גָּבַהּ
gâbahh · H1361 · Hebrew · 34 occurrences
Meanings
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to be tall, to be high
State in which a person or object is of great or more than average height; associated with status
Examples1 Samuel 10:23 So they ran and took him from there, and when he stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward.
Ezekiel 19:11 ‘And it had strong stems fit for scepters of rulers, And its height was raised above the clouds So that it was seen in its height with the mass of its branches.
Ezekiel 31:5 ‘Therefore its height was loftier than all the trees of the field And its boughs became many and its branches long Because of many waters as it spread them out.
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to make high, to make tall
State in which a human being or deity causes an object to be of great or more than average height
Examples2 Chronicles 33:14 Now after this he built the outer wall of the city of David on the west side of Gihon, in the valley, up to the entrance of the Fish Gate; and he encircled the Ophel with it and made it very high. Then he put army commanders in all the fortified cities in Judah.
Proverbs 17:19 One who loves wrongdoing loves strife; One who makes his doorway high seeks destruction.
Ezekiel 17:24 “All the trees of the field will know that I am the LORD; I bring down the high tree, exalt the low tree, dry up the green tree, and make the dry tree flourish. I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will perform it.”
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to be high above
State in which an object is located high up in the air and out of human reach; sometimes used as a metaphor to describe things that are beyond human understanding
ExamplesJob 35:5 “Look at the heavens and see; And look at the clouds—they are higher than you.
Psalm 103:11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him.
Isaiah 55:9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.
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to cause to be high above
Causative action by which an object is created in a location high up in the air and out of human reach
ExamplesJeremiah 49:16 “As for the terror you cause, The arrogance of your heart has deceived you, You who live in the clefts of the rock, Who occupy the height of the hill. Though you make your nest as high as an eagle’s, I will bring you down from there,” declares the LORD.
Obadiah 1:4 “Though you make your home high like the eagle, Though you set your nest among the stars, From there I will bring you down,” declares the LORD.
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on high
State or process by which a certain activity takes place in a location high up in the air
ExamplesJob 5:7 For man is born for trouble, As sparks fly upward.
Job 39:27 “Is it at your command that the eagle flies high, And makes his nest on high?
Psalm 113:5 Who is like the LORD our God, Who is enthroned on high,
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to be high of heart > to have an elevated mind
Literally: (one's) heart is high; hence: state in which humans have positive thoughts about themselves and their abilities, which can be either good or bad, depending on whether these thoughts are justified
Examples2 Chronicles 17:6 He took great pride in the ways of the LORD, and again removed the high places and the Asherim from Judah.
2 Chronicles 26:16 But when he became strong, his heart was so proud that he acted corruptly, and he was untrue to the LORD his God, for he entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense.
2 Chronicles 32:25 But Hezekiah did nothing in return for the benefit he received, because his heart was proud; therefore wrath came upon him and upon Judah and Jerusalem.
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to be exalted, to be proud, to be haughty, to be arrogant
State in which humans or deities have an elevated status, either in their own eyes or in the eyes of other people, which can either be good or bad, depending on whether this status is justified
ExamplesJob 36:7 “He does not withdraw His eyes from the righteous, But with kings on the throne He has seated them forever, and they are exalted.
Isaiah 3:16 Moreover, the LORD said, “Because the daughters of Zion are haughty And walk with heads held high and seductive eyes, And go along with mincing steps And jingle the anklets on their feet,
Isaiah 5:16 But the LORD of armies will be exalted in judgment, And the holy God will show Himself holy in righteousness.
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to exalt
Causative action by which humans are given an elevated status in the eyes of other people, which is regarded as a good thing
ExamplesEzekiel 21:26 this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Remove the turban and take off the crown; this will no longer be the same. Exalt that which is low, and humble that which is high.
How it’s used In 6 roles
Every occurrence, grouped by the words it is grammatically related to.
the word studied the word it goes with
Who or what does itSubject
34 occurrences in 17 groups
- לֵבheart, mind 7
- Not stated: you (one person) 3
- Not stated: they 3
- Not stated: he, she or it 3
- Not stated (infinitive) 3
- Other words · 12 groups that occur once or twice (15) 15
What it acts on, or what is saidObject
6 occurrences in 6 groups
- עוּףto fly 1
- עֵץtree, wood 1
- פֶּתַחentrance, doorway 1
- קֵןnest 1
- שָׁפָלlowly, humble, low 1
- הָher 1
With prepositionsPrepositional phrases
21 occurrences in 22 groups
- Other words · 22 groups that occur once or twice (24) 24
With adverbsAdverbs
7 occurrences in 5 groups
- לֹאnot 2
- מְאֹדvery 2
- כֵּןthus 1
- אַלnot, do not 1
- עוֹדstill, again, yet 1
What it doesIt is the subject
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- בָּקַשׁto seek, to search, to look for 1
After prepositionsPrepositional phrases
2 occurrences in 2 groups
- כlike/as 1
- לto/for 1
When two words share a role, as in “Paul and Barnabas said”, the verse appears under each, so a section’s counts can add up to more than the number of occurrences.
MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
Near synonyms 2 words
- שָׂגַב sâgab · H7682 · high, to raise up against, to stir up against
- Both words are verbs of elevation or height, with a clear overlap in the sense "exalt, be high." גָּבַהּ (gâbahh, H1361) focuses on height and pride or haughtiness; שָׂגַב (sâgab, H7682) adds dimensions of safety and strength but still shares the core sense of elevation.
- רוּם rûwm · H7311 · to be high, to become high, to mount up
- Both words denote physical or metaphorical elevation or height (both include "high," "lift up," "exalt"). They are two distinct Hebrew roots that can substitute in sense for expressing elevation.
In the other Testament 1 word
- ὑψόω hypsóō · G5312 · to raise up, to lift up, to give high position to
- Greek ὑψόω directly renders Hebrew גָּבַהּ's core sense of elevation/exaltation in both literal (physical height) and figurative (pride, honor) registers, serving as the standard LXX equivalent for this Hebrew root across its semantic range.
Semantic domains 2 entries
- High002001001035
- גָּבַהּ denotes physical height or being raised up, as in Saul standing taller than the people in 1 Samuel 10:23.
- Great002001002012
- The word also denotes a proud or haughty disposition, as in Uzziah's proud heart leading him to act corruptly in 2 Chronicles 26:16.
Word family 6 words
Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon H1361. gabahh גָּבַהּ verb be high, exalted (Late Hebrew id. (Hiph`il), Aramaic גְּבַהּ,…
גָּבַהּ verb be high, exalted (Late Hebrew id. (Hiph`il), Aramaic גְּבַהּ, compare Arabic forehead, prominence of forehead; compare perhaps also Assyrian gabâni, heights (?) LotzTP 133) —
Qal Perfect ׳ג2Ch 26:16 2Ch 26:5t.; גָָּֽבְהָא֯ Eze 31:5 (א = ה); גָּבַהְתָּ Eze 31:10, גָּבְהוּ Job 35:5 Job 35:3t.; Imperfect יִגְבַּהּ Pro 18:12 Pro 18:5t.; suffix יִגְבְּהוּ Eze 31:14, יִגְבָּ֑הוּ Job 36:7, תִּגְבָּ֑הוּ Jer 13:15, תִּגְבְּהֶינָה Eze 16:50; Infinitive כִּגְבֹהַּ Psa 103:11, לְגָבְהָה Zep 3:11; —
1 be high, lofty, tall, e.g. tree Eze 19:11; Eze 31:5, Eze 31:10, Eze 31:14, heavens Job 35:5; Isa 55:9; Psa 103:11, man 1Sa 10:23.
2 be exalted, of man in dignity and honour Job 36:7, of servant of Yahweh Isa 52:13, God Isa 5:16, God's ways Isa 55:9.
3 lofty לִבּוֺ גָּבַהּ: —
a. in a good sense, encouraged in the ways of Yahweh 2Ch 17:6;
b. elsewhere in a bad sense, be haughty Psa 131:1; Pro 18:12; 2Ch 26:16; 2Ch 32:25; Eze 28:2, Eze 28:5, Eze 28:17, and so without לב Isa 3:16; Jer 13:15; Eze 16:50; Zep 3:11.
Hiph`il Perfect הִגְבַּהְתִּי Eze 17:24; Imperfect יַגְבִּיהַּ Job 39:27; Jer 49:16; Obadiah 4; וַיַּגְבִּיהֶהָ2Ch 33:14; יַגְבִּיהוּ Job 5:7; Infinitive הַגְבֵּהַּ Isa 7:11; Eze 21:31; Participle מַגְבִּיהַּ Pro 17:19; Psa 113:5; — make high, exalt, e.g. trees Eze 17:24, wall 2Ch 33:14, gate Pro 17:19, nest Jer 49:16; Obadiah 4, dwelling Psa 103:5, a request Isa 7:11, the lowly Eze 21:31; עוּף יַגְבִּיהוּ make their flight high, soar aloft Job 5:7, without עוף Job 39:27.
Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain
Topical studies with this word 2 entries
Meanings adapted from the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament, © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0 and the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew (from the Semantic Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew), © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0; MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
Sources
eRhema lexical overview, based on the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew and the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament (© United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Macula Hebrew and Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0); released under CC BY-SA 4.0
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