Answers about…
knives in the Bible

Six different Hebrew words were used for knife in the Old Testament.

  1. Hebrew: hereb, “the waster”

    a sharp instrument for…
    —circumcision (Joshua 5:2-3, literally “knives of flint,” compare Exodus 4:25)
    —a razor (Ezek. 5:1)
    —a graving tool (Exodus 20:25)
    —an axe (Ezek. 26:9)

  2. Hebrew: maakeleth, a large knife for slaughtering and cutting up food (Genesis 22:6, 10; Proverbs 30:14).

  3. Hebrew: sakkin, a knife for any purpose, a table knife (Proverbs 23:2).

  4. Hebrew: mahalaph, a butcher's knife for slaughtering the victims offered in sacrifice (Ezra 1:9).

  5. Smaller knives (Hebrew: ta'ar, Jeremiah 36:26) were used for sharpening pens.

  6. The pruning-knives mentioned in Isaiah 18:5 (Hebrew: mizmaroth) were probably curved knives.

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Article Version: November 3, 2026