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cut off
Definition
The phrase "cut off" is an idiom that means to be excluded, banished or isolated from the main group. It can also refer to being killed as an act of divine judgment for sin.
- In the Old Testament, disobeying God's commands regarding circumcision, keeping the Sabbath, sexual purity, and many other things, resulted in being cut off from God's people and from his presence.
- God also said he would "cut off" or destroy the non-Israelite nations, because they did not worship or obey him and were enemies of Israel.
- The idiom "cut off" is also used to explain how God caused the waters of the Jordan River to stop flowing so that the Israelites could walk across it.
Translation Suggestions
- The phrase cut off literally means to remove something from something else with the use of a cutting instrument, such as a knife. This meaning should be distinguished from its idiomatic, figurative meaning.
- Depending on the context, the idiomatic meaning of this term could be translated as "banished" or "separated" or "killed" or "destroyed."