pa.sal denotes cutting out stone tablets and, in one prophetic clause, carving an idol.

The attested use most often concerns cutting out two stone tablets, whether commanded or carried out in Deuteronomy 10:1, Deuteronomy 10:3, Exodus 34:1, and Exodus 34:4; Habakkuk 2:18 uses it of a maker carving an idol.

1. Cutting out stone tablets · dominant

   In Deuteronomy 10:1 and Exodus 34:1, the Qal imperative addresses a man with the instruction to prepare two stone tablets. In Deuteronomy 10:3 and Exodus 34:4, sequential imperfect forms describe the subsequent action of making the two tablets; the APB renders these clauses with “hewed.”

   Deuteronomy 10:1Deuteronomy 10:3Exodus 34:1Exodus 34:4
2. Carving an idol · occasional

   In Habakkuk 2:18, the Qal perfect occurs in the clause about an idol and its maker. The APB renders the clause by saying that its maker “has carved it.”

   Habakkuk 2:18

In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB presents the tablet-making clauses with “hewed” and the idol clause with “has carved it.” These renderings confirm the clauses' actions rather than supply a separate sense by themselves.