Word Study for H7236 (רְבָה) | Strong's Concordance

rᵉbâh /reb-aw'/ Ask about this word

Root(Aramaic) corresponding to רָבָה

Meaning(to increase (in whatever respect))

KJV usagemake a great man, grow.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of rᵉbâh — 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 rᵉbâh, represented by H7236, means to increase or to grow. It is also used to describe the act of making someone a great man. Appearing 7 times across 5 unique verses, this term is exclusively found in the book of Daniel, where it illustrates concepts of expanding power, physical growth, and rising status.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In its biblical usage, H7236 describes different forms of increase. It is used to show the elevation of an individual, as when the king made Daniel a great man H7236 by appointing him to a high position over Babylon Daniel 2:48. The word also depicts the symbolic growth of King Nebuchadnezzar's power, first described in a dream where a tree H363 grew H7236 and became strong (Daniel 4:11, Daniel 4:20). This growth is later interpreted as the king's own greatness which has grown H7236 and reached the heavens Daniel 4:22. Finally, it describes the physical results of the king's humbling, where his hairs were grown H7236 like eagles' feathers Daniel 4:33.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related Aramaic words provide a fuller context for the concept of growth and greatness:

H7238 rᵉbûw (greatness, majesty): This noun is directly related to the verb H7236. It describes the result of the growth, as seen when Nebuchadnezzar's greatness H7238 is grown H7236 Daniel 4:22.
H8631 tᵉqêph (to become...mighty or...strong): This word often appears alongside H7236 to emphasize that the growth results in strength. For example, the tree in the king's dream grew H7236, and was strong H8631 Daniel 4:11.
H363 ʼîylân (a tree): This is the central metaphor for Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom, a great tree H363 that grew H7236 to an immense size, signifying the expansion of his power Daniel 4:20.

Theological Significance

The theological significance of H7236 is tied to the themes of power and humility in the book of Daniel.

The Growth of Human Power: The word is used to illustrate the impressive expansion of Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom, which grew H7236 to have dominion over the earth. This represents the peak of human achievement and authority Daniel 4:22.
Humbling and Divine Judgment: The same word for growth is applied to Nebuchadnezzar's punishment. His hair were grown H7236 in a wild, inhuman manner, a physical manifestation of his fall from power due to pride Daniel 4:33.
God-Given Authority: In contrast to the king's self-aggrandizing growth, Daniel is made a great man H7236 by the king as a direct result of God revealing secrets to him. This shows that true greatness is an increase granted by divine will, not just human ambition Daniel 2:48.

Summary

In summary, H7236 rᵉbâh is a focused Aramaic term that encapsulates the idea of increase in its various forms. While it can refer to simple physical growth, its primary role in scripture is to illustrate the dynamics of power. It demonstrates how greatness can expand, whether through human pride or divine favor, and how that same principle of "growth" can be used by God to humble the powerful and exalt the faithful.

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 a verb across 6 occurrences, inflected in 4 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form. Select any form to read what each part of its name means, and to filter the occurrence list to it. These are this word’s own inflections, not words built from it — for those, see Related Words.

רְבָה
רַבִּי
רְבַית
רְבָת

Related Words

6 entries in Strong’s name this word as their origin. These are its derivatives — a different relationship from the inflected forms above, which are this same word bent by grammar.

Other entries the study above points to — each one is drawn from a reference it makes. Follow the trail to see how the words connect.

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

5 verses, all in Daniel — and none of the other 38 Old Testament books.

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, by grammatical form, 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.