Lexical Summary
gaavah: Pride, arrogance, majesty, exaltation
Original Word:גַּאֲוָה
Part of Speech:Noun Feminine
Transliteration:ga`avah
Pronunciation:gah-ah-VAH
Phonetic Spelling:(gah-av-aw')
KJV: excellency, haughtiness, highness, pride, proudly, swelling
NASB:pride, majesty, arrogance, proud, back, haughtiness, proudly
Word Origin:[fromH1342 (גָּאָה - highly exalted)]
1. arrogance or majesty
2. (by implication, concretely) ornament
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
excellency, haughtiness, highness, pride, proudly, swelling
Fromga'ah; arrogance or majesty; by implication, (concretely) ornament -- excellency, haughtiness, highness, pride, proudly, swelling.
see HEBREWga'ah
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
gaahDefinitionmajesty, pride
NASB Translationarrogance (2), back (1), haughtiness (1), majesty (3), pride (8), proud (2), proudly (1), swelling pride (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
(compare Syriac
) —
Job 41:7 6t.; construct
Proverbs 29:23 2t.; suffix
Isaiah 13:3 8t.; —
rising up, swelling of the seaPsalm 46:4.
majesty, of IsraelDeuteronomy 33:29, MoabIsaiah 16:6 =Jeremiah 48:29, scales of crocodileJob 41:7, of GodDeuteronomy 33:26;Psalm 68:35.
pride, haughtinessPsalm 10:2;Psalm 31:19;Psalm 31:24;Psalm 36:12;Psalm 73:6;Proverbs 14:3;Proverbs 29:23;Isaiah 9:8;Isaiah 13:11;Isaiah 25:11;my proudly exulting onesIsaiah 13:3 compareZephaniah 3:11.
Topical Lexicon
Scope of the Word in ScriptureAcross its nineteen occurrences the term moves on a spectrum from noble “majesty” (of God) to condemnable “pride” (of creatures). The same root that celebrates the splendor of the LORD unmasks the self-exaltation that provokes His judgment.
Divine Majesty
•Deuteronomy 33:26: “There is none like the God of Jeshurun, who rides the heavens to your aid.”
•Psalm 68:34: “Ascribe the power of God, whose majesty is over Israel, whose strength is in the skies.”
When applied to God the word extols His unrivaled greatness, inviting Israel to trust the One whose loftiness is life-giving, not oppressive. Moses anchors covenant security in this majestic character, while the psalmist makes God’s exaltation the rallying cry for worship.
Human Arrogance Exposed
•Psalm 10:2: “In pride the wicked pursue the poor; let them be caught in the schemes they devise.”
•Psalm 31:18: “Let lying lips be silenced, for with pride and contempt they speak arrogantly.”
•Proverbs 29:23: “A man’s pride will bring him low, but a humble spirit will obtain honor.”
Used of people, the word diagnoses a heart posture that displaces dependence on God. The wisdom books repeatedly contrast such arrogance with humility, showing that downfall, not dignity, is its harvest.
Cosmic and Poetic Imagery
•Job 41:15 views Leviathan’s interlocking scales as “his pride,” portraying untamable chaos clothed in insolent strength.
•Psalm 46:3 pictures roaring seas and quaking mountains, harnessing the term to describe nature’s turbulent “pride.” Even creation’s upheavals cannot unseat God’s secure city, underscoring His supremacy over every threatening elevation.
National Haughtiness and Divine Judgment
•Isaiah 16:6;Jeremiah 48:29 catalog Moab’s overbearing self-confidence.
•Isaiah 13:11 pledges, “I will put an end to the arrogance of the proud.”
•Zephaniah 3:11 foretells the removal of “those who rejoice in their pride” from Zion.
The prophets expose collective arrogance as a covenant violation. Whether Moab, Babylon, or even Jerusalem, national exaltation that ignores the Holy One invites decisive humbling. God’s sovereignty over history ensures that pride never has the last word.
Pastoral and Ministry Implications
1. Worship: Magnifying the LORD’s majesty redirects attention from self to the throne (Deuteronomy 33:26).
2. Discipleship: Repeated warnings establish pride as a root sin. Believers are summoned to cultivate humility through confession and service (Proverbs 14:3;1 Peter 5:5).
3. Social Justice:Psalm 10 links arrogance with oppression of the poor, urging ministries to confront injustice born of self-exaltation.
4. National Life: Prophetic oracles against proud nations call churches to pray for civic humility and to resist any cultural boasting that eclipses reliance on God.
Christological Fulfillment
Pride’s antithesis is found in Jesus Christ, who “humbled Himself by becoming obedient to death” (Philippians 2:8). The incarnate Lord embodies the true “majesty” of God while embracing utter lowliness, thereby overturning sinful arrogance and inviting His people into the same pattern (Matthew 11:29).
Summary
The word gathers two seemingly opposite realities—God’s incomparable loftiness and humanity’s illegitimate self-exaltation. Scripture upholds divine majesty as the ground of salvation and exposes creaturely pride as the seed of ruin. The gospel finally answers both themes: God stoops in Christ to save, and the proud are called to bow before the One whose exaltation alone brings life.
Forms and Transliterations
בְּגַאֲוַ֣ת בְּגַאֲוָ֛ה בְּגַאֲוָ֥ה בְּגַאֲוָת֣וֹ בגאוה בגאות בגאותו גַּ֭אֲוָה גַּֽאֲוָת֔וֹ גַּאֲוַ֣ת גַּאֲוָ֑ה גַּאֲוָת֑וֹ גַּאֲוָת֧וֹ גַּאֲוָתִֽי׃ גַּאֲוָתֵ֔ךְ גַּאֲוָתֶ֑ךָ גַאֲוָ֑ה גַאֲוָֽה׃ גאוה גאוה׃ גאות גאותו גאותי׃ גאותך וְגַאֲוַ֥ת וְגַאֲוָת֖וֹ וּבְגַאֲוָת֖וֹ ובגאותו וגאות וגאותו bə·ḡa·’ă·wā·ṯōw bə·ḡa·’ă·wāh bə·ḡa·’ă·waṯ bəḡa’ăwāh bəḡa’ăwaṯ bəḡa’ăwāṯōw begaaVah begaaVat begaavaTo ga’ăwāh ḡa’ăwāh ga’ăwaṯ ga’ăwāṯêḵ ga’ăwāṯeḵā ga’ăwāṯî ga’ăwāṯōw ga·’ă·wā·ṯe·ḵā ga·’ă·wā·ṯêḵ ga·’ă·wā·ṯî ga·’ă·wā·ṯōw ga·’ă·wāh ḡa·’ă·wāh ga·’ă·waṯ Gaavah gaaVat gaavaTech gaavaTecha gaavaTi gaavaTo ū·ḇə·ḡa·’ă·wā·ṯōw ūḇəḡa’ăwāṯōw uvegaavaTo vegaaVat vegaavaTo wə·ḡa·’ă·wā·ṯōw wə·ḡa·’ă·waṯ wəḡa’ăwaṯ wəḡa’ăwāṯōw
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