רַב
rab · H7227 · Hebrew · 451 occurrences
Meanings
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large
State in which an object is very large in size
ExamplesGenesis 7:11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst open, and the floodgates of the sky were opened.
Joshua 11:8 And the LORD handed them over to Israel, so that they defeated them, and pursued them as far as Great Sidon, and Misrephoth-maim, and the Valley of Mizpeh to the east; and they struck them until no survivor was left to them.
Joshua 19:9 The inheritance of the sons of Simeon was taken from the portion of the sons of Judah, because the share of the sons of Judah was too large for them; so the sons of Simeon received an inheritance in the midst of Judah’s inheritance.
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many, numerous
State in which objects or events are numerous in quantity or frequency
ExamplesGenesis 13:6 And the land could not support both of them while living together, for their possessions were so great that they were not able to remain together.
Genesis 21:34 And Abraham resided in the land of the Philistines for many days.
Genesis 24:25 Again she said to him, “We have plenty of both straw and feed, and room to stay overnight.”
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great, heavy
Process by which an event happens with great strength or intensity
ExamplesGenesis 6:5 Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of mankind was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually.
Exodus 34:6 Then the LORD passed by in front of him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in faithfulness and truth;
Deuteronomy 25:3 “He may have him beaten forty times, but not more, so that he does not have him beaten with many more lashes than these, and that your brother does not become contemptible in your eyes.
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old
State in which humans are at a relatively advanced age
ExamplesGenesis 25:23 And the LORD said to her, “Two nations are in your womb; And two peoples will be separated from your body; And one people will be stronger than the other; And the older will serve the younger.”
Job 32:9 “The abundant in years may not be wise, Nor may elders understand justice.
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great
State in which deities, humans, or towns have a high status or authority
ExamplesJob 1:3 His possessions were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and very many servants; and that man was the greatest of all the men of the east.
Psalm 48:2 Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth, Is Mount Zion in the far north, The city of the great King.
Psalm 89:7 A God greatly feared in the council of the holy ones, And awesome above all those who are around Him?
-
great one > chief, official, captain
Literally: great one; hence: someone in a position of authority at a royal court or on a ship
Examples2 Kings 25:8 Now on the seventh day of the fifth month, which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguards, a servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem.
2 Kings 25:10 So all the army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the bodyguards tore down the walls around Jerusalem.
2 Kings 25:11 Then Nebuzaradan, the captain of the bodyguards, led into exile the rest of the people who were left in the city and the deserters who had deserted to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the people.
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enough
State in which a certain event has progressed long enough for it to be able to stop
ExamplesGenesis 45:28 Then Israel said, “It is enough; my son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”
Exodus 9:28 “Plead with the LORD, for there has been enough of God’s thunder and hail; and I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.”
Deuteronomy 1:6 “The LORD our God spoke to us at Horeb, saying, ‘You have stayed long enough at this mountain.
How it’s used In 9 roles
Every occurrence, grouped by the words it is grammatically related to.
the word studied the word it goes with
Whose, or of whatGenitive or possessive
38 occurrences in 12 groups
- טַבָּחcook 24
- Other words · 11 groups that occur once or twice (14) 14
Words describing itAdjectives, demonstratives, participles
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- גָּמַלto repay, to wean 1
Named alongside itApposition
22 occurrences in 8 groups
- נְבוּזַרְאֲדָןNebuzaradan 14
- בְּנָיָהBenaiah 2
- גּוֹיnation, people 1
- טָמֵאunclean 1
- מַרְבִּיתgreater part 1
- עִירcity, town 1
What it doesIt is the subject
35 occurrences in 28 groups
- לָקַחto take, to receive 5
- Other words · 27 groups that occur once or twice (30) 30
What is done to itIt is the object
17 occurrences in 11 groups
- הָיָהto be, to become 7
- Other words · 10 groups that occur once or twice (10) 10
What it is said to bePredicate
5 occurrences in 5 groups
- בַּעַלowner, master, husband 1
- יֵשׁthere is, there are 1
- קָהָלassembly, congregation, company 1
- וֹhim 1
- נוּus 1
What is said to be itIt is the predicate
61 occurrences in 46 groups
- עַםpeople 6
- רַעevil, bad 6
- הוּאhe, she, it 5
- רַחַםcompassion 3
- Other words · 42 groups that occur once or twice (44) 44
After prepositionsPrepositional phrases
19 occurrences in 7 groups
- לto/for 14
- בin/on/with 7
- אַחַרafter, behind 4
- מִןfrom 3
- בֵּיןbetween, among 3
- עַלon, upon, over, against 2
In phrases “… of it”It is the genitive
7 occurrences in 6 groups
- דִּבָּהbad report 2
- זֵכֶרremembrance 1
- זְרוֹעַarm, strength 1
- חֵטְאguilt 1
- צָדַקto be righteous 1
- תָּוֶךְmiddle 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 1 word
- אַדִּיר ʼaddîyr · H117 · mighty, majestic, noble
- Both lexemes share substantive semantic overlap in "great/mighty/noble/leader" senses, attested across two distinct domains (Great, Leaders). However, רַב (rab, H7227) is vastly broader and includes many senses unrelated to אַדִּיר (ʼaddîyr, H117)'s tighter "excellent/mighty/noble" profile. This is real but asymmetric overlap—אַדִּיר (ʼaddîyr, H117) can often substitute for רַב (rab, H7227) in dignity/leadership contexts, but not vice versa across רַב (rab, H7227)'s full range.
In the other Testament 2 words
- πολύς polýs · G4183 · many, a great deal of, a great number of
- Greek πολύς is the direct Septuagint translation equivalent of Hebrew רַב in its core sense of quantity or magnitude, "much" or "many."
- πλείων pleíōn · G4119 · more in quantity, number, or quality; also the major portion
- רַב (rab, H7227) רַב denotes multitude/abundance in absolute terms ('many,' 'great,' 'much'), while πλείων (pleíōn, G4119) πλείων specifically expresses comparative quantity ('more,' 'greater'), making it the semantic comparative form where Hebrew often uses the positive adjective in comparative constructions.
Semantic domains 10 entries
- Large002001001037
- The word means great or abundant, directly illustrated by the great flood deep bursting open (Genesis 7:11) and possessions "so great" that Abram and Lot could not remain together (Genesis 13:6).
- Quantity002001001046
- The same abundance is directly illustrated by the great possessions of Genesis 13:6 and the plenty of straw and feed offered to Abraham's servant (Genesis 24:25).
- Frequency002001003009
- The word's "many days/long" sense is directly illustrated by Abraham residing in Philistine territory "for many days" (Genesis 21:34).
- Intense002001003011
- The word's intensifying sense is directly illustrated by mankind's wickedness being "great on the earth" and every intent of the heart "only evil continually" (Genesis 6:5).
- Old002001001041
- This domain is not independently illustrated by the sampled citations, which concern greatness and abundance rather than age.
- Great002001002012
- The same citations describing mankind's great wickedness and Abram's great possessions directly illustrate this sense of magnitude (Genesis 6:5, 13:6).
- Leaders001001003005
- This domain reflects the word's "captain/chief" title sense; it is not independently illustrated by the sampled citations, which all concern abundance or magnitude.
- Officials001001003007
- This domain is shared with the identically spelled title Rab-saris (רַב־סָרִיס (Rab-Çârîyç, H7249)); it is not independently illustrated by this word's own sampled citations.
- Happen002002003003
- This domain is not independently illustrated by the sampled citations.
- Soldiers001001003013
- This domain is shared with the homograph meaning "archer" (רַב (rab, H7228)); it is not independently illustrated by this word's own sampled citations, which concern abundance and magnitude rather than military service.
Word family 14 words
Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon H7227. rab I. רַב429 adjective much, many, great; — masculine singular absolute ׳ר Gen…
I. רַב429 adjective much, many, great; — masculine singular absolute ׳ר Gen 24:25+, רָ֑ב Gen 33:9+, also רָ֛ב2Ch 20:2 ב֖2Ch 28:8, רָב֨ Ezr 10:13, etc.; construct תַב Exo 34:6 +; feminine singular רַבָּה Num 11:33 +; construct רַבַּת Eze 22:5 + רַבָּ֫תִי (Ges §90 k 1) Lam 1:1 (twice in verse); masculine plural absolute רַבִּים Exo 23:2 (twice in verse)+, construct see II. רַב; feminine plural absolute רַבּוֺת Gen 30:43 +; — [often both as predicate and as attributive; as attributive preceding noun (influence of usage for numerals ? KöSynt.§334 k Ges§ 132b): רַב Isa 63:7; Psa 145:7 (but read probably רָבֿ רֹב,; in Isa 21:7 ׳ר is predicate), רַבּים Jer 16:16; Psa 32:10; Psa 89:51 (on context BöNÄ Bae, also Hup), Pro 7:26; 1Ch 28:5, רַבּוֺת Neh 9:28; Pro 31:29]; —
1 (often opposed to מְעַט)
a.-1much: of substances, gold 1Ki 10:2; Psa 19:11, silver (money) 2Ki 12:11; 2Ki 12:2Chron
b. plural many: person Exo 5:5; Jdg 8:30; Jdg 9:40; 1Ki 4:20; 1Ki 11:1+, things Genesis 30:48; Amo 5:12; Deu 31:17 +; noun omitted רַבּוֺת Dan 11:41 (that is, lands; read רִבּוֺת myriads Kmp Bev Behrm Marti Prince); רֵבִּים יָמִים many days (a long time) Gen 21:34; Gen 37:24+28 t.,רַבּוֺת שָׁנִים Neh 9:30; Ecc 6:3a, בַּשָּׁנִים רַבּוֺת עוֺר אִם Lev 25:51; עִתִּים רַבּוֺת Neh 9:28 many times (see above) =רַבּוֺת מְּעָמִים Psa 106:43; Ecc 7:22; רַבָּה מַכָּה Deu 25:3 many blows; רִַ׃בּים מַיִם many waters Num 20:11+27 t., compare Isa 8:7; etc.
c. רַב as substantive collective person Exo 19:21, also (opposed to מְעַט)1Sa 14:6; Num 13:18; Num 26:54, Num 26:56; Num 33:54; Num 35:8; so רַבַּת (Ges§ 130a) 2Ch 30:17-18, and (thing; =much) Eze 24:12; רַב construct before abstract (= רֹב) Isa 21:7; Isa 63:7; Psa 145:7; especially plural רַבִּים of person Exo 23:2 (twice in verse) +37 t. + בַּתרַֿבִּים Cant 7:5.
d. construct= abounding in, רַבבְּֿרֶכוֺת Pro 28:20, רַבחֶֿסֶר (see I. חֶסֶד 3), רַבמֹּֿךְַ Psa 147:5, רַבמְֿאֵרוֺת Pro 28:27, הַמְּהוּמָה רַב Eze 22:5, רַבנֿוֺצָךְ Eze 17:7, רַבחֶֿעֲלִיָּה Jer 32:19, רֵבמְּֿעֶלִים 2Sa 23:20= 1Ch 11:22, רַבמָּֿ֑שַׁע Pro 29:22 רַבתְּֿבוּנָה Pro 14:29; אוֺצָרֹת רַבַּת Jer 51:13, בָּנִים רַבַּת 1Sa 2:5 עָם רַבָּ֫תִי Lam 1:1 (Ges§ 90l).
e. + מִן compare= more numerous than Exo 1:9; Num 22:15; Jos 10:11; Jdg 16:30; 2Ki 6:16; Isa 54:1; 1Ch 24:4; 2Ch 32:7; Dan 11:13; followed by infinitive, too many to Gen 36:7; Jdg 7:2 (compare Jdg 7:4); see also following
f. רַב =abundant, enough Gen 24:25; Gen 33:9; as exclamation enough! Gen 45:28; 2Sa 24:16; 1Ch 21:15; 1Ki 19:4, so (+ מִן infinitive) Exo 9:28 (מִן 6d); רַבלָֿךְ (with implication of excess) Deu 3:26 (let it) suffice thee! so רַבלָֿכֶם Eze 45:9, also Num 16:3, Num 16:7= ye assume too much ! + infinitive it is enough for you to Deu 1:6; Deu 2:3 (i.e. you have done it enough), so+ מִן infinitive 1Ki 12:23, מִן substantive Eze 44:6.
g. as adverb much, exceedingly (only Psalms), רַב Psa 123:3, ָרב Psa 18:15 (Hup De Che and others; HPS2Sa 22:15 conjectures רָמָה omits || 2Sa 22:15); רַבָּה Psa 62:3; Psa 78:15; Psa 89:8 (ᵐ5. Bae הוּא רַב ); רַבַּת (Aramaism, compare Syriac , , Nö§ 155 A&WSG 135) Psa 65:10; Psa 120:6 (=long enough), Psa 123:4; Psa 129:1; Psa 129:2;
2 less often great:
a. of space 1Sa 26:13, the deep Amo 7:4; Gen 7:11; Isa 51:10; Psa 36:7(figurative), city Lam 1:1 (בַגּוֺיִם רַ֫בָּתִי Ges§), — see also חֲמַת צִירוֺן; -plague Num 11:33, empire Est 1:20 goodness Psa 31:20, wickedness Gen 6:5, etc.
b. specifically strong (opposed to כֹּחַ אֵין) 2Ch 14:10; לְהוֺשִׁיעַ רַב Isa 63:1 so רַבִּים as substantive Isa 53:12 (|| עֲצוּמִים).
c. major natu Gen 25:23 (opposed to צָעִיר); רַבּים as substantive grandoevi, Job 32:9.
d. + מִן compare greater than Deu 7:1, Deu 7:17; Deu 9:14; Deu 20:1 too great for Jos 19:9; 1Ki 19:7 — Pro 26:10 is hopelessly corrupt, see Toy.
II. רַב49 noun masculine chief (Assyrian-Babylonian influence, compare rab DlHWB 609 b; Biblical Aramic רַב); — construct ׳ר Jer 39:9+; plural construct רַבֵּי Jer 39:13; Jer 41:1 (but see below); — especially טַבָּחִים רַבֿ chief of guardsmen (see טַבָּח), only as title of Babylonian officer Jer 30:9-10, Jer 30:15t. Jeremiah, 7 t || 2 Kings 25 (compare הַט ׳שַׁר in Gen [J E]); also הַחֹבֵל רַב Jon 1:6 chief of the sailors, i.e. captain; in General בֵּיתוֺ כָּלרַֿב Est 1:8, רַבמָֿרִיסָיו Dan 1:3 (see סָרִיס ), and so בָּבֶל מֶלֶךְ רַבֵּי Jer 39:13, הַמֶּלֶךְ רַבֵּי Jer 41:1 (late gloss; omitted by ᵐ5 and || 2Ki 25:25, so Hi Gf Gie). The following titles of Assyrian -Babylonian officers are probably loan-words in Hebrew: רַבמָֿ֑ג Jer 39:3, Jer 39:13 usually chief soothsayer (see מָ֑ג), but = rab-mugi [? chief of princes] PinchesHast. DB. BAB-MAG; רַבסָֿרִיס (compare Old Aramaic [Nineveh] סרס רב Lzb386), 2Ki 18:17 (Assyrian; not in || Isa 36:2), Jer 39:8, Jer 39:13 (Babylonian ), usually chief eunuch, but = rabû-ša-rêši, chief of the heads (the principal men) WklUnters. x.altor.Geschichte.1889, Excurs. v, p. 138 (actually found as rubû-ša-ri-ešu PinchesAcad June 25, 1892, 618), PinchesHast.DB.RAB-SARIS; רַבשָֿׁקֵה (van d. H. רַבְשָׁקֵה) chief of the officers (?) (so probably Assyrian rab-ŠA†; ša‡kû = high one; COT2Ki 18:17 KBii.23 DlHWB 685 a TieleBab.-As. Geschichte.497.513 PinchesHast.DB.iv 191), 2Ki 18:17, 2Ki 18:19, 2Ki 18:26, 2Ki 18:27, 2Ki 18:37; 2Ki 19:4, 2Ki 19:8 = Isa 36:2; Isa 36:4; Isa 36:11; Isa 36:13 (twice in verse); Isa 36:22; Isa 37:4, Isa 37:8;
רבב (√ of following; see Biblical Hebrew I. רִבּוֺ רַב, רבב,).
Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain
Topical studies with this word 8 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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