כְּרִיתוּת
𐤊𐤓𐤉𐤕𐤅𐤕
kᵉrîythûwth
H3748 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A formal act of severing the marital relationship, specifically the written document or decree effecting the legal dissolution of a marriage in ancient Israel; more broadly, the action or state of divorce as legally recognized.
Semantic Range
formal divorce decree, document of divorce, act of severing a marriage, legal dissolution of marriage
Root / Etymology
From the root כרת (to cut, sever, make a covenant), reflecting the concept of cutting off or ending a relationship. כְּרִיתוּת is a noun form indicating 'cutting off' or 'separation.'
Historical & Contextual Notes
The term כְּרִיתוּת occurs specifically in the legal context of Deuteronomy 24:1, 3, where it denotes the formal 'document of divorce' (sefer keritut), as well as in later Jewish legal tradition. While the broader sense of 'cutting off/separation' is present in the underlying root (כרת), כְּרִיתוּת itself exclusively designates the legal dissolution of marriage. Unlike related terms that signify general forms of cutting, exclusion, or banishment (e.g., כָּרֵת, karet), כְּרִיתוּת is always associated with the act of divorce. Later translators rendered the term as 'divorce,' 'bill of divorce,' or—in Christian tradition—'writing of divorcement.' The word reflects the ancient Israelite system where divorce required a legal document, distinguishing it from societies with only verbal repudiation. In later periods, כְּרִיתוּת continued in rabbinic legal vocabulary as a fixed term for the divorce document (get keritut). The term does not refer to the practice of divorce in general or to social customs, but strictly to the written certificate by which divorce was enacted according to Torah law. English 'divorce' or 'divorcement' can be narrower or broader depending on context; in the Hebrew Bible, כְּרִיתוּת is specifically the formal mechanism of marital separation by document.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from כָּרַת; a cutting (of the matrimonial bond), i.e. divorce; divorce(-ment).
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
כרת (k-r-t) — cut, sever, divide, make a covenant
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H3735 | כָּרָא | she pierced herself in grief |
| H3747 | כְּרִית | Kerith, the Cut-Ravine |
| H3772 | כָּרַת | I will cause to cut off |
| H3773 | כָּרֻתָה | hewn timbers |
| H3774 | כְּרֵתִי | the Kerethite guardsman |
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3748-01 |
כְּרִיתֻת֙ | keritut | HNcfsa |
of divorce | marital cutting-off | 3 |
H3748-02 |
כְּרִיתֻתֶ֖י/הָ | kerituteyha | HNcfpc/Sp3fs |
of divorce | her cutting-off decrees | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
4 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3748-01 |
Deuteronomy 24:1 | כְּרִיתֻת֙ | keritut | HNcfsa |
of divorce | marital cutting-off |
H3748-01 |
Deuteronomy 24:3 | כְּרִיתֻת֙ | keritut | HNcfsa |
of-divorcement | marital cutting-off |
H3748-01 |
Isaiah 50:1 | כְּרִית֤וּת | keritut | HNcfsc |
of divorcement | marital cutting-off |
H3748-02 |
Jeremiah 3:8 | כְּרִיתֻתֶ֖י/הָ | kerituteyha | HNcfpc/Sp3fs |
of divorce | her cutting-off decrees |