to shatter
ra.a denotes forceful breaking or shattering, and in one companions clause it appears in a context of mutual harm.
The predominant use describes forceful breaking: the earth is broken and shaken, branches are shattered, iron is asked whether it can break iron, and mighty people or hostile peoples are broken. A separate occurrence places the Hithpolel form in a statement about companions and mutual harm.
Senses in use
-
Forceful breaking of objects or people · dominant
The Qal forms occur in clauses of destructive breaking: in Isaiah 24:19 the earth is repeatedly described as broken, split, and shaken, while Jeremiah 11:16 places the shattered branches after fire is kindled on the olive tree. Jeremiah 15:12 asks whether iron can break iron, Job 34:24 says that the mighty are shattered, and Psalm 2:9 and Isaiah 8:9 address peoples who are to be broken.
-
Mutual harm among companions · rare
In Proverbs 18:24, the Hithpolel infinitive construct occurs in the clause about a man having many companions; the APB renders the surrounding statement as companions existing “for mutual harm,” before contrasting a friend who clings more closely than a brother. The precise English contribution of the form cannot be isolated from the translation.
In the Anselm Project Bible: Across the breaking passages, the APB uses “broken,” “break,” and “shatters,” and in Isaiah 24:19 it also includes “split apart” and “violently shaken.” In Proverbs 18:24 it renders the surrounding clause with “mutual harm”; These renderings do not isolate the lemma in every instance.