קַרְדֹּם
𐤒𐤓𐤃𐤌
qardôm
H7134 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A hand-tool with a broad blade set at a right angle to a handle, used primarily for cutting or splitting wood. In biblical Hebrew, 'qardôm' refers specifically to a carpenter's or woodcutter's axe, as distinct from tools used exclusively for warfare or ceremonial purposes. Lexically, the term always designates an implement with a practical, utilitarian function rather than a weapon.
Semantic Range
axe (standard woodcutting tool), implement for felling trees or carpentry, not a weapon; chopping tool for wood, carpenter's ax, woodcutter's ax
Root / Etymology
Root/etymology uncertain. While Strong's conjectures a connection to קָדַם (qādam, 'to come before, to advance'), based on the idea of 'striking upon,' there is no clear philological or semantic evidence for this derivation; the similarity may be coincidental. The form קַרְדֹּם likely reflects a loanword or an onomatopoetic formation related to instruments that strike or chop. No semitic cognates outside Hebrew are securely attested, but the form and object are aligned with common Near Eastern woodworking tools.
Historical & Contextual Notes
The term 'qardôm' appears in biblical passages describing standard woodcutting activity (Deuteronomy 19:5; 1 Samuel 13:20-21; Jeremiah 46:22). Archaeological evidence and iconography confirm the differentiation between woodcutting axes (qardôm) and specialized battle-axes or ceremonial axes (often labeled with distinct terms such as גרזן 'garzen'; see Judges 9:48 for differentiation). In the Iron Age Levant, the ax was a common tool but also held symbolic associations with industry and basic subsistence rather than warfare or ritual. English Bible translations typically render 'qardôm' as 'axe' or 'ax,' which is correct, but don't usually capture the distinct functional and cultural world of tool use among the Israelites and their neighbors. 'Qardôm' never functions in biblical texts as a metaphor for destruction or judgment, unlike some other cutlery or weapon terms. In later Hebrew literature, the term continues with its basic meaning.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
perhaps from קָדַם in the sense of striking upon; an axe; ax.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
קרדם (q-r-d-m) — cutting, chopping
Word Forms
5 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H7134-05 |
וּ/בְ/קַרְדֻּמּוֹת֙ | uveqaredumot | HC/R/Ncbpa |
with axes | and with woodcutting axes | 1 |
H7134-02 |
קַרְדֻּמּ֔/וֹ | qaredumo | HNcbsc/Sp3ms |
his axe | his woodcutter’s axe | 1 |
H7134-03 |
קַרְדֻּמּֽוֹת | qaredumot | HNcbpa |
axes | woodcutting axes | 1 |
H7134-01 |
הַ/קַּרְדֻּמּ֜וֹת | haqaredumot | HTd/Ncbpa |
the axes | the woodcutting axes | 1 |
H7134-04 |
וּ/לְ/הַ/קַּרְדֻּמִּ֑ים | ulehaqaredumim | HC/R/Td/Ncbpa |
and for the axes | and to the woodcutting axes | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
5 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H7134-01 |
Judges 9:48 | הַ/קַּרְדֻּמּ֜וֹת | haqaredumot | HTd/Ncbpa |
the axes | the woodcutting axes |
H7134-02 |
1 Samuel 13:20 | קַרְדֻּמּ֔/וֹ | qaredumo | HNcbsc/Sp3ms |
his axe | his woodcutter’s axe |
H7134-04 |
1 Samuel 13:21 | וּ/לְ/הַ/קַּרְדֻּמִּ֑ים | ulehaqaredumim | HC/R/Td/Ncbpa |
and for the axes | and to the woodcutting axes |
H7134-05 |
Jeremiah 46:22 | וּ/בְ/קַרְדֻּמּוֹת֙ | uveqaredumot | HC/R/Ncbpa |
with axes | and with woodcutting axes |
H7134-03 |
Psalms 74:5 | קַרְדֻּמּֽוֹת | qaredumot | HNcbpa |
axes | woodcutting axes |