שֶׂרֶט
an incision
Definition
The Hebrew noun שֶׂרֶט (sereṭ) refers to a deliberate incision or cut made in the skin. In its biblical usage, it specifically denotes a form of self-inflicted bodily marking, often associated with mourning rituals for the dead. This meaning is consistent across its two occurrences in Leviticus 19:28 and Leviticus 21:5. The word does not refer to accidental wounds or surgical cuts, but to intentional, ritualistic scarring.
Biblical Usage
This word is used exclusively in the Holiness Code of Leviticus, appearing only twice. In both instances, it is used in a legal context to prohibit the Israelites from making such incisions. Leviticus 19:28 forbids the practice for the general populace, while Leviticus 21:5 specifically prohibits it for priests, linking it to other mourning practices like shaving the head. The usage is consistently negative, framing the act as a violation of Israel's consecrated status.
Etymology
The noun שֶׂרֶט (sereṭ) is derived from the root verb שָׂרַט (śāraṭ, H8295), which means 'to incise' or 'to cut.' A related noun, שָׂרֶטֶת (śāreṭet), also meaning an incision or cutting, appears in the same prohibitive context in Leviticus. The root conveys the idea of scoring or marking a surface, particularly the skin.
Semantic Range
This word is theologically significant as it highlights the concept of Israel's physical body as a reflection of its spiritual consecration to Yahweh. The prohibition against שֶׂרֶט in Leviticus 19:28 and 21:5 serves to separate Israel from the mourning practices of surrounding pagan nations (Deuteronomy 14:1-2). It underscores that the people belong to God and should not deface the body, which is created in God's image, through rituals connected to other deities or the cult of the dead. Understanding this enriches the reading of these laws by revealing their purpose: to maintain a distinct, holy identity.
In the ancient Near East, making cuts or tattoos on the body was a common mourning practice, often intended to appease spirits of the dead or to invoke the aid of a deity in the underworld. For the Israelites, adopting such practices was not merely a cultural issue but a religious one, as it represented participation in the ritual systems of other gods. The biblical prohibition directly confronts and forbids this assimilation, insisting on a different theology of death and the body.
שָׂרֶטֶת (śāreṭet, H8295) — A virtually identical noun form used in the same prohibitive contexts, also meaning an incision. כתבת (kaʾăḇaṯ, H7085) — A 'mark' or tattoo, explicitly mentioned alongside שֶׂרֶט in Leviticus 19:28 as another prohibited practice.
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
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