Word study
Great
17 Hebrew and 7 Greek words behind this English word
The original-language words that the Berean Standard Bible translates with “great”. English often uses one word where Hebrew or Greek has several, each with its own shade of meaning. Under each word are verses where it is translated this way; choose the word itself for its full study: every verse, how else it is translated, the forms it takes and what the dictionaries say.
At a glance
How often each original word is translated “great” or one of its forms.
Compare the Hebrew words side by side Compare the Greek words side by side
Hebrew and Aramaic words (Old Testament)
- גָּדוֹל gâdôlgreattranslated this way 285 times of its 501 uses · Strong’s H1419Adjective · Translated: great 262, large 33, high 20, loud 14Full study and all 477 verses →
Genesis 1:16 God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night. And He made the stars as well.
Exodus 11:6 Then a great cry will go out over all the land of Egypt. Such an outcry has never been heard before and will never be heard again.
- רַב rabmuch, many, greattranslated this way 71 times of its 445 uses · Strong’s H7227Adjective · Translated: many 171, great 65, captain 24, long 14Full study and all 426 verses →
Genesis 6:5 Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great upon the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was altogether evil all the time.
Numbers 20:11 Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with his staff, so that a great amount of water gushed out, and the congregation and their livestock were able to drink.
- רֹב rôbmultitude, abundance, greatnesstranslated this way 29 times of its 142 uses · Strong’s H7230Noun · Translated: many 28, abundance 22, great 18, abundant 10Full study and all 138 verses →
Exodus 15:7 You overthrew Your adversaries by Your great majesty. You unleashed Your burning wrath; it consumed them like stubble.
Judges 6:5 For the Midianites came with their livestock and their tents like a great swarm of locusts. They and their camels were innumerable, and they entered the land to ravage it.
- גָּדַל gâdalgrow up, become greattranslated this way 20 times of its 115 uses · Strong’s H1431Verb · Translated: great 14, grew 10, grown 7, greater 7Full study and all 114 verses →
Genesis 12:2 I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.
1 Samuel 12:24 Above all, fear the LORD and serve Him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things He has done for you.
- רָבָה râbâhbe, or become, much, many, greattranslated this way 15 times of its 219 uses · Strong’s H7235Verb · Translated: multiply 39, multiplied 23, many 15, much 10Full study and all 207 verses →
Genesis 15:1 After these events, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.”
Deuteronomy 14:24 But if the distance is too great for you to carry that with which the LORD your God has blessed you, because the place where the LORD your God will choose to put His Name is too far away,
- רַב rabgreattranslated this way 10 times of its 14 uses · Strong’s H7229Adjective · Translated: great 9, chief 3, however great 1, commander 1Full study and all 14 verses →
Ezra 4:10 and the rest of the peoples whom the great and honorable Ashurbanipal deported and settled in the cities of Samaria and elsewhere west of the Euphrates.
Daniel 2:10 The astrologers answered the king, “No one on earth can do what the king requests! No king, however great and powerful, has ever asked anything like this of any magician, enchanter, or astrologer.
- מְאֹד meôdmuchness, force, abundance, exceedinglytranslated this way 6 times of its 195 uses · Strong’s H3966Adverb · Translated: greatly 28, very 12, was very 8, exceedingly 8Full study and all 186 verses →
Genesis 32:7 In great fear and distress, Jacob divided his people into two camps, as well as the flocks and herds and camels.
1 Kings 10:2 She arrived in Jerusalem with a very large caravan— with camels bearing spices, gold in great abundance, and precious stones. And she came to Solomon and spoke to him all that was on her mind.
- כָּבֵד kâbêdheavytranslated this way 6 times of its 40 uses · Strong’s H3515Adjective · Translated: heavy 7, severe 6, large 4, great 4Full study and all 39 verses →
Exodus 12:38 And a mixed multitude also went up with them, along with great droves of livestock, both flocks and herds.
1 Kings 3:9 Therefore give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people and to discern between good and evil. For who is able to govern this great people of Yours?”
- גְּדוּלָה gedûlâhgreatnesstranslated this way 5 times of its 12 uses · Strong’s H1420Noun · Translated: greatness 5, great thing 2, great 2, great promises 1Full study and all 11 verses →
2 Samuel 7:21 For the sake of Your word and according to Your own heart, You have accomplished this great thing and revealed it to Your servant.
1 Chronicles 17:19 O LORD. For the sake of Your servant and according to Your own heart, You have accomplished this great thing and made known all these great promises.
- יַנְשׁוּף yanshûphunclean, bird, herontranslated this way 3 times of its 3 uses · Strong’s H3244Noun · Translated: great owl 3Full study and all 3 verses →
Leviticus 11:17 the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl,
Deuteronomy 14:16 the little owl, the great owl, the white owl,
- שַׂגִּיא saggîlargetranslated this way 3 times of its 12 uses · Strong’s H7690Adjective · Translated: great 3, many 2, abundant 2Full study and all 12 verses →
Daniel 2:6 But if you tell me the dream and its interpretation, you will receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. So tell me the dream and its interpretation.”
Daniel 2:31 As you, O king, were watching, a great statue appeared. A great and dazzling statue stood before you, and its form was awesome.
- רַבְרַב rabrabhuge, domineeringtranslated this way 3 times of its 8 uses · Strong’s H7260Adjective · Translated: great 3, words of arrogance 2, generous 1, large 1Full study and all 8 verses →
Daniel 4:3 How great are His signs, how mighty His wonders! His kingdom is an eternal kingdom; His dominion endures from generation to generation.
Daniel 7:3 Then four great beasts came up out of the sea, each one different from the others:
- רַע rabad, eviltranslated this way 2 times of its 651 uses · Strong’s H7451Adjective · Translated: evil 263, disaster 72, harm 38, wicked 31Full study and all 615 verses →
Genesis 31:29 I have power to do you great harm, but last night the God of your father said to me, ‘Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.’
- מִדָּה middâhmeasure, measurement, stature, size, garmenttranslated this way 2 times of its 51 uses · Strong’s H4060Noun · Translated: measurements 12, size 8, section 7, measuring 5Full study and all 50 verses →
Numbers 13:32 So they gave the Israelites a bad report about the land that they had spied out: “The land we explored devours its inhabitants, and all the people we saw there are great in stature.
Jeremiah 22:14 who says, ‘I will build myself a great palace, with spacious upper rooms.’ So he cuts windows in it, panels it with cedar, and paints it with vermilion.
- גָּבַר gâbarbe strong, mightytranslated this way 2 times of its 25 uses · Strong’s H1396Verb · Translated: prevailed 6, prevail 4, great 2, strengthen 2Full study and all 24 verses →
Psalm 103:11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His loving devotion for those who fear Him.
Psalm 117:2 For great is His loving devotion toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Hallelujah!
- גָּבַהּ gâbahhbe high, exaltedtranslated this way 2 times of its 34 uses · Strong’s H1361Verb · Translated: proud 4, high 4, soar 2, haughty 2Full study and all 33 verses →
Ezekiel 31:10 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,
Ezekiel 31:14 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.’
- יָרֵב YârêbJarebtranslated this way 2 times of its 2 uses · Strong’s H3377Noun · Translated: great 2Full study and all 2 verses →
Hosea 5:13 When Ephraim saw his sickness and Judah his wound, then Ephraim turned to Assyria and sent to the great king. But he cannot cure you or heal your wound.
Hosea 10:6 Yes, it will be carried to Assyria as tribute to the great king. Ephraim will be seized with shame; Israel will be ashamed of its wooden idols.
Greek words (New Testament)
- μέγας mégaslarge, greattranslated this way 110 times of its 218 uses · Strong’s G3173Adjective · Translated: great 108, greater 29, loud 23, greatest 14Full study and all 206 verses →
Matthew 4:16 the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned.”
Mark 4:32 But after it is planted, it grows to be the largest of all garden plants and puts forth great branches, so that the birds of the air nest in its shade.”
- πολύς polýsmuch, many, oftentranslated this way 37 times of its 338 uses · Strong’s G4183Adjective · Translated: many 172, great 37, large 32, much 31Full study and all 307 verses →
Matthew 2:18 “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”
Mark 10:22 But the man was saddened by these words and went away in sorrow, because he had great wealth.
- πᾶς pâsall, the whole, every kind oftranslated this way 5 times of its 1,133 uses · Strong’s G3956Adjective · Translated: all 462, everyone 131, every 116, everything 87Full study and all 998 verses →
- τοσοῦτος tosoûtosso greattranslated this way 3 times of its 20 uses · Strong’s G5118Demonstrative Pronoun · Translated: many 4, great 3, price 2Full study and all 18 verses →
Matthew 8:10 When Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those following Him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.
Luke 7:9 When Jesus heard this, He marveled at the centurion. Turning to the crowd following Him, He said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith.”
- πλῆθος plēthosa multitudetranslated this way 3 times of its 31 uses · Strong’s G4128Noun · Translated: number 5, crowd 4, multitude 4, congregation 2Full study and all 31 verses →
Luke 2:13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a great multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying:
John 5:3 On these walkways lay a great number of the sick, the blind, the lame, and the paralyzed.
- ἱκανός hikanóssufficient, worthy, many, muchtranslated this way 3 times of its 38 uses · Strong’s G2425Adjective · Translated: worthy 5, large 5, many 5, long 4Full study and all 38 verses →
Luke 23:9 Herod questioned Jesus at great length, but He gave no answer.
Acts 11:24 Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.
- ὑπερβολή hyperbolḗsurpassing excellence, exceedinglytranslated this way 2 times of its 6 uses · Strong’s G5236Noun · Translated: surpassingly great 2, utterly 1, most excellent 1, far beyond 1Full study and all 6 verses →
2 Corinthians 4:7 Now we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this surpassingly great power is from God and not from us.
2 Corinthians 12:7 or because of these surpassingly great revelations. So to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.
How to study a word well
- Start from the verse, not the dictionary. Find which Hebrew or Greek word stands in the verse you are studying. One English word often translates several different original words.
- Read every place the word is used. A word means what its writers used it to mean. The list of verses and the count by book show its range, and who uses it most.
- Look at how it is translated. A word rendered five different ways has a wider meaning than any one English word can carry.
- Notice the form. A command is not a statement, and a passive verb is something done to the subject. The form in your verse is part of the meaning.
- See what it keeps company with. The words that appear beside it again and again show how the Bible itself connects ideas.
- Then read the dictionaries. They give the considered view of scholars, with their evidence.
- Come back to the verse. Context decides. A word does not carry every one of its meanings into every verse, and where a word came from does not settle what it means in a sentence written centuries later.
Scripture text and translation counts: Berean Standard Bible. Full entry: Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906, public domain), in the digital edition Brown-Driver-Briggs Enhanced by unfoldingWord (Joel Ruark, J. de Joode), based on data by Eliran Wong and Stephen Ku; its additions are used under CC BY 4.0. Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary: Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible Project, CC BY 4.0. Hebrew-to-English verse numbering: original work of the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible available at https://github.com/openscriptures/morphhb, CC BY 4.0. We reformatted the data, linked the references to this site’s Bible text and left out words in other scripts that the source holds only as images. These are historical reference works; an entry gives its authors’ view, and a word’s meaning in any verse depends on how it is used there.