Word Study for H7229 (רַב) | Strong's Concordance

rab /rab/ Ask about this word

Root(Aramaic) corresponding to רַב

Meaning(abundant)

KJV usagecaptain, chief, great, lord, master, stout.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of rab — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Aramaic word rab, represented by H7229, is a term for greatness in both status and size. It appears 15 times in 15 unique verses and is defined as great, chief, master, lord, captain, or stout. It is used to describe the magnitude of objects, the authority of individuals, and the supreme nature of God.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In the biblical narrative, H7229 is applied in several contexts. It denotes physical scale, such as the stone that becomes a "great mountain" filling the earth Daniel 2:35, the "great sea" in Daniel's vision Daniel 7:2, and Nebuchadnezzar's "great Babylon" Daniel 4:30. The word also signifies high rank and authority, describing titles like the "captain of the king's guard" Daniel 2:14, the "master of the magicians" (Daniel 4:9, Daniel 5:11), and the "chief of the governors" Daniel 2:48. It is also used to refer to God as the "great God" (Ezra 5:8, Daniel 2:45) and to describe a "great king" of Israel Ezra 5:11.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related Aramaic words expand on the concepts of greatness and authority:

H7260 rabrab: Derived from rab, this word means "huge" or "(very) great things". It is used to describe the horn in Daniel's vision that "spake very great things" Daniel 7:20 and the "many great gifts" the king gave Daniel Daniel 2:48.
H7261 rabrᵉbân: A "magnate; lord, prince," this term refers to high-ranking officials. It is used to identify the "lords" who attended King Belshazzar's great feast Daniel 5:1.
H7990 shallîyṭ: Meaning "mighty" or "ruler," this word emphasizes the power to govern. It describes how the "heavens do rule" Daniel 4:26 and how God "ruleth in the kingdom of men" Daniel 4:17.

Theological Significance

The theological and narrative weight of H7229 is significant, particularly in contrasting divine and human power.

Divine Supremacy: The term is used to affirm God's unmatched status as the "great God" (Daniel 2:45, Ezra 5:8). This declaration establishes His ultimate authority over all earthly kings and kingdoms.
Human Hierarchy and Pride: Rab defines the structure of human power, from a "captain" Daniel 2:14 to a "chief" Daniel 2:48. However, it also highlights human hubris, as when King Nebuchadnezzar boasts of "great Babylon," a statement made just before he is humbled Daniel 4:30.
Prophetic Scale: The word is employed in prophetic visions to convey the immense scope of future events. The "great image" in Nebuchadnezzar's dream Daniel 2:31 and the "great sea" Daniel 7:2 represent the vast and powerful nature of kingdoms and historical forces.

Summary

In summary, H7229 is a multifaceted word that defines greatness in various forms. It establishes the scale of empires, the rank of officials, and the ultimate sovereignty of God. Its use in both human and divine contexts serves to build a contrast between earthly, transient power and the eternal, supreme authority of the "great God" Daniel 2:45. It is a key term for understanding themes of power, pride, and prophecy in Daniel and Ezra.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Hebrew Old Testament, this word appears as an adjective and a noun across 23 occurrences, inflected in 7 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form.

Singular common gender Absolute 7×
Plural Feminine Absolute 5×
Singular common gender Construct 4×
Singular common gender Definite 3×
Plural Feminine Definite 2×
Plural Masculine Absolute 1×
Singular Feminine Definite 1×

Singular: One.
Plural: More than one.
Masculine: Masculine grammatical gender.
Feminine: Feminine grammatical gender.
common gender: Either gender — the form does not distinguish.
Absolute: The independent form of a noun (not bound to another).
Construct: Bound to a following noun — "the X of…".
Definite: Marked as definite ("the").

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

Appears in 15 verses across 2 of the 39 books. Most frequent in Daniel (12 verses); never once in the other 37.

Ezra

Daniel

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.