REND, pret. and pp. rent. Eng. cranny, L. crena, Gr.
1. To separate any substance into parts with force or sudden violence to tear asunder to split as, powder rends a rock in blasting lightning rends an oak.
An empire from its old foundation rent.
I rend my tresses, and by breast I wound.
Neither rend your clothes, lest ye die. Leviticus 10 .
2. To separate or part with violence.
I will surely rend the kingdom from thee. 1 Kings 11 .
To rend the heart, in Scripture, to have bitter sorrow for sin. Joel 2 .
To rend the heavens, to appear in majesty. Isaiah 64 .
Rend differs somewhat from lacerate. We never say, to lacerate a rock or a kingdom, when we mean to express splitting or division. Lacerate is properly applicable to the tearing off of small pieces of a thing, as to lacerate the body with a whip or scourge or to the tearing of the flesh or other thing without entire separation.
The King James Bible has stood its ground for nearly 400 years. However, during that time the English language has changed, and with it the meanings of some words it used. Here are more than 6,500 words whose definitions have changed since 1611.Wikipedia
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