Word Study for H1438 (גָּדַע)

gâdaʻ /gaw-dah'/ Ask about this word

Roota primitive root

Meaningto fell a tree; generally, to destroy anything

KJV usagecut (asunder, in sunder, down, off), hew down.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of gâdaʻ — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Hebrew word gâdaʻ, represented by H1438, is a primitive root defined as to fell a tree or, more generally, to destroy anything. Appearing 24 times across 23 unique verses, its meaning encompasses actions such as to cut down, hew down, cut off, or cut asunder.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In the biblical narrative, H1438 is used to denote decisive acts of destruction, often at God's command or as an instrument of His judgment. Israel was commanded to hew down H1438 the graven images and cut down H1438 the groves of other nations as part of purifying the land (Deuteronomy 12:3, 2 Chronicles 14:3). Prophetically, the word describes the judgment of God against the proud and powerful. The "horn of Moab," a symbol of its strength, is cut off H1438 Jeremiah 48:25, and Lucifer is cut down H1438 to the ground Isaiah 14:12. It is also used symbolically to represent the breaking of covenants and relationships, as when Zechariah cut asunder H1438 his staff to break the covenant with the people Zechariah 11:10.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words expand upon the concept of destruction and removal:

H7665 shâbar (to burst... break... crush, destroy): This word is frequently paired with gâdaʻ to describe the comprehensive destruction of idolatrous objects and symbols of power. For example, God commands Israel to break down H7665 images and cut down H1438 groves Deuteronomy 7:5, and the horn of Moab is both cut off H1438 and broken H7665 Jeremiah 48:25.
H5422 nâthats (to tear down): Often used for dismantling structures, this word complements gâdaʻ by describing the pulling down of altars, while gâdaʻ refers to the hewing down of associated graven images and groves Deuteronomy 12:3.
H3772 kârath (to cut (off, down or asunder)... to covenant): This term shares the core idea of "cutting." While it is the primary verb for making a covenant, it is also used for cutting off or destroying. In a striking reversal, Zechariah uses gâdaʻ to describe the "cutting asunder" of a staff to break a covenant that was originally made H3772 Zechariah 11:10.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of H1438 is significant, highlighting key principles of divine justice and holiness.

Purification of Worship: H1438 is repeatedly used in commands to Israel to completely eradicate pagan worship. This involves cutting down H1438 idolatrous groves and images, demonstrating that holiness requires the decisive removal of all rivals to God (Deuteronomy 7:5, 2 Chronicles 34:7).
Execution of Divine Judgment: The word signifies God's sovereign power to humble the proud and judge wickedness. This is symbolically portrayed by the cutting off H1438 of the "horn," a metaphor for strength, from nations like Moab Jeremiah 48:25 and even from His own people, Israel Lamentations 2:3. The felling of the mighty, such as Lucifer being cut down H1438 to the ground Isaiah 14:12, reinforces this theme.
Severing of Covenants: The physical act of cutting asunder is used metaphorically to illustrate the breaking of sacred bonds. In Zechariah, staffs representing the covenant with the people and the brotherhood between Judah and Israel are cut asunder H1438, signifying the dire consequences of disobedience (Zechariah 11:10, Zechariah 11:14).

Summary

In summary, H1438 gâdaʻ is a potent verb of destruction and severance. It is not merely about felling trees but about the decisive and often violent removal of power, idolatry, and established bonds. It functions both as a divine command for the purification of worship Deuteronomy 12:3 and as a descriptor of God's ultimate judgment against the proud and unfaithful (Isaiah 10:33, Lamentations 2:3). From the physical act of hewing down idols and iron bars to the symbolic cutting off of national strength and sacred covenants, gâdaʻ illustrates a fundamental biblical principle: that which stands in opposition to God or His covenant will ultimately be cut down.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Hebrew Old Testament, this word appears as a verb across 23 occurrences, inflected in 16 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form. Select any form to read what each part of its name means, and to filter the occurrence list to it.

גִּדֵּעַ
נִגְדְּעוּ
נִגְדַּע
אֲגַדֵּעַ
תְּגַדֵּעוּ
אֶגְדַּע
נִגְדְּעָה
נִגְדַּעְתָּ
נִגְדְּעָה
יְגַדְּעוּ
יְגַדַּע
גֻּדָּעוּ
גָדַעְתִּי
גְּדוּעִים
גְּרוּעָה
גָּדַע

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

Appears in 23 verses across 11 of the 39 books. Most frequent in Isaiah (6 verses); never once in the other 28.

Deuteronomy

Judges

1 Samuel

2 Chronicles

Psalms

Isaiah

Jeremiah

Lamentations

Ezekiel

Amos

Zechariah

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, by grammatical form, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.