שֶׂרֶט
𐤔𐤓𐤈
sereṭ
H8296 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A marked incision or cut, particularly one made deliberately in the skin, often as part of mourning practices or cultic rituals. The word may refer to either the action of making an incision or the physical mark or scar resulting from such an action.
Semantic Range
deliberate slash or incision in the skin, ritual mark or scar, cut made as part of mourning customs, intentional laceration
Root / Etymology
From the verb שָׂרַט (sārat), meaning 'to scratch, incise, cut'. The noun שֶׂרֶט (sereṭ) denotes the result of scratching or incision, typically a mark or cut on the skin.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In biblical contexts, שֶׂרֶט appears in discussions of prohibitions relating to mourning customs, particularly Deuteronomy 14:1 and Leviticus 19:28, where the Israelites are forbidden from making incisions in their flesh as an expression of grief for the dead. This usage is paralleled in several ancient Near Eastern cultures, where such practices were part of ritual mourning or acts of self-laceration in cultic contexts. The term is distinct from other Hebrew words for wounds or marks, such as פֶּצַע (peṣaʻ, 'wound') or מַכָּה (makkāh, 'blow, wound'), in that שֶׂרֶט specifically refers to incisions that are cut intentionally, often ritualistically. Over time, the prohibition on making a שֶׂרֶט became emblematic of the Israelite differentiation from surrounding peoples. Later Jewish interpretation continued to regard these cuts as forbidden, but English translations often flatten the distinction between different types of wounds, not always preserving the ritual or intentional sense inherent to שֶׂרֶט.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
and שָׂרֶטֶת; from שָׂרַט; an incision; cutting.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
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שׂרט (ś-r-ṭ) — scratch, incise, cut into
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H8295 | שָׂרַט | incisions |
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H8296-01 |
שָׂרָֽטֶת | saratet | HNcfsa |
a cut | ritual skin-incision | incision | 1 |
H8296-02 |
וְ/שֶׂ֣רֶט | veseret | HC/Ncmsa |
and-incision | and a ritual incision | and a ritual incision | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H8296-02 |
Leviticus 19:28 | וְ/שֶׂ֣רֶט | veseret | HC/Ncmsa |
and-incision | and a ritual incision | and a ritual incision |
H8296-01 |
Leviticus 21:5 | שָׂרָֽטֶת | saratet | HNcfsa |
a cut | ritual skin-incision | incision |