to split something open by force: to cleave, breach, or burst it apart
At its core this verb means to take something whole and force it apart, so that what was sealed or solid is now opened up. The same action covers a wide range of objects, and the picture shifts with each one: a man splitting firewood, God cleaving a rock so water gushes out, the sea torn into two walls, the ground gaping open to swallow rebels, a besieging army breaking through a city wall, a wild animal ripping its prey, an egg cracking as the chick hatches.
What ties these together is not the result but the act: a forceful breaking-open that releases or exposes what was inside or beyond. The senses below are the recurring settings in which the Bible uses the word, not separate meanings. Reach for a different English word in each (cleave, divide, breach, rip, hatch), yet the underlying motion is one.
The word carries strong overtones in two directions. On the good side it names God's saving power in the wilderness and at the sea, splitting rock and water to rescue and provide. On the dark side it names the cruelty of war, where the same verb describes ripping open the bodies of the helpless. The word itself is neutral; the context decides whether the breaking-open brings life or horror.