Axe: Used in the Authorized Version of
(Deuteronomy 19:5; 20:19; 1 Kings 6:7) as the
translation of a Hebrew word which means "chopping." It was used for
felling trees
(Isaiah 10:34) and hewing timber for building. It is the
rendering of a different word in
(Judges 9:48, 1 Samuel 13:20,21, Psalms 74:5)
which refers to its sharpness. In
(2 Kings 6:5) it is the translation of a
word used with reference to its being made of iron. In
(Isaiah 44:12) the
Revised Version renders by "axe" the Hebrew maatsad, which means a
"hewing" instrument. In the Authorized Version it is rendered
"tongs." It is also used in
(Jeremiah 10:3) and rendered "axe." The
"battle-axe" (army of Medes and Persians) mentioned in
(Jeremiah 51:20) was
probably, as noted in the margin of the Revised Version, a "maul" or
heavy mace. In
(Psalms 74:6) the word so rendered means "feller." (See the
figurative expression in)
(Matthew 3:10; Luke 3:9)
