Aramaic word · H7238

רְבוּ

urevuta'

greatness

Greatness, magnitude, royal grandeur. From the root rb ("be great"), the same root as rabreban, "great ones." Daniel 4:22, 36; 5:18, 19; 7:27.

A Biblical Aramaic word, from the parts of the Old Testament written in Aramaic. Why Aramaic?

Appears 5 times in 5 verses of the Aramaic of the Old Testament. ·

What it means

greatness

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 Daniel 4:36

Range of meaning

Greatness, magnitude, royal grandeur. From the root rb ("be great"), the same root as rabreban, "great ones." Daniel 4:22, 36; 5:18, 19; 7:27.

Against the English

KJV has "excellent majesty," ESV and WEB "greatness," NLT "even greater honor." KJV's "majesty" blurs it with hadar earlier in the verse. The Aramaic uses a different word here.

Used elsewhere in the period

Daniel 5:18: "the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father kingship and greatness (rebuta) and glory and majesty." 7:27: the "greatness of the kingdoms" is given to the holy ones.

From the study of Daniel 5:19

Range of meaning

Greatness, magnitude, grandeur. It is used of a king's stature and the size of his realm. It belongs to the Aramaic root rbb/rby, 'be great, grow large', which is related to Hebrew rab and rabbah.

Against the English

KJV 'majesty' stresses splendour and dignity. Most modern versions have 'greatness'. One major version has 'high position'. 'Greatness' keeps the link to v.18 and to Daniel's wider use of the word best.

Used elsewhere in the period

The word appears only in Daniel. In 4:19 (Eng 4:22) Nebuchadnezzar's 'greatness has grown and reaches to heaven'. In 4:33 (Eng 4:36) 'surpassing greatness was added to me' when he was restored. In 5:18 it is one of the four gifts. In 7:27 'the kingdom, the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven' is given to the people of the holy ones of the Most High.

Where it appears

Daniel · 5

  1. Daniel 4:22 וּרְבוּתָ֤ךְ and greatness your

    you, O king, are that tree! For you have become great and strong; your greatness has grown to reach the sky, and your dominion extends to the ends of the earth.

    Here: 'And your greatness', a noun from the same root as 'grow great'. This is the royal grandeur the king boasts of in 4:30 ('for the glory of my majesty').

  2. Daniel 4:36 וּרְב֥וּ and greatness

    At the same time my sanity was restored, my honor and splendor returned to me for the glory of my kingdom. My advisers and nobles sought me out, and I was restored to my throne, and surpassing greatness was added to me.

    Here: "And greatness." This is the word Daniel used in 4:22 ("your greatness has grown"), and in 5:18 it is listed as something the Most High gave Nebuchadnezzar. It is royal greatness received as a gift.

  3. Daniel 5:18 וּרְבוּתָא֙ and greatness the

    As for you, O king, the Most High God gave your father Nebuchadnezzar sovereignty and greatness, glory and honor.

    Here: 'And the greatness': the size and reach of his power, picking up 4:22, 'your greatness has grown and reaches to the heavens'. Verse 19 goes on to spell out what this greatness meant: life and death over nations.

  4. Daniel 5:19 רְבוּתָא֙ greatness the

    Because of the greatness that He bestowed on him, the people of every nation and language trembled in fear before him. He killed whom he wished and kept alive whom he wished; he exalted whom he wished and humbled whom he wished.

    Here: 'The greatness': royal stature and imperial size. It is the same word just listed in v.18 among God's gifts to Nebuchadnezzar.

  5. Daniel 7:27 וּרְבוּתָ֗א and greatness the

    Then the sovereignty, dominion, and greatness of the kingdoms under all of heaven will be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will serve and obey Him.’

    Here: Majesty, grandeur, imperial prestige. Elsewhere in Daniel it describes the God-given greatness of Nebuchadnezzar (4:22; 5:18–19); now the greatness of every empire changes hands.

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