Hebrew word · H1466

גֵּוָה

gevah

pride

Lifting up or exaltation. Pride or arrogance. In Aramaic (Dan 4:37) it is the pride that God is able to humble. It comes from the root g-'-h, "to rise up, be high", which also gives ga'on (majesty or pride) and the verb gavah in verse 15.

Appears 3 times in 3 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

pride, a lifting up

Aramaic equivalent: ge.vah (גֵּוָה "pride" H1467)

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 Jeremiah 13:17

Range of meaning

Lifting up or exaltation. Pride or arrogance. In Aramaic (Dan 4:37) it is the pride that God is able to humble. It comes from the root g-'-h, "to rise up, be high", which also gives ga'on (majesty or pride) and the verb gavah in verse 15.

Against the English

KJV puts "[your]" in brackets to show the word is supplied. BSB, WEB, ESV and others print "your pride". The Hebrew has just "pride", which leaves room for a more general sense: "because of (such) arrogance".

How it drifted

Modern English also uses "pride" for healthy self-respect or group dignity. In this verse it means only the arrogance that holds itself above God's word.

Used elsewhere in the period

The word is rare: Job 22:29 and 33:17 (God turning a person from pride) and Jer 13:17, with an Aramaic form in Dan 4:37. In the surrounding passage, Jer 13:9 speaks of "the pride (ge'on) of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem", and 13:15 says "do not be haughty".

From the study of Job 22:29

Range of meaning

From the root ga'ah, 'to rise up, be high.' Its range runs from neutral 'rising, elevation' to the moral sense 'pride, haughtiness.' It is related to the more common ga'avah and ga'on ('majesty, pride').

Against the English

KJV: 'There is lifting up.' BSB/NIV/WEB: 'Lift them up!' / 'be lifted up.' ESV and NRSV take it as 'pride': others are humiliated, and you say pride caused it. The English versions are not tweaking a nuance. They are choosing between two opposite things Job could be saying.

Used elsewhere in the period

Its other Hebrew uses both mean 'pride': Job 33:17 (God warns people in dreams 'to hide pride from man') and Jer 13:17 ('because of [your] pride'). The Aramaic of Dan 4:37 (4:34 in Aramaic) pairs the same noun with the same verb as Job 22:29: 'those who walk in pride (gevah) he is able to bring low (shepal).' The Greek Septuagint also took it as pride ('he acted arrogantly').

Where it appears

Job · 2

  1. Job 22:29 גֵּוָ֑ה up!

    When men are brought low and you say, ‘Lift them up!’ then He will save the lowly.

    Here: One word, quoted as what Job says. It comes from a root meaning 'to rise up', so it can mean 'Lift up!' (a prayer or command for the fallen to be raised) or 'Pride!' (naming arrogance as the reason someone fell). Elsewhere the word always means 'pride.'

  2. Job 33:17 וְגֵוָ֖ה and pride

    to turn a man from wrongdoing and keep him from pride,

Jeremiah · 1

  1. Jeremiah 13:17 גֵוָ֑ה pride

    But if you do not listen, I will weep in secret because of your pride. My eyes will overflow with tears, because the LORD’s flock has been taken captive.

    Here: "Pride", with no "your" in the Hebrew. It is the same root as "do not be haughty" in verse 15 and close to the "great pride of Jerusalem" in verse 9. It means the self-exalting refusal to bow to God's word.

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