Lexical Summary
gobah: Height, exaltation, pride
Original Word:גֹּבַהּ
Part of Speech:Noun Masculine
Transliteration:gobahh
Pronunciation:go'-bah
Phonetic Spelling:(go'-bah)
KJV: excellency, haughty, height, high, loftiness, pride
NASB:height, high, dignity, haughtiness, haughty, loftiness, lofty
Word Origin:[fromH1361 (גָּבַהּ - To be high)]
1. elation, grandeur, arrogance
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
excellency, haughty, height, high, loftiness, pride
Fromgabahh; elation, grandeur, arrogance -- excellency, haughty, height, high, loftiness, pride.
see HEBREWgabahh
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
gabahDefinitionheight
NASB Translationdignity (1), haughtiness (1), haughty (1), height (6), high (2), loftiness (1), lofty (1), pride (1), raised platform (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
—
Job 22:12 9t.; suffix
1 Samuel 17:4 5t.; plural construct
Job 11:8; —
height, of buildings and treesEzekiel 1:18;Ezekiel 19:11;Ezekiel 31:10,14;Ezekiel 40:42;Ezekiel 41:8; 2Chronicles 3:4;Amos 2:9; probably alsoEzekiel 43:13 (of altar), so Ew Co for (q. v.); of man1 Samuel 17:4; heavenJob 11:8;Job 22:12 ( construct ST:6 of rock).
exaltation, grandeurJob 40:10.
haughtiness,Jeremiah 48:29;Psalm 10:4; 2Chronicles 32:26;Proverbs 16:18.
Topical Lexicon
Literal Height in Architecture, Warfare, and CreationThe word גֹּבַהּ frequently designates measurable vertical stature. Goliath’s “height was six cubits and a span” (1 Samuel 17:4), a detail that underscores the daunting military threat Israel faced and prepares the stage for the Lord’s dramatic vindication of faith over human might. Solomon’s temple porch rose to “a height of one hundred and twenty cubits” (2 Chronicles 3:4), emphasizing the magnificence appropriate to a dwelling place for the Name of the LORD. Ezekiel records similar technical uses: the rims of the heavenly wheels were “tall and awesome” (Ezekiel 1:18); the sacrificial tables were built “in height of one and a half cubits” (Ezekiel 40:42, cf. 41:8). In each setting, גֹּבַהּ marks a physical elevation that draws the eye upward, inviting worshipers to contemplate the God who is enthroned “in the heights of heaven” (Job 22:12).
Metaphorical Height: Human Pride and Divine Opposition
Scripture equally employs גֹּבַהּ to expose the moral arrogance that accompanies sinful self-exaltation. “In his pride the wicked man does not seek Him; all his thoughts are, ‘There is no God’” (Psalm 10:4). Proverbs crystallizes the principle: “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18). Hezekiah’s temporary lapse into self-exaltation (2 Chronicles 32:26) and Moab’s notorious “exceeding pride” (Jeremiah 48:29) illustrate how elevated self-regard invites divine discipline. The Amos oracle intensifies the lesson: though the Amorites were “as tall as the cedars” (Amos 2:9), the LORD felled them. Physical stature becomes a visual parable of spiritual pretension destined for judgment.
Height as a Display of Divine Majesty
When applied to God, גֹּבַהּ magnifies His incomparability. “They are higher than the heavens—what can you do?” (Job 11:8) declares the surpassing loftiness of His wisdom. Job is commanded, “Array yourself with majesty and splendor” (Job 40:10), a rhetorical challenge that proves mankind incapable of matching divine glory. The cedar of Assyria “towered high” (Ezekiel 31:10), yet its downfall teaches that only the Most High retains unassailable exaltation.
Eschatological and Prophetic Dimensions
Ezekiel foresees a restored sanctuary whose measurements repeatedly feature גֹּבַהּ, signaling that future worship will be calibrated to God’s own standards rather than human ambition. Amos and Ezekiel both employ arboreal imagery—cedars, branches, lofty trees—to warn nations and rulers that final judgment will level every arrogant height (Ezekiel 31:14). These prophecies anticipate the coming kingdom where “Every lofty mountain and every high hill will be lowered” (cf.Isaiah 40:4), preparing the way for the ultimate revelation of the Lord’s glory.
Practical Ministry Applications
1. Humility in Leadership: Leaders must resist the seduction of positional “height.” Hezekiah’s repentance (2 Chronicles 32:26) models a posture that averts wrath and invites mercy.
2. Worship Design: Physical spaces that lift the gaze remind congregations of God’s supremacy, yet any architectural grandeur must serve, not overshadow, the message of grace.
3. Pastoral Counseling: Passages such asProverbs 16:18 provide diagnostic insight for addressing pride, a root sin that often masks itself behind achievement or spirituality.
4. Mission and Social Justice: The fall of lofty nations (Amos 2:9;Jeremiah 48:29) cautions contemporary cultures steeped in self-confidence; the gospel calls believers to proclaim both the warning and the remedy found in Christ.
Christological Fulfillment
Jesus Christ embodies the paradox of true height: “Though He was in the form of God…He humbled Himself” (Philippians 2:6-8). By descending to the cross, He secured an exaltation “far above all rule and authority” (Ephesians 1:21). Every occurrence of גֹּבַהּ that exposes human pride or celebrates divine majesty ultimately finds its resolution in the exalted yet humble Son, who alone reconciles sinners and restores the proper order of heights—God enthroned, humanity redeemed, creation renewed.
Forms and Transliterations
בְּגָבְהָ֖ם בְּגָבְהֽוֹ׃ בְּגֹ֣בַהּ בְגָבְה֔וֹ בגבה בגבהו בגבהו׃ בגבהם גָּבְה֔וֹ גָּבְה֕וֹ גָּבְה֧וֹ גָּבְהֵ֣י גֹּ֖בַהּ גֹּ֣בַהּ גבה גבהו גבהי וְגֹ֖בַהּ וְגֹ֥בַהּ וְהַגֹּ֖בַהּ וָגֹ֑בַהּ וגבה והגבה כְּגֹ֣בַהּ כְּגֹ֤בַהּ כגבה bə·ḡā·ḇə·hām bə·ḡā·ḇə·hōw ḇə·ḡā·ḇə·hōw bə·ḡō·ḇah bəḡāḇəhām bəḡāḇəhōw ḇəḡāḇəhōw begaveHam begaveHo beGoah bəḡōḇah gā·ḇə·hê gā·ḇə·hōw gāḇəhê gāḇəhōw gaveHei gaveHo gō·ḇah Goah gōḇah kə·ḡō·ḇah keGoah kəḡōḇah vaGoah vegaveHo veGoah vehagGoah wā·ḡō·ḇah wāḡōḇah wə·ḡō·ḇah wə·hag·gō·ḇah wəḡōḇah wəhaggōḇah
Links
Interlinear Greek •
Interlinear Hebrew •
Strong's Numbers •
Englishman's Greek Concordance •
Englishman's Hebrew Concordance •
Parallel Texts
