me out of the womb.
Appears once in the Hebrew Old Testament. ·
What it means
1) to cut, cut off, sever
1a) (Qal) he that severed (participle)
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
- Range of meaning
This exact form appears only here. Standard lexicons (BDB) link it to גָּזָה / גָּזַז, "cut off, sever, shear," and translate "he who severed me," that is, brought me out of the womb. The parallel line in Psalm 22:9 (Hebrew 22:10) has a similar-looking word, גֹחִי (gōḥî), "the one who drew me out / made me burst forth."
- Against the English
KJV/WEB "took me out," BSB "pulled me," NIV "brought me forth": these give the general sense, delivery. YLT "dost cut me out" keeps the cutting image. NLT goes a different way with the idea of care. The Greek and Latin versions have "my protector."
- Used elsewhere in the period
Psalm 22:9–10 is the closest parallel: "you are the one who drew me from the belly … on you I was cast from the womb." Psalm 71:5–6 deliberately echoes it. In ancient Israel midwives delivered babies (Genesis 35:17; Exodus 1:15–21) and cut the cord (Ezekiel 16:4: "your navel was not cut"). The Greek Septuagint (Psalm 70:6 in its numbering) has skepastēs, "protector."
Where it appears
Psalms · 1
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Psalm 71:6 גוֹזִ֑י [were [the] one who] cut off me
I have leaned on You since birth; You pulled me from my mother’s womb. My praise is always for You.
Here: This word occurs nowhere else in the Bible. It is usually linked to a root meaning "cut, sever": "you are the one who cut me loose," probably picturing the midwife cutting the cord and separating the newborn. In practice it means "you delivered me." The exact sense is debated (see debates).
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.