נָפַץ
na.phats
to shatter
Lexicon Entry
Lexicon data from STEPBible TIPNR, Tyndale House, Cambridge. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
What Original Readers Understood
ExploredThe Hebrew word "נָפַץ" (na.phats) is defined as "to shatter." This verb conveys a sense of breaking or splitting apart, often with a sense of force or violence. It is used 18 times in the Bible, indicating its significance in various contexts. The range of usage for "נָפַץ" is quite broad, appearing in descriptions of natural disasters, such as earthquakes and storms, as well as in accounts of battles and conflicts. It is also used metaphorically to describe the shattering of one's hopes or the breaking of a promise. This versatility suggests that the concept of shattering is a fundamental aspect of the human experience, relevant to both physical and emotional realms. The significance of "נָפַץ" lies in its ability to convey a sense of sudden and often irreversible change. Whether describing the destruction of a city or the breaking of a heart, this word captures the intensity and finality of a shattering event. By examining the various occurrences of "נָפַץ" in the Bible, we can gain a deeper understanding of the complexities of human experience and the ways in which we respond to the challenges and traumas that life presents.
Source data & methodology
Occurrences in Scripture
18 total occurrences across the text
You shall break them with a rod of iron. You shall dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”
Psalms 137:9Happy shall he be, who takes and dashes your little ones against the rock.
Isaiah 27:9Therefore by this the iniquity of Jacob will be forgiven, and this is all the fruit of taking away his sin: that he makes all the stones of the altar as chalk stones that are beaten in pieces, so that the Asherah poles and the incense altars shall rise no more.
Jeremiah 13:14I will dash them one against another, even the fathers and the sons together,” says Yahweh: “I will not pity, spare, or have compassion, that I should not destroy them.” ’ ”
Jeremiah 22:28Is this man Coniah a despised broken vessel? Is he a vessel in which no one delights? Why are they cast out, he and his offspring, and cast into a land which they don’t know?
Jeremiah 48:12Therefore behold, the days come,” says Yahweh, “that I will send to him those who pour off, and they will pour him off; and they will empty his vessels, and break their containers in pieces.
Jeremiah 51:20“You are my battle ax and weapons of war. With you I will break the nations into pieces. With you I will destroy kingdoms.
Jeremiah 51:21With you I will break in pieces the horse and his rider.
Jeremiah 51:21With you I will break in pieces the horse and his rider.
Jeremiah 51:22With you I will break in pieces the chariot and him who rides therein. With you I will break in pieces man and woman. With you I will break in pieces the old man and the youth. With you I will break in pieces the young man and the virgin.
Jeremiah 51:22With you I will break in pieces the chariot and him who rides therein. With you I will break in pieces man and woman. With you I will break in pieces the old man and the youth. With you I will break in pieces the young man and the virgin.
Jeremiah 51:22With you I will break in pieces the chariot and him who rides therein. With you I will break in pieces man and woman. With you I will break in pieces the old man and the youth. With you I will break in pieces the young man and the virgin.
Jeremiah 51:23With you I will break in pieces the shepherd and his flock. With you I will break in pieces the farmer and his yoke. With you I will break in pieces governors and deputies.
Jeremiah 51:23With you I will break in pieces the shepherd and his flock. With you I will break in pieces the farmer and his yoke. With you I will break in pieces governors and deputies.
Jeremiah 51:23With you I will break in pieces the shepherd and his flock. With you I will break in pieces the farmer and his yoke. With you I will break in pieces governors and deputies.
Daniel 12:7I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand to heaven, and swore by him who lives forever that it will be for a time, times, and a half; and when they have finished breaking in pieces the power of the holy people, all these things will be finished.
Judges 7:19So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outermost part of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch, when they had but newly set the watch. Then they blew the trumpets and broke in pieces the pitchers that were in their hands.
1 Kings 5:9My servants will bring them down from Lebanon to the sea. I will make them into rafts to go by sea to the place that you specify to me, and will cause them to be broken up there, and you will receive them. You will accomplish my desire, in giving food for my household.”