Lexical Summary kelappoth: "flashes" or "flames" Original Word: כֵּילַף Strong's Exhaustive Concordance hammer From an unused root meaning to clap or strike with noise; a club or sledge-hammer -- hammer. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originof foreign origin Definition an axe NASB Translation hammers (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs כֵּילַמּוֺת noun [feminine] axe (loan-word (compare Frä74) from Assyrian kalappatu see DlHWB 333) — יַהֲלֹמ֑וּן ׳בְּכַשִּׁיל וְכ Psalm 74:6 ("" קַרְדֻּמּוֺת Psalm 74:5). כִּימָה see below כום. Topical Lexicon Overview Strong’s Hebrew 3597 designates a wood-cutting or metal-shattering tool, translated in Psalm 74:6 as a “hatchet”. Though the term appears only once, its solitary use in a psalm of communal lament loads it with theological and historical weight far beyond mere vocabulary. Biblical Occurrence and Context Psalm 74:6 “And now they smash all its carved work with hatchets and picks.” The psalmist is recounting the desecration of the sanctuary—most naturally understood as the Solomonic temple—by hostile forces. The hatchet becomes the point of contact between violent invaders and the house of God, illustrating both the physical destruction and the moral outrage of the attack. Historical Background of Psalm 74 The imagery fits the Babylonian destruction in 586 BC when temple furnishings, cedar paneling, and ornamental woodwork were hacked apart (2 Kings 25:8-9; Jeremiah 52:13). While some scholars consider earlier assaults, the wide-scale demolition described in Psalm 74 resonates most closely with that final catastrophe. The psalm therefore preserves an eyewitness-level detail: the invaders reduced intricate craftsmanship—symbols of covenant worship—to splinters with their כֵּילַף. Literary Function in the Psalm The verse sits within a carefully constructed lament (Psalm 74:1-11), sandwiched between questions of divine abandonment and appeals for action. Mentioning the hatchet dramatizes the violence, turning abstract suffering into a vivid snapshot: ornate carvings that once proclaimed God’s glory now lie in ruin. The instrument’s name intensifies the psalm’s emotional force, evoking ringing iron against sacred wood. Symbolic Significance of Cutting Implements 1. Judgment permitted by God: In Isaiah 10:5-15 Assyria is called “the rod of My anger,” yet warned against boasting. Likewise, the hatchet in Psalm 74 is an unwitting agent in the Lord’s disciplinary plan (compare Lamentations 2:6-7). Theological Themes • Covenant Faithfulness: The psalm pleads, “Remember Your congregation” (Psalm 74:2); the hatchet scene underlines the tension between visible devastation and God’s enduring promise. Links to Other Scriptures • Jeremiah 51:20 “You are My war club and weapon of battle.” Instruments of destruction are sometimes personified as tools in God’s hand. Practical and Ministry Implications 1. Lament and Worship: Congregations can follow Psalm 74’s pattern—naming specific losses (symbolized by the hatchet) while anchoring hope in God’s past deeds and covenant promises. Christological and Eschatological Considerations The hatchet that splintered cedar is a foreshadowing of greater desecrations yet also of a greater restoration. Christ, the true Temple, was “struck” (Zechariah 13:7; Mark 14:27) yet rose indestructible. In the new creation the need for any earthly sanctuary disappears, for “the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple” (Revelation 21:22). Thus the single occurrence of כֵּילַף ultimately points beyond itself—from ruin to resurrection, from temporal woodwork to eternal glory. Forms and Transliterations וְ֝כֵֽילַפֹּ֗ת וכילפת vecheilapPot wə·ḵê·lap·pōṯ wəḵêlappōṯLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Psalm 74:6 HEB: יָּ֑חַד בְּכַשִּׁ֥יל וְ֝כֵֽילַפֹּ֗ת יַהֲלֹמֽוּן׃ NAS: They smash with hatchet and hammers. KJV: thereof at once with axes and hammers. INT: all hatchet and hammers smash 1 Occurrence |
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