Hebrew word · H3781
כַּשִּׁיל
bekhashil
axe
A cutting tool, an axe or hatchet. It occurs only here in the Hebrew Bible, so the meaning comes from context and the ancient translations. The Greek renders it pelekys ('axe').
Appears once in the Hebrew Old Testament. ·
What it means
axe
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
A cutting tool, an axe or hatchet. It occurs only here in the Hebrew Bible, so the meaning comes from context and the ancient translations. The Greek renders it pelekys ('axe').
- Against the English
English versions use 'axes' (KJV) or 'hatchet(s)' (WEB, BSB, ESV). Since the exact shape of the tool cannot be known, either is fine.
- Used elsewhere in the period
It occurs only here. The Septuagint (Psalm 73:6 in its numbering) translates it 'axe' (pelekei). The pairing with keilappot and the axes (qardummot) of verse 5 makes the general sense secure.
Where it appears
Psalms · 1
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Psalm 74:6 בְּכַשִּׁ֥יל with axe[s]
and smashing all the carvings with hatchets and picks.
Here: 'With axe': a cutting tool. The word occurs only here in the Bible, so its exact shape is inferred from context and the ancient translations. It picks up the woodcutters' axes of verse 5.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.