Qara קָרַע

Qara (Hebrew קָרַע, Strong's H7167) is a Hebrew verb meaning “to tear”. It occurs 63 times in 60 verses of the Old Testament.

Definition

From the STEPBible Brief Lexicon of Hebrew (based on the abridged Brown-Driver-Briggs), STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0.

Translated as

Verses

Every verse with Qara, with the English words that translate it highlighted (KJV or BSB; other translations show the KJV here).

Genesis

• Genesis 37:29
  And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes.When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes,
• Genesis 37:34
  And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days.Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth around his waist, and mourned for his son many days.
• Genesis 44:13
  Then they rent their clothes, and laded every man his ass, and returned to the city.Then they all tore their clothes, loaded their donkeys, and returned to the city.

Exodus

• Exodus 28:32
  And there shall be an hole in the top of it, in the midst thereof: it shall have a binding of woven work round about the hole of it, as it were the hole of an habergeon, that it be not rent.with an opening at its top in the center. Around the opening shall be a woven collar with an opening like that of a garment, so that it will not tear.
• Exodus 39:23
  And there was an hole in the midst of the robe, as the hole of an habergeon, with a band round about the hole, that it should not rend.with an opening in the center of the robe like that of a garment, with a collar around the opening so that it would not tear.

Leviticus

• Leviticus 13:56
  And if the priest look, and, behold, the plague be somewhat dark after the washing of it; then he shall rend it out of the garment, or out of the skin, or out of the warp, or out of the woof:If the priest examines it and the mildew has faded after it has been washed, he must cut the contaminated section out of the fabric, leather, weave, or knit.

Numbers

• Numbers 14:6
  And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes:Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes

Joshua

• Joshua 7:6
  And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the Lord until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads.Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell facedown before the ark of the LORD until evening, as did the elders of Israel; and they all sprinkled dust on their heads.

Judges

• Judges 11:35
  And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low, and thou art one of them that trouble me: for I have opened my mouth unto the Lord, and I cannot go back.As soon as Jephthah saw her, he tore his clothes and said, “No! Not my daughter! You have brought me to my knees! You have brought great misery upon me, for I have given my word to the LORD and cannot take it back.”

1 Samuel

• 1 Samuel 4:12
  And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes rent, and with earth upon his head.That same day a Benjamite ran from the battle line all the way to Shiloh, with his clothes torn and dirt on his head.
• 1 Samuel 15:27
  And as Samuel turned about to go away, he laid hold upon the skirt of his mantle, and it rent.As Samuel turned to go, Saul grabbed the hem of his robe, and it tore.
• 1 Samuel 15:28
  And Samuel said unto him, The Lord hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbour of thine, that is better than thou.So Samuel said to him, “The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to your neighbor who is better than you.
• 1 Samuel 28:17
  And the Lord hath done to him, as he spake by me: for the Lord hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it to thy neighbour, even to David:He has done exactly what He spoke through me: The LORD has torn the kingship out of your hand and given it to your neighbor David.

2 Samuel

• 2 Samuel 1:2
  It came even to pass on the third day, that, behold, a man came out of the camp from Saul with his clothes rent, and earth upon his head: and so it was, when he came to David, that he fell to the earth, and did obeisance.On the third day a man with torn clothes and dust on his head arrived from Saul’s camp. When he came to David, he fell to the ground to pay him homage.
• 2 Samuel 1:11
  Then David took hold on his clothes, and rent them; and likewise all the men that were with him:Then David took hold of his own clothes and tore them, and all the men who were with him did the same.
• 2 Samuel 3:31
  And David said to Joab, and to all the people that were with him, Rend your clothes, and gird you with sackcloth, and mourn before Abner. And king David himself followed the bier.Then David ordered Joab and all the people with him, “Tear your clothes, put on sackcloth, and mourn before Abner.” And King David himself walked behind the funeral bier.
• 2 Samuel 13:19
  And Tamar put ashes on her head, and rent her garment of divers colours that was on her, and laid her hand on her head, and went on crying.And Tamar put ashes on her head and tore her robe. And putting her hand on her head, she went away crying bitterly.
• 2 Samuel 13:31
  Then the king arose, and tare his garments, and lay on the earth; and all his servants stood by with their clothes rent.Then the king stood up, tore his clothes, and lay down on the ground; and all his servants stood by with their clothes torn.
• 2 Samuel 15:32
  And it came to pass, that when David was come to the top of the mount, where he worshipped God, behold, Hushai the Archite came to meet him with his coat rent, and earth upon his head:When David came to the summit, where he used to worship God, Hushai the Archite was there to meet him with his robe torn and dust on his head.

1 Kings

• 1 Kings 11:11
  Wherefore the Lord said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant.Then the LORD said to Solomon, “Because you have done this and have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant.
• 1 Kings 11:12
  Notwithstanding in thy days I will not do it for David thy father’s sake: but I will rend it out of the hand of thy son.Nevertheless, for the sake of your father David, I will not do it during your lifetime; I will tear it out of the hand of your son.
• 1 Kings 11:13
  Howbeit I will not rend away all the kingdom; but will give one tribe to thy son for David my servant’s sake, and for Jerusalem’s sake which I have chosen.Yet I will not tear the whole kingdom away from him. I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen.”
• 1 Kings 11:30
  And Ahijah caught the new garment that was on him, and rent it in twelve pieces:And Ahijah took hold of the new cloak he was wearing, tore it into twelve pieces,
• 1 Kings 11:31
  And he said to Jeroboam, Take thee ten pieces: for thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee:and said to Jeroboam, “Take ten pieces for yourself, for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and I will give you ten tribes.
• 1 Kings 13:3
  And he gave a sign the same day, saying, This is the sign which the Lord hath spoken; Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out.That day the man of God gave a sign, saying, “The LORD has spoken this sign: ‘Surely the altar will be split apart, and the ashes upon it will be poured out.’”
• 1 Kings 13:5
  The altar also was rent, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the Lord.And the altar was split apart, and the ashes poured out, according to the sign that the man of God had given by the word of the LORD.
• 1 Kings 14:8
  And rent the kingdom away from the house of David, and gave it thee: and yet thou hast not been as my servant David, who kept my commandments, and who followed me with all his heart, to do that only which was right in mine eyes;I tore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you. But you were not like My servant David, who kept My commandments and followed Me with all his heart, doing only what was right in My eyes.
• 1 Kings 21:27
  And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly.When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and fasted. He lay down in sackcloth and walked around meekly.

2 Kings

• 2 Kings 2:12
  And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces.As Elisha watched, he cried out, “My father, my father, the chariots and horsemen of Israel!” And he saw Elijah no more. So taking hold of his own clothes, he tore them in two.
• 2 Kings 5:7
  And it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter, that he rent his clothes, and said, Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy? wherefore consider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me.When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and asked, “Am I God, killing and giving life, that this man expects me to cure a leper? Surely you can see that he is seeking a quarrel with me!”
• 2 Kings 5:8
  And it was so, when Elisha the man of God had heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.Now when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent a message to the king: “Why have you torn your clothes? Please let the man come to me, and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.”
• 2 Kings 6:30
  And it came to pass, when the king heard the words of the woman, that he rent his clothes; and he passed by upon the wall, and the people looked, and, behold, he had sackcloth within upon his flesh.When the king heard the words of the woman, he tore his clothes. And as he passed by on the wall, the people saw the sackcloth under his clothes next to his skin.
• 2 Kings 11:14
  And when she looked, behold, the king stood by a pillar, as the manner was, and the princes and the trumpeters by the king, and all the people of the land rejoiced, and blew with trumpets: and Athaliah rent her clothes, and cried, Treason, Treason.And she looked out and saw the king standing by the pillar, according to the custom. The officers and trumpeters were beside the king, and all the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets. Then Athaliah tore her clothes and screamed, “Treason! Treason!”
• 2 Kings 17:21
  For he rent Israel from the house of David; and they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king: and Jeroboam drave Israel from following the Lord, and made them sin a great sin.When the LORD had torn Israel away from the house of David, they made Jeroboam son of Nebat king, and Jeroboam led Israel away from following the LORD and caused them to commit a great sin.
• 2 Kings 18:37
  Then came Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, which was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder, to Hezekiah with their clothes rent, and told him the words of Rab–shakeh.Then Hilkiah’s son Eliakim the palace administrator, Shebna the scribe, and Asaph’s son Joah the recorder came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and they relayed to him the words of the Rabshakeh.
• 2 Kings 19:1
  And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the Lord.On hearing this report, King Hezekiah tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and entered the house of the LORD.
• 2 Kings 22:11
  And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes.When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes
• 2 Kings 22:19
  Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard thee, saith the Lord.because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before the LORD when you heard what I spoke against this place and against its people, that they would become a desolation and a curse, and because you have torn your clothes and wept before Me, I have heard you,’ declares the LORD.

2 Chronicles

• 2 Chronicles 23:13
  And she looked, and, behold, the king stood at his pillar at the entering in, and the princes and the trumpets by the king: and all the people of the land rejoiced, and sounded with trumpets, also the singers with instruments of musick, and such as taught to sing praise. Then Athaliah rent her clothes, and said, Treason, Treason.And she looked out and saw the king standing by his pillar at the entrance. The officers and trumpeters were beside the king, and all the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets, while the singers with musical instruments were leading the praises. Then Athaliah tore her clothes and screamed, “Treason, treason!”
• 2 Chronicles 34:19
  And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the law, that he rent his clothes.When the king heard the words of the Law, he tore his clothes
• 2 Chronicles 34:27
  Because thine heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before God, when thou heardest his words against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, and humbledst thyself before me, and didst rend thy clothes, and weep before me; I have even heard thee also, saith the Lord.because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words against this place and against its people, and because you have humbled yourself before Me and you have torn your clothes and wept before Me, I have heard you,’ declares the LORD.

Ezra

• Ezra 9:3
  And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down astonied.When I heard this report, I tore my tunic and cloak, pulled out some hair from my head and beard, and sat down in horror.
• Ezra 9:5
  And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my heaviness; and having rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the Lord my God,At the evening offering, I got up from my humiliation with my tunic and cloak torn, and I fell on my knees, spread out my hands to the LORD my God,

Esther

• Esther 4:1
  When Mordecai perceived all that was done, Mordecai rent his clothes, and put on sackcloth with ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and cried with a loud and a bitter cry;When Mordecai learned of all that had happened, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the middle of the city, wailing loudly and bitterly.

Job

• Job 1:20
  Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped,Then Job stood up, tore his robe, and shaved his head. He fell to the ground and worshiped,
• Job 2:12
  And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up their voice, and wept; and they rent every one his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven.When they lifted up their eyes from afar, they could barely recognize Job. They began to weep aloud, and each man tore his robe and threw dust in the air over his head.

Psalms

• Psalm 35:15
  But in mine adversity they rejoiced, and gathered themselves together: yea, the abjects gathered themselves together against me, and I knew it not; they did tear me, and ceased not:But when I stumbled, they assembled in glee; they gathered together against me. Assailants I did not know slandered me without ceasing.

Ecclesiastes

• Ecclesiastes 3:7
  A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,

Isaiah

• Isaiah 36:22
  Then came Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, that was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, the son of Asaph, the recorder, to Hezekiah with their clothes rent, and told him the words of Rabshakeh.Then Hilkiah’s son Eliakim the palace administrator, Shebna the scribe, and Asaph’s son Joah the recorder came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and they relayed to him the words of the Rabshakeh.
• Isaiah 37:1
  And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the Lord.On hearing this report, King Hezekiah tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and entered the house of the LORD.
• Isaiah 64:1
  Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence,If only You would rend the heavens and come down, so that mountains would quake at Your presence,

Jeremiah

• Jeremiah 4:30
  And when thou art spoiled, what wilt thou do? Though thou clothest thyself with crimson, though thou deckest thee with ornaments of gold, though thou rentest thy face with painting, in vain shalt thou make thyself fair; thy lovers will despise thee, they will seek thy life.And you, O devastated one, what will you do, though you dress yourself in scarlet, though you adorn yourself with gold jewelry, though you enlarge your eyes with paint? You adorn yourself in vain; your lovers despise you; they want to take your life.
• Jeremiah 22:14
  That saith, I will build me a wide house and large chambers, and cutteth him out windows; and it is cieled with cedar, and painted with vermilion.who says, ‘I will build myself a great palace, with spacious upper rooms.’ So he cuts windows in it, panels it with cedar, and paints it with vermilion.
• Jeremiah 36:23
  And it came to pass, that when Jehudi had read three or four leaves, he cut it with the penknife, and cast it into the fire that was on the hearth, until all the roll was consumed in the fire that was on the hearth.And as soon as Jehudi had read three or four columns, Jehoiakim would cut them off with a scribe’s knife and throw them into the firepot, until the entire scroll had been consumed by the fire.
• Jeremiah 36:24
  Yet they were not afraid, nor rent their garments, neither the king, nor any of his servants that heard all these words.Yet in hearing all these words, the king and his servants did not become frightened or tear their garments.
• Jeremiah 41:5
  That there came certain from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria, even fourscore men, having their beards shaven, and their clothes rent, and having cut themselves, with offerings and incense in their hand, to bring them to the house of the Lord.eighty men who had shaved off their beards, torn their garments, and cut themselves came from Shechem, Shiloh, and Samaria, carrying grain offerings and frankincense for the house of the LORD.

Ezekiel

• Ezekiel 13:20
  Wherefore thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against your pillows, wherewith ye there hunt the souls to make them fly, and I will tear them from your arms, and will let the souls go, even the souls that ye hunt to make them fly.Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: See, I am against the magic charms with which you ensnare souls like birds, and I will tear them from your arms. So I will free the souls you have ensnared like birds.
• Ezekiel 13:21
  Your kerchiefs also will I tear, and deliver my people out of your hand, and they shall be no more in your hand to be hunted; and ye shall know that I am the Lord.I will also tear off your veils and deliver My people from your hands, so that they will no longer be prey in your hands. Then you will know that I am the LORD.

Hosea

• Hosea 13:8
  I will meet them as a bear that is bereaved of her whelps, and will rend the caul of their heart, and there will I devour them like a lion: the wild beast shall tear them.Like a bear robbed of her cubs I will attack them, and I will tear open their chests. There I will devour them like a lion, like a wild beast would tear them apart.

Joel

• Joel 2:13
  And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.So rend your hearts and not your garments, and return to the LORD your God. For He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion. And He relents from sending disaster.

Notes

1. Definition and verse list from STEPBible's tagged Hebrew Old Testament (TAHOT) and Greek New Testament (TAGNT) and Brief Lexicons, STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0.
2. English renderings from the public-domain KJV with Strong's numbers (eBible.org) and the Berean Standard Bible interlinear (public domain).