the Week of Proper 26 / Ordinary 31
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Bible Dictionaries
High
Vine's Expository Dictionary of OT Words
or A. Adjective.
Gâbôhha (גָּבוֹהַּ, Strong's #1364), “high; exalted.” This adjective occurs about 24 times. The root seen in this adjective, in the verb gabah and in the noun gobah, occurs in every period of biblical Hebrew.
This word means “high, lofty, tall in dimension”: “And the waters [of the flood] prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered” (Gen. 7:19—the first occurrence). When used of a man, gâbôhha means “tall”: Saul was “higher than any of the people” (1 Sam. 9:2; cf. 16:7). In Dan. 8:2, gâbôhha describes the length of a ram’s horns: “… And the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last.”
The word means “high or exalted in station”: “Thus saith the Lord God; Remove the diadem, and take off the crown: this shall not be the same: exalt him that is low, and abase him that is high” (Ezek. 21:26). In Eccl. 5:8, this connotation of “one of high rank” may be expressed in the translation “official” (RSV).
Gâbôhha may be used of a psychological state, such as “haughtiness”: “Talk no more so exceeding proudly [this double appearance of the word emphasizes it]; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth …” (1 Sam. 2:3).
‛Elyôn (עֶלְיוֹן, Strong's #5945), “high; top; uppermost; highest; upper; height.” The 53 occurrences of this word are scattered throughout biblical literature. This word indicates the “uppermost” (as opposed to the lower): “… I had three white baskets on my head: And in the uppermost basket there was of all manner of bakemeats …” (Gen. 40:16-17). In Ezek. 42:5, ‛elyôn describes the “uppermost” of three stories: “Now the upper chambers were shorter: for the galleries were higher than these, than the lower, and than the middlemost of the building.” A figurative use of the word appears in 2 Chron. 7:21, where it modifies the dynasty (house) of Solomon. The messianic Davidic king will be God’s firstborn, “higher than the kings of the earth” (Ps. 89:27).
In many passages, ‛elyôn means “upper,” in the sense of the top or higher of two things: “… the border of their inheritance on the east side was Ataroth-addar, unto Bethhoron the upper” (Josh. 16:5; cf. 2 Chron. 8:5).
This word is frequently used in a name (el ‘elyon) of God; it describes Him as the Most High, the “highest” and only Supreme Being. The emphasis here is on divine supremacy rather than divine exclusiveness: “And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God” [el ‘elyon] (Gen. 14:18—the first occurrence). This name for a god also appears in extra-biblical Palestinian documents.
Also the figurative use of ‛elyôn to describe the “house” or dynasty of Israel takes an unusual turn in 1 Kings 9:8, where the kingdom is said to be the “height” of astonishment: “And at this house, which [will be a heap of ruins], every one that passeth by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss; and they shall say, Why hath the Lord done thus unto this land, and to this house?”
B. Verb.
Gâbâhh (גָּבֵהַּ, Strong's #1362), “to be high, exalted, lofty.” This verb, which occurs 38 times in the Bible, has cognates in Akkadian, Aramaic, and Arabic. Its meanings parallel those of the adjective. It may mean “to be high, lofty.” In this sense, it is used of trees (Ezek. 19:11), the heavens (Job 35:5), and a man (1 Sam. 10:23). It may mean “to be exalted” in dignity and honor (Job 36:7). Or it may simply mean “to be lofty,” used in the positive sense of “being encouraged” (2 Chron. 17:6) or in the negative sense of “being haughty or proud” (2 Chron. 26:16).
C. Noun.
Gôbahh (גֹּבַהּ, Strong's #1363), “height; exaltation; grandeur; haughtiness; pride.” This noun, which occurs 17 times in biblical Hebrew, refers to the “height” of things (2 Chron. 3:4) and of men (1 Sam. 17:4). It may also refer to “exaltation” or “grandeur” (Job 40:10), and to “haughtiness” or “pride” (2 Chron. 32:26).
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Vines, W. E., M. A. Entry for 'High'. Vine's Expository Dictionary of OT Words. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/vot/h/high.html. 1940.
