StrongerBible

gavo'ah

גָּבֹהַּ

HebrewH1364high, tall, ...

Appears 41 times · tap a cell to see the verses

Gen 7:19Deu 3:5Deu 28:521Sa 2:3 (2×)1Sa 9:21Sa 16:71Ki 14:232Ki 17:10Est 5:14Est 7:9Job 41:34(26)Psa 101:5Psa 104:18Psa 138:6Pro 16:5Ecc 5:8(7) (3×)Ecc 7:8Ecc 12:5Isa 2:15Isa 5:15Isa 10:33Isa 30:25Isa 40:9Isa 57:7Jer 2:20Jer 3:6Jer 17:2Jer 51:58Ezk 17:22Ezk 17:24Ezk 21:26(31)Ezk 31:3Ezk 40:2Ezk 41:22Dan 8:3 (3×)Zep 1:16
Root family
Word studyga-VOH-ahadjective

What gavo'ah means

high: rising far above the surrounding level, whether in literal height or in standing, and by extension lifted up in pride

TranslatabilityApproximateCertaintySettled

At its core this word simply means tall or elevated. It describes mountains, trees, walls, towers, and the gallows Haman built, and it can measure a person's height or the height of an altar. The picture is always the same: something that reaches up well past what is around it.

From that plain picture the word stretches in two natural directions. One is rank: a person or office can be high the way a tower is high, sitting above others in a chain of authority, and a person once exalted can be brought down. The other is attitude. Because pride imagines itself looming over everyone else, Hebrew speaks of haughty eyes, a high heart, and a proud spirit. The eyes are literally lifted; the heart imagines itself raised above its place.

These are not three different words but one word seen from three angles, and the Bible plays on the link constantly. The prophets warn that everything high will be brought low, meaning both the towering cedars and the towering egos. The same height that is admirable in a mountain is dangerous in a person who looks down on others, and Scripture treats the second as a target for humbling.

Nuances

1ahigh or tall in physical measure: of mountains, trees, walls, towers, structures, and a person's stature
Gen 7:19Deu 3:5Deu 28:521Sa 9:21Sa 16:71Ki 14:232Ki 17:10Est 5:14Est 7:9Psa 104:18Ecc 12:5Isa 2:15
1bhigh in rank or standing: an official or office set above others, or someone exalted in position
Ecc 5:8(7) (3×)Ezk 21:26(31)
1chaughty, proud: lifted up in attitude, looking down on others
1Sa 2:3 (2×)Job 41:34(26)Psa 101:5Psa 138:6Pro 16:5Ecc 7:8Isa 5:15Isa 10:33

What scholars say about gavo'ah

Standard lexica (BDB, HALOT) treat גָּבֹהַּ as a single adjective from the root גבה, glossing it high or tall and tracing a transparent extension from literal elevation to elevated rank (Eccl 5:8) and to haughtiness of eyes, heart, and spirit (1 Sam 2:3; Ps 101:5; Prov 16:5; Eccl 7:8). The figurative pride sense is consistently treated as a development of the literal, not as a separate homonym, and the prophetic motif of the high being brought low (Isa 5:15; 10:33; Ezek 21:26) exploits the connection deliberately.

Sources

  • BDB, s.v. גָּבֹהַּlexicon
  • HALOT, s.v. גָּבֹהַּlexicon

All attested forms of גָּבֹהַּ

m s absolute

גָּבֹהַּ, גָּבֹהַ

1Sa 9:2, Est 5:14, Est 7:9, Job 41:34, Psa 138:6, Ecc 5:8, Ecc 5:8, Ecc 12:5

f s absolute

גְּבֹהָה

Deu 3:5, 1Sa 2:3, 1Sa 2:3, 1Ki 14:23, 2Ki 17:10, Jer 2:20, Dan 8:3, Dan 8:3

m p absolute

גְּבֹהִים

Gen 7:19, Psa 104:18, Ecc 5:8, Isa 5:15, Isa 10:33, Jer 51:58

m s construct

גְּבַהּ, גְּבֹהַּ

Psa 101:5, Pro 16:5, Ecc 7:8, Ezk 31:3, 1Sa 16:7

f p absolute

גְּבֹהוֹת

Deu 28:52, Jer 17:2, Dan 8:3, Zep 1:16