גָּדַל
gâdal · H1431 · Hebrew · 117 occurrences
Meanings
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to be large, to grow large
Process by which objects increase in size
ExamplesGenesis 48:19 But his father refused and said, 'I know, my son, I know; he also will become a people and he also will be great. However, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations.'
Numbers 6:5 'All the days of his vow of consecration no razor shall pass over his head. He shall be holy until the days are fulfilled which he lives as a Nazirite for the LORD; he shall let the locks of hair on his head grow long.
Daniel 8:9 And out of one of them came a rather small horn which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the Beautiful Land.
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To grow up, young people or animals developing toward full growth, or causatively, raising young plants or children as they grow
ExamplesGenesis 21:8 And the child grew and was weaned, and Abraham held a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned.
Exodus 2:10 And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son. And she named him Moses, and said, 'Because I drew him out of the water.'
Isaiah 1:2 Listen, heavens, and hear, earth; For the LORD has spoken: 'Sons I have raised and brought up, But they have revolted against Me.'
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to be great, to become great
Process by which humans or deities increase in status, as a result of their authority, rank, wealth, or wisdom
Examples2 Samuel 5:10 David became greater and greater, for the LORD God of armies was with him.
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to make oneself great, to show one's greatness, to magnify oneself
Action by which humans or deities show others their elevated status, which they have, 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
ExamplesEzekiel 38:23 'So I will prove Myself great, show Myself holy, and make Myself known in the sight of many nations; and they will know that I am the LORD.'
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to make great, to promote
Causative process by which humans or deities cause humans to increase in status, as a result of their authority, wealth, or wisdom
ExamplesJoshua 3:7 Now the LORD said to Joshua, 'This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, so that they will know that just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you.'
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to extol
Action by which humans proclaim the greatness of a deity
ExamplesPsalm 34:3 Exalt the LORD with me, And let’s exalt His name together.
Psalm 69:30 I will praise the name of God with song, And exalt Him with thanksgiving.
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to be great
Process by which events increase in intensity
ExamplesGenesis 12:2 And I will make you into a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing;
Genesis 19:13 for we are about to destroy this place, because their outcry has become so great before the LORD that the LORD has sent us to destroy it.
Ezra 9:6 and I said, 'My God, I am ashamed and humiliated to lift up my face to You, my God, for our wrongful deeds have risen above our heads, and our guilt has grown even to the heavens.'
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Literally: to make great (one's) heel (over someone else); hence, possibly: action by which humans speak lies about other humans (to speak lies (about someone))
ExamplesPsalm 41:9 Even my close friend in whom I trusted, Who ate my bread, Has lifted up his heel against me.
Obadiah 1:12 'Do not gloat over your brother’s day, The day of his misfortune. And do not rejoice over the sons of Judah On the day of their destruction; Yes, do not boast On the day of their distress.'
How it’s used In 8 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
115 occurrences in 39 groups
- Not stated: he, she or it 23
- Not stated: they 10
- Not stated: I 9
- Not stated: you (one person) 9
- יְהֹוָהthe LORD, YHWH 8
- מֶלֶךְking 5
- Other words · 27 groups that occur once or twice (31) 31
What it acts on, or what is saidObject
31 occurrences in 22 groups
- וֹhim 7
- Other words · 21 groups that occur once or twice (24) 24
With prepositionsPrepositional phrases
59 occurrences in 50 groups
- עַלon, upon, over, against+ נִיme 6
- אֵתwith+ וֹhim 4
- בin/on/with+ עַיִןeye, sight 4
- לto/for+ עָשָׂהto do, to make 4
- בin/on/with+ יוֹםday, time 3
- לto/for+ מַעַלabove, upward, more 3
- Other words · 44 groups that occur once or twice (49) 49
With adverbsAdverbs
11 occurrences in 6 groups
- לֹאnot 4
- מְאֹדvery 3
- יַחַדtogether 1
- כֵּןthus 1
- אַלnot, do not 1
- עַתָּהnow 1
What it doesIt is the subject
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- לָבַשׁto put on, to clothe, to wear 1
What is done to itIt is the object
7 occurrences in 3 groups
- אָמַרto say 3
- רָאָהto see 3
- חָלַלto profane, to begin 1
What is said to be itIt is the predicate
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- בַּיִתhouse, household 1
After prepositionsPrepositional phrases
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- כlike/as 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 4 words
- שָׂגָה sâgâh · H7685 · to grow, to be great
- Both verbs describe growth or increase; the target has a much broader application, including figurative uses, while שׂגה is narrower and focuses on literal growth in quantity.
- סָלַל çâlal · H5549 · to cast up, to exalt oneself
- Both lexemes share "Great" and "Praise" domains, suggesting genuine semantic overlap in the sphere of elevation/magnification.
- שָׂגָא sâgâʼ · H7679 · to make great, to praise, to extol
- The meanings overlap: גָּדַל (gâdal, H1431) "grow, increase, magnify, become great" and שָׂגָא (sâgâʼ, H7679) "increase, magnify" both denote growth or enlargement.
- רוּם rûwm · H7311 · to be high, to become high, to mount up
- Both words overlap in the sense of "exalt, lift up, make great," and both are used in contexts of praise. They are distinct Hebrew roots that can substitute for each other in contexts of elevation, exaltation and magnification.
In the other Testament 2 words
- μεγαλύνω megalýnō · G3170 · to make big, to make large, to enlarge
- Greek μεγαλύνω (megalýnō, G3170) serves as the direct Septuagint rendering of Hebrew גָּדַל (gâdal, H1431) in contexts of making great, magnifying, or causing to grow, capturing both the causative sense ('make great') and the declarative sense ('declare/magnify as great') that גָּדַל (gâdal, H1431) encompasses across its semantic range.
- ὑψόω hypsóō · G5312 · to raise up, to lift up, to give high position to
- Greek ὑψόω specifically denotes vertical elevation or exaltation, capturing the 'lift up, make great' semantic subset of Hebrew גָּדַל's broader growth/greatness range, but not its developmental or quantitative increase senses (grow up, increase in number/size).
Semantic domains 6 entries
- Large002001001037
- גָּדַל denotes becoming great or large, as in God's promise to make Abram into a great nation and to make his name great in Genesis 12:2.
- Speak002004001009008
- This code is inherited from a figurative usage of this lexeme (magnifying something in speech, e.g. boasting); it does not independently apply to the growth/greatness citations here.
- Stage002001001060
- גָּדַל denotes growing up through a stage of life, as at Genesis 21:8 — "the child grew and was weaned" — and Judges 13:24 — "the child grew up and the LORD blessed him."
- Great002001002012
- The word likewise conveys greatness in magnitude or importance, as in the outcry against Sodom becoming so great before the LORD in Genesis 19:13.
- Praise002004001009009
- This code is inherited from a related usage of this lexeme (magnifying or exalting someone in praise); it does not independently apply to the growth/greatness citations here.
- Intense002001003011
- The same word also denotes becoming great, intense, or magnified in stature or degree, as at Genesis 12:2 — "I will make you into a great nation... and make your name great" — and Numbers 14:17 — "let the power of the Lord be great."
Word family 8 words
Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon H1431. gadal גָּדַל115 verb grow up, become great (Aramaic גְּדַל (Ithpe`el), twist,…
גָּדַל115 verb grow up, become great (Aramaic גְּדַל (Ithpe`el), twist, twine, Arabic twist a cord, make firm, strong, become strong, so Late Hebrew) —
Qal Perfect ׳ג etc. Gen 38:14 Gen 38:14t.; suffix גְּדֵלַנִי Job 31:18; Imperfect יִגְדַּל etc. Psa 35:27 34t.; —
1 grow up,
a. child Gen 21:8, Gen 21:20; Gen 25:27; Gen 38:11, Gen 38:14; Exo 2:10-11, (JE) Jdg 11:2; Jdg 13:24; Rth 1:12; 1Sa 2:21; 1Sa 3:19; 1Ki 12:8, 1Ki 12:10 ( = 2Ch 10:8, 2Ch 10:10) 2Ki 4:18; כְאָב גְּדֵלַנִי he grew up to me as to a father Job 31:18;
b. lamb 2Sa 12:3.
2 become great,
a. in extent, wealthy Gen 26:13 (twice in verse); Gen 41:40 (JE) Jer 5:27;
b. in value. בְּעֵינָ֑י נֶפֶשׁ גָָּֽדְלָה י, ׳בְּעֵינֵי prized by 1Sa 26:24 (twice in verse);
c. in intensity, grief Job 2:13, mourning Zec 12:11, punishment Lam 4:6, trespass Eze 9:6;
d. in sound, loud cry Gen 19:13 (J);
e. in importance, of a king Ecc 2:9; 1Ki 10:23 ( = 2Ch 9:22) Dan 8:9-10, (under figure of horn), chief Gen 24:35; Gen 48:19 (J), Messiah Mic 5:3, Jerusalem Eze 16:7;
f. of God 2Sa 7:22; Psa 104:1, his works Psa 92:6, his power Num 14:17 (J).
3 to be magnified,
a. house of David Zec 12:7;
b. Yahweh Psa 35:27; Psa 40:17; Psa 70:5; Mal 1:5, his name 2Sa 7:26 ( = 1Ch 17:24).
Pi`el Perfect גִּדַּל Jos 4:14; Est 3:1; גִּדֵּ֔ל Isa 49:21; גִּדֵּ֑לָה Isa 51:18, etc.; Imperfect יְגַדֵּל Isa 44:14 Isa 44:8t.; Imperative גַּדְּלוּ Psa 34:4; Infinitive גַּדֵּל Num 6:5 Num 6:3t.; Participle מְגַדְּלִים 2Ki 10:6 (מְגַדְּלוֺת Son 5:15 ᵑ7 ᵐ5 Hi Bö De); —
1 cause to grow, e.g. hair Num 6:5 (P), plants Jon 4:10; Isa 44:14; Eze 31:4; Son 5:13; bring up children 2Ki 10:6; Isa 1:2; Isa 23:4; Isa 49:21; Isa 51:18; Dan 1:5; Hos 9:12.
2 make great, powerful Gen 12:2 (J) Jos 3:7; Jos 4:14 (D) 1Ki 1:37, 1Ki 1:47; 1Ch 29:12, 1Ch 29:25; 2Ch 1:1; Est 3:1; Est 5:11; Est 10:2.
3 magnify,
a. man Job 7:17;
b. God Psa 34:4; Psa 69:31.
Pu`al Participle plural מְגֻדָּלִים brought up Psa 144:12.
Hiph`il Perfect הִגְדִּיל Psa 41:10 +, etc.; Imperfect יַגְדִּיל Isa 42:21; Dan 8:25, etc.; Infinitive הַגְדִּיל 1Ch 22:8; Amo 8:5; Participle מַגְדִּיל Psalm 18:51 ( = מִגְדֹּיל in || 2Sa 22:51); plural מַגְדִּילִים Psa 35:26; —
1 make great, e.g. shekel Amo 8:5, pile for fire Eze 24:9, joy Isa 9:2, counsel Isa 28:29, wisdom Ecc 1:16, works Ecc 2:4, house of Yahweh 1Ch 22:5; the heel Psa 41:10 either lifted high (Ges), or (compare De Now) gave me insidiously a great fall; compare ׳ג מִּיךָ Obadiah 12 i.e. utter proud words (see רחב Hiph`il)
2 magnify, salvation Psalm 18:51, so || 2Sa 22:51 (Kt מַגְדִּיל; > Qr מִגְדֹּל), mercy Gen 19:19 (J), teaching Isa 42:21, the word of Yahweh Psa 138:2.
3 do great things לַעֲשׂוֺת הִגְדִּיל,
a. in a good sense, of God Psa 126:2; Psa 126:3; Joe 2:21, also pregnant without Infinitive 1Sa 12:24.
b. in bad sense, of 'the northern one' Joe 2:20, also pregnant without Infinitive Lam 1:9; Zep 2:8, Zep 2:10; Dan 8:4, Dan 8:8, Dan 8:11, Dan 8:25; with עַל, of enemies Psa 35:26; Psa 38:17; Psa 55:13; Job 19:5; Jer 48:26, Jer 48:42; Eze 35:13 of speaking ׳ג בְּפִיכֶם עָלַי.
c. also, with Infinitive implied, wept greatly 1Sa 20:41.
Hithpa`el Perfect וְהִתְגַּדִּלְתִּ֫י Eze 38:23 I will magnify myself, shew myself great and powerful (of God); Imperfect יִתְגַּדֵּל, with עַלin a bad sense, magnify oneself against Isa 10:15; Dan 11:36; יִתְגַּדָּ֑ל Dan 11:37.
Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain
Topical studies with this word 6 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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