נֵתַח

נֵתַח

a fragment

Definition

נֵתַח (nêthach) refers to a piece or portion, specifically a cut piece of meat from a sacrificial animal. In its primary cultic usage, it denotes the parts of an animal prepared for ritual offering, such as the head, fat, and entrails (Leviticus 1:6, 1:8). The term can also refer to the divided pieces of a dismembered body in a non-sacrificial, graphic context, as seen in Judges 19:29. Thus, it carries the dual sense of a ritually prepared portion and a general severed piece.

Biblical Usage

This word is used almost exclusively in priestly ritual texts, detailing the preparation of sacrifices (Exodus 29:17; Leviticus 1:6, 8:20, 9:13). Its usage is highly patterned, describing the specific cutting and arrangement of animal parts on the altar. The sole exception is its shocking, non-cultic use in Judges 19:29, where it describes the pieces of a concubine's body sent throughout Israel. In Ezekiel 24:4, it is used metaphorically within a parable about Jerusalem.

Etymology

Derived from the root verb נָתַח (nāthach, H5408), meaning 'to cut up, dismember, or divide.' This root clearly informs the noun's meaning of a cut portion. The word is a primary noun form from this root, with cognates in other Semitic languages also relating to cutting or dividing.

Semantic Range

This word is theologically significant as it is central to the Levitical sacrificial system. Understanding נֵתַח highlights the orderly, prescribed nature of worship—God received specific, prepared portions of the offering (Leviticus 1:12). The contrast between its ritual use and its horrific application in Judges 19:29 is stark: the same term for consecrated pieces given to God is used for a dismembered human body, powerfully illustrating the depth of Israel's moral decay during that period. In ancient Israelite culture, butchering and dividing an animal was a routine part of both food preparation and religious ritual. The precise cutting of a נֵתַח for sacrifice was not mere butchery but a sacred act, following divine instructions to honor God. The shocking use in Judges 19:29 would have been culturally understood as an ultimate act of communication and a call to justice, using the familiar concept of divided pieces in a profoundly profane way. פֶּסֶל (pesel, H6459) — an idol or carved image, a shaped piece, not a cut portion. חֵלֶק (ḥēleq, H2506) — a portion, lot, or share, often of land or inheritance, not specifically a cut piece of flesh. בָּשָׂר (bāśār, H1320) — flesh or meat, the general substance, not a specific cut piece.

Word Details