The Hebrew verb machats means to strike with crushing, shattering force — to wound deeply or to smash. It is used of God's devastating blows in battle and judgment, as well as prophetic descriptions of divine power over enemies.
Machats is a word of overwhelming divine power. When Moses blesses Israel in Deuteronomy 32:39, God declares: 'I have wounded (machats) and I will heal.' This pairing reveals the theology of divine sovereignty over both suffering and restoration. The same power that crushes can heal — and none can stay God's hand. In Psalm 68:21, 'God will crush the heads of his enemies' — using machats of God's decisive victory over the forces of chaos and evil. The ultimate fulfillment of machats is at the cross, where the 'crushing' of Isaiah 53:10 becomes the atoning wound through which many are healed.