רְבָה
to grow great
‘to grow great’ is one of 3 main senses fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
See every Qal verb in the Hebrew Bible →
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Verb
- An action or state-of-being word.
Stem
- Qal
- The basic, simple active stem — the plain form of the verb (“he wrote”).
- Piel
- An intensive or resultative active stem.
Form
- Perfect
- A completed action or state — Hebrew marks aspect (completeness) more than strict tense (“he wrote”).
Person
- 3rd Person
- The one spoken about (“he / she / it / they”).
- 2nd Person
- The one addressed (“you”).
Gender
- Masculine
- Grammatically masculine.
- Feminine
- Grammatically feminine.
Number
- Singular
- One.
Grammatical forms
- Verb, Qal, Perfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Singular 3 times (50%)
- Verb, Piel, Perfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Singular 1 time (17%)
- Verb, Qal, Perfect, 2nd Person, Masculine, Singular 1 time (17%)
- Verb, Qal, Perfect, 3rd Person, Feminine, Singular 1 time (17%)
Parsed forms decoded from the imported morphology (morphhb / Westminster Leningrad Codex — WLC text public domain, morphhb tagging CC BY 4.0), counted across 6 parsed occurrences — not distinct verses.
Every verse where H7236 appears — 5 distinct verses across 1 book. Click any verse to open its interlinear word-by-word view. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context — . Each verse’s Hebrew form is shown with its reference; the English is not keyword-highlighted, since the data carries no word-level English alignment. Use “Compare translations” on any verse to read it across multiple English versions. This concordance covers the Hebrew Bible; Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) occurrences are not indexed here.
Daniel 5 verses
- Daniel 2:48 רַבִּ֗י Piel pf 3ms Then the king made Daniel great, and gave him many great gifts, and made him to rule over the whole province of Babylon, and to be chief governor over all the wise men of Babylon.
- Daniel 4:11 רְבָ֥ה Qal pf 3ms The tree grew, and was strong, and the height of it reached to the sky, and the sight of it to the end of all the earth.
- Daniel 4:20 רְבָ֖ה Qal pf 3ms The tree that you saw, which grew, and was strong, whose height reached to the sky, and the sight of it to all the earth;
- Daniel 4:22 רְבַ֖ית רְבָת֙ Qal pf 2ms Qal pf 3fs it is you, O king, that are grown and become strong; for your greatness is grown, and reaches to the sky, and your dominion to the end of the earth.
- Daniel 4:33 רְבָ֖ה Qal pf 3ms The same hour was the thing fulfilled on Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and ate grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of the sky, until his hair was grown like eagles' [feathers], and his nails like birds' [claws].
About this entry
At a glance — auto-summarized from this page’s data, not written by a person. Every figure links to its source below. This summary describes the numbers; it doesn’t interpret them.
The Hebrew verb רבה centers on the idea of “to grow great.” It occurs a mere 5 verses across Scripture. Daniel dominates its distribution — 5 of 5 verses. Its earliest occurrence is Daniel 2:48. The verb spans 2 stems, from Peal to Pael. For the data behind this summary, explore the sense tree and the renderings breakdown below.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H7236 catalogs a Hebrew word from the Hebrew Old Testament.
These counts are not copied from any lexicon or concordance. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged Hebrew Old Testament. What Lemma adds →
- 5
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 5 distinct verses.
- 1 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 1 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #3,040
- by frequency
- Top 5000 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 3,040 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 5 occurrences in the concordance →
Most concentrated in
- Daniel 5 verses 100%
By section of the Old Testament
By traditional corpus
Conventional, traditional groupings — biblical authorship is debated, so this is a traditional corpus grouping, not an authorship claim. Each share is this word’s portion of its verses in that division of the Hebrew canon. Each figure is a share of the word’s 5 distinct verses.
- Writings (Ketuvim) 5 verses · 100%
How translations render this word
Counts come from each version’s own published word-to-Strong’s tagging or interlinear alignment — an approximate guide to how each version renders this word, not a word-level alignment the data otherwise carries. Because each total is that version’s own tagged count, the per-version totals vary from one another and need not match the appearance or distinct-verse counts above. These counts may also differ from a printed concordance because Lemma counts each distinctly tagged rendering and does not collapse phrase taggings into a single head-word total. This is a fixed set of word-tagged versions (KJV, ASV, BSB, ULT) and does not change with the reading translation you choose elsewhere. Each version’s license is shown beside its name below (and on Sources).
- King James Version: Grew 2×
- American Standard Version: Grew 2×
- Berean Standard Bible: Grew large 2×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text: Grew 2×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H7236 across 7 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 5 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders H7236 across 7 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 5 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
Renders H7236 across 6 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 4 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H7236 across 7 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 5 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Senses in the full BDB
Hebrew verbs can shift meaning by stem (binyan): Qal is the basic action, Niphal is often passive or reflexive, Piel often intensifies or makes it factitive, and Hiphil is typically causative. The senses below are grouped under the stem BDB assigns to each. This entry also uses Peal (the basic Aramaic stem, parallel to Qal) and Pael (the intensive Aramaic stem, parallel to Piel).
What do BDB’s symbols mean?
BDB uses these scholarly abbreviations:
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 𝔊 | the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation, LXX) |
| 𝔙 | the Vulgate (the Latin translation) |
| 𝔖 | the Syriac version (the Peshitta) |
| 𝔗 | the Targum (the Aramaic translation) |
| ψ | the Psalms |
| √ | root (the underlying root or stem) |
| ‖ | parallel passage (a synonymous or contrasted parallel) |
| † | the dagger: every passage where the word occurs is cited |
The 2 senses and sub-senses the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon distinguishes for this word, in lexicon order (not ranked by frequency), with BDB’s own verbatim wording and sub-sense lettering. Shown in Hebrew script with BDB’s own scholarly abbreviations. The condensed entry is in the Lexicon Entry tab. See also the Forms in the corpus table below.
Peal
- . grow tall and large
Pael
- . make great
Senses from the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon (Brown, Driver, Briggs; Oxford 1906 — public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). Full attribution on Sources.
Word origin
רְבָה vb. grow great
— Brown-Driver-Briggs (Oxford 1906, public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). See Sources.
Derived from רבה (râbâh) (H7235) — to multiply.
Jastrow Dictionary
A second Hebrew/Aramaic lexicon for comparison, covering Aramaic and post-biblical (Talmudic, Targumic, Midrashic) usage that the biblical-Hebrew BDB does not. Matched by lemma rather than by Strong’s number, so a lemma may carry more than one Jastrow headword (shown separately below), and the entries cover usage well beyond the Bible.
רַבָּה II
- (= רַב אַבָּה) Rabbah, name of several Amoraim, esp. a) R. bar Naḥmani, chief of the college of Pumb’ditha (v. Grætz, Gesch. d. Jud.1 IV, p. 400 sq.) Gitt. 3ᵃ. Hor. 14ᵃ ר׳ עוקר הרים R. uproots mountains (is ingenious, v. הַר). B. Mets. 86ᵃ; a. v. fr.—b) R. Zuṭi (Junior). B. Bath. 120ᵃ. Men. 31ᵇ; a. e.—c) R. bar Ḥanah. Snh. 5ᵃ.—d) R. bar bar Ḥanah, known for his fables. B. Bath. 73ᵇ; a. fr. [Y. Ber. II, 4ᵇ אבא בר בר ח׳.]—e) R. bar Abbuha (Abbahu, v. Fr. M’bo, p. 60ᵃ). Bekh. 34ᵃ. B. Kam. 46ᵇ; a. e.—f) R. bar Matt’nah. Hor. l. c.; a. e.; a. others.
רָבָה
- , v. רבי
רָבֶה
- 1. (= רָוָה) moist, saturated with liquid, opp. עבה thick and pulpy. Y. Pes. X, 37ᵈ top צריכה שתהא ר׳ וכ׳ (not צבריה) it (the חֲרוֹסֶת) must be saturated (with wine), which means that it is to remind of blood.—V. רוֹבֶה II.
- 2. pers. of רָבָה, v. רבי
רַבָּה I
- = רַבָּא
- 1. large, great; senior. בִּדְרַ׳ מיניה, v. קִים.—אַדְּרַ׳, v. אַדְּרַבָּא.—Y. Shebi. VII, end. 37ᶜ ודמיא היא כל ר׳ is this case altogether the same?; Y. Orl. I, 61ᵇ bot. ורמיה היא לכל רביה (corr. acc.).—דְּרַבָּה, v. רוּבָּה II.—Midr. Till. to Ps. XVII (ref. to רב, II Sam. XXIV, 16) ר׳ הוא משכונא גבך ed. Bub. (oth. ed. ר׳ היא משכונתך, corr. acc.) the pledge thou hast taken (with the death of Abishai) is large enough. Ber. 19ᵇ גברא ר׳ אמר וכ׳ a great man (scholar) has said something, laugh not at it; Gitt. 55ᵇ; Nidd. 50ᵇ. Sabb. 59ᵇ גברא ר׳ וכ׳ (some ed. רבא), v. אָרֵיכָא; Keth. 103ᵇ. Yeb. 21ᵇ הא … מגברא ר׳ וכ׳ I have heard this from a great scholar. Ib. אבא ר׳ grandfather. Gen. R. s. 1, beg. ר׳ הושעיה ר׳ R. Ḥ. senior (contrad. to זעירא). Y. Yeb. IV, 6ᵃ ר׳ חייא ר׳ R. Ḥ. senior; a. v. fr.—מדרש ר׳ (pl. רַבּוֹת), v. מִדְרָשׁ. e.g. 2 Samuel 24:16
- 2. teacher. Y. l. c. 6ᵇ top הידינו ר׳ ר׳ דמתניתא ר׳ דאולפנא what teacher do you mean? a teacher of the Mishnah (a Tannai), or a teacher of tradition? Lev. R. s. 22 ואיפשר כן ר׳ שאל וכ׳ can that be? did the teacher ask his pupil? B. Mets. 101ᵃ כגון דא צריכה ר׳ a thing like this requires a teacher (to say it)!; a. fr.—Pl. רַבְוָותָא. Snh. 102ᵇ נפתח בר׳ (Ms. F. ברברבתא) let us open our meeting with (speaking of our) teachers (opp. to חברין).—Fem. רַבְּתָא, q. v.; רַבָּתִי. Yeb. 21ᵇ אימא ר׳ grandmother.—אבל ר׳ (מסכת), v. אֵבֶל.
רַבָּה III
- f., v. רַב I, II.
רבי
- (b. h.) to be much, many; to grow, increase. Yoma 87ᵇ עונותינו רָבוּ וכ׳ our sins are too many to be counted. Gen. R. s. 34 אצא ואהי פרה ורָבֶה וכ׳ I may go out (of the ark) and be multiplying and increasing for curse. Bekh. 44ᵇ דם ר׳ שחין ר׳ if the blood is allowed to increase (if bleeding is neglected), skin disease will develop; מי רגלים רָּבִין וכ׳ if one allows the urine to increase (through neglect) &c. Sabb. 33ᵇ בעון … צרות רָבוֹת וכ׳ for the sin of obscene talk troubles increase, and new evil decrees come &c. Num. R. s. 11, v. פָּרָה II. Gen. R. s. 48 הכתב ר׳ וכ׳, v. כְּתָב. Sot. 47ᵇ משרבו … בדין ר׳ וכ׳ when the whisperers in court (secret influences) increased, the anger (of God) against Israel increased. Snh. 97ᵃ העזות תִּרְבֶּה impudence shall be large. Y. Yeb. IV, 6ᵃ bot., v. אל"ף; a. fr.—Gen. R. s. 98 (play on בן פרת, Gen. XLIX, 22) בן פירות רָבִיתָה ‘a child of fruits’ (through interpreting Pharaoh’s dream about the ears of corn) thou didst grow (to high office); בן פרות רביתה יוסף ‘a child of cows’ (through interpreting the dream about cows) thou didst grow; בן פורת (יוסף) רָבִיתָ יוסף ‘a child of growth’, thou didst grow tall (so as to protect Rachel from Esau’s sight; v. Gen. R. s. 78); Yalk. ib. 133 [read:] בן פורת יוסף פָּרִיתָ רבית יוסף. e.g. Genesis 49:22
- 1. to increase, do much, do more. Gen. R. s. 34 ר׳ בטהורים יותר וכ׳ ordered a larger number of the clean animals to be taken into the ark than of the unclean. Tosef. Dem. IV, 12 ר׳ בעיר ולא ר׳ במדינה if one offers a large quantity for sale, while none is offered in the country. Ib. 13 כל שר׳ לו מותר wherever one has a large quantity for sale, it is permitted (to buy of him); a. fr.—Men. 89ᵃ ר׳ שמן וכ׳, v. רְבִיכָה.
- 2. (hermeneutics) to use an additional word for the purpose of intimating something not otherwise included; to argue from an additional word or from a generalization in the Biblical text; to widen the scope of a law; to include. Ib. אם אתה מְרַבֶּה וכ׳ if thou wert to argue an entire day on the intimation of an increase lying in the words bashshemen (Lev. VI, 14; VII, 12), I should not listen to thee; Zeb. 82ᵃ; Nidd. 72ᵇ. Shebu. 26ᵃ, v. מָעַט. Ib. 27ᵃ מדאצטריך או לְרַבּוֹת וכ׳ as the word אוֹ (Lev. V, 4) is needed for the inclusion of vows for the benefit of others. Pes. 22ᵇ, v. אֵת. Snh. 60ᵇ יכול שאני מְרַבֶּה וכ׳ you might think that I must include &c.; a. v. fr.—[Yalk. Ex. 348 ר׳ כל וכ׳, v. רִיקֵן.]—Gen. R. s. 85 (ref. to Gen. XXXVIII, 29) זה רִבָּה על כל הפריצים ממך יעמודו (not יעמוד) this event implies (the prophecy) that all conquerors shall rise from thee (Perez); Yalk. ib. 145. e.g. Leviticus 6:14
- 3. to lend or borrow on usury (רִבִּית); to make a profit. Sifra B’har, ch. VI, Par. 5; B. Mets. V, 1 (expl. תַּרְבִּית) המְרַבֶּה בפירות he who makes a profit on lending provisions. Tosef. ib. IV, 2 מְרַבִּין על השכר ואין מרבין וכ׳ you may make a profit on renting (lending money to the money-changer merely for exhibition), but you dare not make a profit on a sale (of land as security for a loan). B. Mets. V, 2 מרבין … ואין מרבין וכ׳ you may make a profit by a reduction of rent on account of payment in advance, but you dare not make a profit by increasing the price of an object sold on account of postponed payment; a. e.
- to cause increase; to strengthen; to do much. Ber. 17ᵃ, v. מָעַט. Ab. I, 17 וכל המַרְבֶּה דברים וכ׳ he that talks much brings about sin. Ib. II, 7 מרבה בשר וכ׳ making much flesh (indulging in eating) makes much food for worms; מרבה צדקה וכ׳ he that does much charity, does much for peace. Ber. 40ᵃ מפרין ומרבין, v. פָּרָה II. Ib. 64ᵃ ת"ח מַרְבִּים וכ׳ scholars advance peace in the world; a. fr.—B. Bath. 11ᵇ בני מבוי … שמרבה עליהן את הדרך the neighbors may prevent him, because he increases the use of the way too much for them (causes many people to step upon their ground); Tosef. ib. I, 4; Y. ib. II, 13ᵇ bot. דו יכיל מימר … והן מרבין עלינו וכ׳ he may say to him, they go and come, ask for thee and cannot find thee, and thus they use the way too frequently for us.
- to be increased; with בגדים, to be clothed with the larger number of garments designated for the high priest, v. מְרוּבֶּה. Yoma 5ᵃ נ׳ שבעה if he wore the high priestly garments during the entire week of inauguration; נ׳ יום אחד if he wore them only one day.
A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature (Marcus Jastrow; London, Luzac, 1903) — Public Domain. Digitized via Sefaria. Digitized via Sefaria. Full attribution on Sources.
Forms in the corpus
The 5 distinct written forms H7236 takes in the Hebrew Bible, most frequent first — each parse links to that stem’s occurrences in the concordance. Hebrew forms include their vowel points and cantillation, so a single lemma takes many written forms.
| Form | Parsing | Example | Uses |
|---|---|---|---|
| רְבָ֖ה | Verb, Qal, Perfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Singular | Daniel 4:20 | 2 |
| רְבַ֖ית | Verb, Qal, Perfect, 2nd Person, Masculine, Singular | Daniel 4:22 | 1 |
| רְבָ֥ה | Verb, Qal, Perfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Singular | Daniel 4:11 | 1 |
| רְבָת֙ | Verb, Qal, Perfect, 3rd Person, Feminine, Singular | Daniel 4:22 | 1 |
| רַבִּ֗י | Verb, Piel, Perfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Singular | Daniel 2:48 | 1 |
Same root — word family
Other BDB entries built from the same root as H7236, grouped by Strong’s listed origin. These share a root / origin per the lexicon — not necessarily a shared meaning. Each links to that word’s own entry.
Derives from
Shares the same root
- ארבה ʼarbeh H697 locust
- מרבה marbeh H4766 abundance
- מרבה mirbâh H4767 much
- מרבית marbîyth H4768 multitude
- רבו rᵉbûw H7238 greatness
- תרבות tarbûwth H8635 offspring
- תרבית tarbîyth H8636 interest
Compare all same-root words → Showing 4 of 9 — not the complete family. They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Septuagint verse parallels
This word appears in 4 verses that also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 5 Hebrew verses it occurs in. You can read those verses in Greek by switching the Old Testament edition to the Septuagint.
Read these verses in the Septuagint
This is a verse-level parallel only — the same verses exist in both the Hebrew and Greek Old Testaments. No word-level Hebrew↔Greek correspondence is claimed: the data carries no such alignment, so no Greek word is shown as this Hebrew word’s translation. Coverage is not total — the Septuagint omits the deuterocanon and renumbers the Psalms, so some Hebrew verses have no direct Greek parallel.
