Hebrew word · H1361

גָּבַהּ

gavah

to exult

Gavah means 'to be high, tall, exalted'. With 'heart' or 'spirit' it means to be arrogant or presumptuous. It can be positive ('his heart was lifted up in the ways of the LORD', 2 Chr 17:6), but it is usually negative.

Appears 34 times in 33 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) to be high, be exalted

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to be high, lofty, tall

1a2) to be exalted

1a3) to be lofty

1a3a) to be lofty (of Jehovah's ways-good sense)

1a3b) to be haughty, be arrogant (bad sense)

1b) (Hiphil) to make high, exalt

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Ezekiel 28:2

Range of meaning

Gavah means 'to be high, tall, exalted'. With 'heart' or 'spirit' it means to be arrogant or presumptuous. It can be positive ('his heart was lifted up in the ways of the LORD', 2 Chr 17:6), but it is usually negative.

Against the English

KJV and WEB, 'lifted up', keep the spatial picture. BSB 'proud' and ESV 'proud' give the meaning but lose the image of rising to a height, which fits a man who has climbed to a divine seat.

Used elsewhere in the period

Deut 17:20: Israel's king must keep Torah 'so that his heart is not lifted above his brothers'. 2 Chr 26:16: Uzziah's heart 'was lifted up' when he entered the temple to burn incense, crossing a sacred boundary. Ezek 28:5 and 28:17 repeat the charge.

From the study of Isaiah 3:16

Range of meaning

Basic sense 'to be high, tall, lofty' (of trees, mountains, heavens, people). Figuratively 'to be exalted' (positively, of God or of a person honored by God, Isa 52:13) or, very often, 'to be proud, haughty, self-exalting' (Prov 16:5; 18:12; Ezek 28:2, 5, 17). The physical and the moral senses sit together: pride is pictured as standing too tall.

Against the English

English 'haughty' (KJV, BSB, ESV) or 'arrogant' (WEB) captures the moral sense but loses the physical picture of height that Isaiah is exploiting. In Hebrew the women 'are high', and then the verse shows them literally holding themselves high.

Used elsewhere in the period

Isaiah 2:11–17 is the key parallel: 'the haughtiness (gavhût) of man shall be humbled… against all that is high (gāvōah)… cedars… mountains… towers'. The Septuagint here uses hypsōthēsan, 'they were lifted up', the same word family it uses for pride elsewhere. Ezekiel 16:50 uses the same verb of Sodom: 'they were haughty and did abomination'. That passage also links pride to neglect of the poor (16:49).

From the study of Isaiah 5:16

Range of meaning

To be high or tall (trees, mountains, people); to be exalted; and very often, to be haughty or proud ('high of heart,' 'high of eyes'). The adjective gavoah means 'high', and also 'arrogant'.

Against the English

English 'exalted' gets the height but loses the wordplay. In Hebrew, the same word describes the proud people brought low in v.15 (gevohim, 'the high ones') and Yahweh made high in v.16.

Used elsewhere in the period

Isaiah 2:11, 17 ('the haughtiness [gavhut] of man will be humbled … the LORD alone will be exalted in that day') is the refrain behind this verse; 3:16 ('the daughters of Zion are haughty,' gavhu); Prov 16:5, 18 ('a high spirit before a fall'); Ps 131:1 ('my heart is not haughty').

Where it appears

1 Samuel · 1

  1. 1 Samuel 10:23 וַיִּגְבַּהּ֙ and he was tall

    So they ran and brought Saul, and when he stood among the people, he was a head taller than any of the others.

2 Chronicles · 4

  1. 2 Chronicles 17:6 וַיִּגְבַּ֥הּ and it was high

    And his heart took delight in the ways of the LORD; furthermore, he removed the high places and Asherah poles from Judah.

  2. 2 Chronicles 26:16 גָּבַ֤הּ it was haughty

    But when Uzziah became powerful, his arrogance led to his own destruction. He was unfaithful to the LORD his God, for he entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense.

    Here: "Was high." With "heart" this is a set Hebrew phrase. Here it means arrogance: a man who rates himself above his station. The phrase can also be positive (2 Chr 17:6), so the context decides.

  3. 2 Chronicles 32:25 גָבַ֖הּ it was haughty

    But because his heart was proud, Hezekiah did not repay the favor shown to him. Therefore wrath came upon him and upon Judah and Jerusalem.

    Here: Literally 'was high.' Said of the heart, it means a self-exalting attitude. In this context it is plainly pride, and the next verse calls it 'the height of his heart'.

  4. 2 Chronicles 33:14 וַיַּגְבִּיהֶ֖הָ and he made high it

    After this, Manasseh rebuilt the outer wall of the City of David from west of Gihon in the valley to the entrance of the Fish Gate, and he brought it around the hill of Ophel and heightened it considerably. He also stationed military commanders in all the fortified cities of Judah.

Job · 4

  1. Job 5:7 יַגְבִּ֥יהוּ they make high

    Yet man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward.

    Here: 'They make high', meaning they go up high. The verb is in the present-habitual sense: this is what sparks always do.

  2. Job 35:5 גָּבְה֥וּ they are high

    Look to the heavens and see; gaze at the clouds high above you.

  3. Job 36:7 וַיִּגְבָּֽהוּ׃ and they have become exalted

    He does not take His eyes off the righteous, but He enthrones them with kings and exalts them forever.

    Here: 'And they are high / they rise.' The subject is now the righteous themselves: once God seats them, they stand tall in honour. Elsewhere the verb can mean being proud, but here it is positive.

  4. Job 39:27 יַגְבִּ֣יהַּ does it make high [its flight]

    Does the eagle soar at your command and make his nest on high?

Psalms · 3

  1. Psalm 103:11 כִגְבֹ֣הַּ as is high

    For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His loving devotion for those who fear Him.

    Here: The prefix kĕ- ("like, as") plus a verb form meaning "the being-high of". So: "as the heavens are high" or "like the height of the heavens". This sets up the comparison: the tallest thing anyone could see.

  2. Psalm 113:5 הַֽמַּגְבִּיהִ֥י who is making high

    Who is like the LORD our God, the One enthroned on high?

    Here: Literally "the one who makes high." The verb is in its causative form: God sets his sitting high, i.e. he sits enthroned at the summit. The final -i is an old poetic ending found on the matching words in verses 6–9, giving the psalm a chiming, archaic sound.

  3. Psalm 131:1 גָבַ֣הּ it has been lofty

    A song of ascents. Of David. My heart is not proud, O LORD, my eyes are not haughty. I do not aspire to great things or matters too lofty for me.

    Here: "Has (not) been high". The basic picture is physical height. Said of the heart, it is the standard Hebrew idiom for arrogance: self-exaltation that forgets God (2 Chronicles 26:16; Proverbs 16:5).

Proverbs · 2

  1. Proverbs 17:19 מַגְבִּ֥יהַּ [one who] makes high

    He who loves transgression loves strife; he who builds his gate high invites destruction.

    Here: A causative participle: 'one who makes (something) high'. The root is the standard Proverbs vocabulary for haughtiness, so the image of height already carries the smell of pride.

  2. Proverbs 18:12 יִגְבַּ֣הּ it is haughty

    Before his downfall a man’s heart is proud, but humility comes before honor.

    Here: The verb form describes something that habitually happens, or a process: the heart 'gets high' or 'lifts itself up'. A 'high heart' is the Hebrew way of saying arrogance, a self that rates itself above others and above God.

Isaiah · 6

  1. Isaiah 3:16 גָֽבְהוּ֙ they are haughty

    The LORD also says: “Because the daughters of Zion are haughty—walking with heads held high and wanton eyes, prancing and skipping as they go, jingling the bracelets on their ankles—

    Here: Literally 'they are tall/high.' It picks up Isaiah's keyword from chapter 2, where everything 'high' in human pride will be brought low on YHWH's day (2:11, 17). The women are the walking picture of that loftiness.

  2. Isaiah 5:16 וַיִּגְבַּ֛ה and he was exalted

    But the LORD of Hosts will be exalted by His justice, and the holy God will show Himself holy in righteousness.

    Here: The same root as 'the high ones' (gevohim) of v.15, whose eyes are brought low. The verb form carries on the chain of events in v.15: people are brought down, and Yahweh goes up. It is a deliberate reversal: only one is really 'high'.

  3. Isaiah 7:11 הַגְבֵּ֥הַּ make high

    “Ask for a sign from the LORD your God, whether from the depths of Sheol or the heights of heaven.”

    Here: The matching verb to 'go deep': 'or go as high as you like.' The same root is often used of pride elsewhere, but here it is purely spatial.

  4. Isaiah 52:13 וְגָבַ֖הּ and he will be exalted

    Behold, My Servant will prosper; He will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.

    Here: "And he will be lofty/tall." Elsewhere this verb often describes human arrogance that God brings down (Isa 2:11, 17; 5:15). Here God himself gives this height to his Servant. The form looks like a past tense, but joined to "and" in a sequence of future events it carries the future.

  5. Isaiah 55:9 גָבְה֥וּ גָּבְה֤וּ they are high

    “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.

    Here: A verb of state, 'are high.' Hebrew says 'the heavens are high from the earth', with the 'from' doing the comparing: 'higher than.' The picture is physical, the sky towering over the ground.

Jeremiah · 2

  1. Jeremiah 13:15 תִּגְבָּ֑הוּ you be haughty

    Listen and give heed. Do not be arrogant, for the LORD has spoken.

    Here: Literally 'do not be high / do not hold yourselves high.' The picture is spatial: people raising themselves up rather than bowing low before the one who is speaking. It echoes God's threat in v9 to ruin 'the pride of Judah.'

  2. Jeremiah 49:16 תַגְבִּ֤יהַ you will make high

    The terror you cause and the pride of your heart have deceived you, O dwellers in the clefts of the rocks, O occupiers of the mountain summit. Though you elevate your nest like the eagle, even from there I will bring you down,” declares the LORD.

    Here: 'You make high.' The same root means both physical height and haughtiness (as in 'a high heart', Prov 16:5). The geography and the attitude are one word.

Ezekiel · 10

  1. Ezekiel 16:50 וַֽתִּגְבְּהֶ֔ינָה and they were haughty

    Thus they were haughty and committed abominations before Me. Therefore I removed them, as you have seen.

  2. Ezekiel 17:24 הִגְבַּ֙הְתִּי֙ I raise up

    Then all the trees of the field will know that I am the LORD. I bring the tall tree down and make the low tree tall. I dry up the green tree and make the withered tree flourish. I, the LORD, have spoken, and I have done it.’”

    Here: "I made high / I raise up." It comes from the same root as the "tall" just before, so the tall tree's quality is handed over to the low one.

  3. Ezekiel 19:11 וַתִּגְבַּ֥הּ and it was lofty

    It had strong branches, fit for a ruler’s scepter. It towered high above the thick branches, conspicuous for its height and for its dense foliage.

  4. Ezekiel 21:26 הַגְבֵּ֔הַ exalt

    This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Remove the turban, and take off the crown. Things will not remain as they are: Exalt the lowly and bring low the exalted.

  5. Ezekiel 28:2 גָּבַ֤הּ it has been haughty

    “Son of man, tell the ruler of Tyre that this is what the Lord GOD says: Your heart is proud, and you have said, ‘I am a god; I sit in the seat of gods in the heart of the sea.’ Yet you are a man and not a god, though you have regarded your heart as that of a god.

    Here: 'Has become high'. A picture of height: the king's inner self has risen above where a human belongs. It is the standard Hebrew image for arrogance.

  6. Ezekiel 28:5 וַיִּגְבַּ֥הּ and it has been haughty

    By your great skill in trading you have increased your wealth, but your heart has grown proud because of it.

    Here: "And it rose high." The basic picture is height: tall trees, high heavens. The verb form usually describes what happened next, so the line reads as cause and effect: the wealth grew, and so the heart climbed. It prepares for the claim in v. 2 and v. 6 to have "the heart of a god."

  7. Ezekiel 28:17 גָּבַ֤הּ it was haughty

    Your heart grew proud of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor; so I cast you to the earth; I made you a spectacle before kings.

    Here: Literally 'was high'. Joined to 'heart', it is the standard Hebrew picture of arrogance: the inner self pushed itself up. It sets up the reversal at the end of the verse, where the 'high' one is flung to the ground.

  8. Ezekiel 31:5 גָּבְהָ֣א it was tall

    Therefore it towered higher than all the trees of the field. Its branches multiplied, and its boughs grew long as it spread them out because of the abundant waters.

  9. Ezekiel 31:10 גָּבַ֖הְתָּ you were tall

    Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Since it became great in height and set its top among the clouds, and it grew proud on account of its height,

  10. Ezekiel 31:14 יִגְבְּה֨וּ they may be lifted up

    This happened so that no other trees by the waters would become great in height and set their tops among the clouds, and no other well-watered trees would reach them in height. For they have all been consigned to death, to the depths of the earth, among the mortals who descend to the Pit.’

Obadiah · 1

  1. Obadiah 1:4 תַּגְבִּ֣יהַּ you will make high

    Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, even from there I will bring you down,” declares the LORD.

    Here: 'You go high / you make [it] high.' This is the vocabulary of height, and also of arrogance: in Hebrew a 'high heart' is a proud one. It picks up the 'pride of your heart' in verse 3.

Zephaniah · 1

  1. Zephaniah 3:11 לְגָבְהָ֛ה to be haughty

    On that day you will not be put to shame for any of the deeds by which you have transgressed against Me. For then I will remove from among you those who rejoice in their pride, and you will never again be haughty on My holy mountain.

    Here: Literally to be tall or lofty, used for holding one's head high in arrogance. It sets up a word-picture: no more 'being high' on the high mountain.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.