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רַב

𐤓𐤁

rab

H7229 adjective

SILEX Entry

Root רבב to be great, to be numerous, to increase

Definition

An adjective and noun meaning 'great, important, chief, numerous'; used to designate abundance in quantity or importance, often referring to a distinguished person (such as a chief, captain, or master), or to denote greatness in status, rank, quality, or number. As a title, denotes a person of high standing or authority.

Semantic Range

great (of size or quality), numerous, abundant, chief (official or title), master, lord (in honorific sense), captain, personage of high status

Root / Etymology

From the root רבב, meaning 'to be great, numerous, increase.' The form רַב is directly derived from this root and functions in Aramaic both as an adjective and as a substantive title. The Hebrew cognate shares the same root and core meanings.

Historical & Contextual Notes

רַב (rab) in Biblical Aramaic commonly functions as both an adjective (describing greatness, abundance, high rank) and as a substantive (one who is chief or master). In administrative and courtly contexts, it is used as a title for high-ranking officials (e.g., Rab-mag 'chief of the magi,' Rab-shakeh 'chief cupbearer'), paralleling similar uses in Akkadian and later Jewish Aramaic. The sense of 'rab' expands in the Second Temple and post-biblical periods into designations for teachers ('rabbi'), but in the biblical context, it is chiefly an official or descriptive term. English versions sometimes render it as 'lord' or 'master,' which may obscure its non-divine, administrative/honorific sense in earlier texts. The Aramaic use, like the Hebrew רב, can describe both numerical abundance ('many') and qualitative greatness ('great'); context determines which nuance is present. Modern translations vary in how specifically they render it, sometimes choosing 'chief' to clarify office or rank. The term is distinct from dominion-related terms like אֲדוֹן ('lord, master') and is often combined with other titles to denote office.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

(Aramaic) corresponding to רַב; {abundant}; captain, chief, great, lord, master, stout.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

רבב (r-b-b) — to be great, to be numerous, to increase

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1337 בַּת רַבִּים many
H2579 חֲמַת רַבָּה great
H4764 מֵרָב Abundant one
H7227 רַב many
H7228 רַב his archers

Word Forms

4 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H7229-03 רַ֣ב rav AAamsa great great 10
H7229-01 רַבָּֽ/א raba AAamsd/Td the great the great one 3
H7229-02 רַבְּתָ֑/א rabeta AAafsd/Td the great the great one 1
H7229-04 וְ/רַב verav AC/Aamsc and chief and great 1

Occurrences in Scripture

15 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H7229-03 Daniel 2:10 רַ֣ב rav AAamsa great great
H7229-03 Daniel 2:14 רַב rav AAamsc captain great
H7229-03 Daniel 2:31 רַ֛ב rav AAamsa great great
H7229-03 Daniel 2:35 רַ֖ב rav AAamsa great great
H7229-03 Daniel 2:45 רַב֙ rav AAamsa great great
H7229-04 Daniel 2:48 וְ/רַב verav AC/Aamsc and chief and great
H7229-03 Daniel 4:6 רַ֣ב rav AAamsc chief great
H7229-02 Daniel 4:27 רַבְּתָ֑/א rabeta AAafsd/Td the great the great one
H7229-03 Daniel 5:1 רַ֔ב rav AAamsa great great
H7229-03 Daniel 5:11 רַ֧ב rav AAamsc chief great
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