--- title: רָבָה — be much · The Tanakh dictionary description: רָבָה (lemma:רָבָה), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 51 times: be much. BDB 1906: vb. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/lemma_3a_5e8_5b8_5d1_5b8_5d4.html) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/) / [Tanakh](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/) / [ר](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1512.md)‎ / רָבָה‎ # רָבָה «רָבָה» in the Tanakh dictionary: **be much** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers. **Used:** 51 times · **Key:** lemma:רָבָה · **BDB:** רָבָה ### Glosses much (19); many (13); greatly (6) ### Meaning (OSHB) be much [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1512/lemma_3a_5e8_5b8_5d1_5b8_5d4/#m1) ### Meaning (BDB 1906) vb. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1512/lemma_3a_5e8_5b8_5d1_5b8_5d4/#m2) **The whole BDB entry:** vb. be, or become, much, many, great (NH id.; Assyrian rabû, be great, grow; Arabic رَبَا, Aramaic רְבָא; ܪܒܳܐ, ܪܒܺܝ, all grow, increase);— Pf. 3 fs. רָֽבְתָה 1 S 14:30; 2 ms. וְרָבִ֫יתָ consec. Dt 30:16; 3 pl. רָבוּ Ezr 9:6 +, etc.; Impf. 3 ms. יִרְבֶּה Dt 8:13 +, juss. יִ֫רֶב Gn 1:22 + 2 Ch 24:27 Qr (ורב Kt, v. רֹב 1), וַיִּ֫רֶב Ex 1:20; 3 fs. תִּרְבֶּה Dt 7:22; Dn 12:4, וַתֵּ֫רֶב Gn 43:34; 1 K 5:10; 3 mpl. יִרְבּוּ Dt 11:31 +, יִרְבּוּן ψ 139:18, יִרְבְּיֻן Dt 8:13, etc.; Imv. ms. וּרְבֵה Gn 35:11; Inf. cstr. רְבוֹת Ex 11:9 +;—Pt. רֹבֶה v. II. רבה;— become many, numerous: of a people, Ex 1:10, 12 (J), v 20 (E), Dt 6:3; 8:1; 30:16 Zc 10:8; 1 Ch 5:23; רָבוּ לְמָ֑עְלָה 23:17; especially + פרה be fruitful and multiply Je 3:16; 23:3 (fig. of flock), Gn 47:27b (P), Ex 1:7 (P), ψ 107:38, also (of man and beast) Ez 36:11; of children Jb 27:14; צַדִּיקִים Pr 28:28, בִּרְבוֹת צ׳ Pr 29:2 (Toy רְדוֹת rule, ‖ מְשֹׁל), בר׳ רְשַׁעִים v 16 (Toy id.). of animals Dt 7:22 (+ עַל pers.), 8:13 1 Ch 5:9; + פרה Gn 1:22 8:17 (both P; cf. Ez 36:11 supr.). of things Dt 8:13(×2); Ez 31:5; Ex 11:9 (P), Ec 5:10; of sins Ezr 9:6 (+ לְמַ֫עְלָה), Pr 29:16; + מִן comp. ψ 16:4; 139:18; of days Gn 38:12 (J), Dt 11:21; 1 S 7:2; Pr 9:11, years of life 4:10; of waters Gn 7:17 (J), v 18 (P). be great: (1) of things, Gn 43:34 (J; + מִן comp.), 1 S 14:30; of way = be long Dt 19:6 and (מִן comp. pers.) 14:24 be too long for; of wisdom 1 K 5:10 (מִן comp.). (2) of pers., יִרְבֶּה אֱלֹהִים מֵאֱנוֹשׁ Jb 33:12 i.e. is too great for (De al.); has loftier, nobler thoughts (Di Bu), but no ‖. grow great (Aramaism): (1) of pers., = grow up Ez 16:7 (+ גָּדַל), Jb 39:4. (2) of glory ψ 49:17, knowledge Dn 12:4.—2 Ch 24:27 v. supr. make large, increase;—Imv. ms. רַבֶּה צְבָאֲךָ Ju 9:29 enlarge thy host; Pf. 2 ms. רִבִּיתָ בִּמְחִירֵיהֶם ψ 44:13 thou hast not made great with their price (set a high price; so Ew De Che al.); or increased (sc. thy wealth) by their price (Hup Bae); = bring up, rear (children) La 2:22 (+ טפּח), whelps Ez 19:2 (in fig.). Pf. 3 ms. הִרְבָּה Ho 8:11 +, sf. וְהִרְבְּךָ consec. Dt 30:5; 2 ms. הִרְבִּיתָ Is 9:2 +, 1 s. הִרְבֵּיתִי Ho 2:10 +, etc.; Impf. יַרְבֶּה 12:2 +, וַ֫יֶּרֶב 2 S 18:8; La 2:5, etc.; Imv. ms. הַרְבֵּה Ez 24:10, הֶ֫רֶב Ju 20:38 + ψ 51:4 Qr (הרבה Kt, Inf. abs.), etc.; fs. הַרְבִּי Is 23:16, mpl. הַרְבּוּ Am 4:4; Gn 34:12; Inf. abs. הַרְבֵּה 15:1 +, הַרְבָּה (BaNB 90, 91) 3:16; 16:10; 22:17; cstr. הַרְבוֹת Dt 28:63 + (2 S 14:11 Kt הרבית; Am 4:9; Pr 25:27 v. infr.); Pt. מַרְבֶּה Ex 16:17 +, cstr. מַרְבֵּה Lv 11:42, etc.;— make much, or many: obj. pers. (or a people), multiply, increase Gn 16:10; 17:20; Is 9:2 +; Ez 36:10 (+ עַל pers.), v 11 (man and beast; + id.); Dt 30:5 (+ מִן comp. pers.); + פרה Hiph. Gn 28:3; 48:4 (both P); הִרְבָּה כּוֹשֵׁל Je 46:16 = he made many stumble; = have many 1 Ch 7:4; 8:40; 23:11. obj. animals Dt 17:16(×2) (cf. Ez 36:11 supr.). obj. things Ho 2:10; 8:11, 14 Gn 3:16 +; הַרְבּוּ עָלַי מְאֹד מֹהַר וּמַתָּן 34:12; opp. הִמְעִיט Lv 26:16; Nu 26:54; 33:54; obj. words Ec 10:14 (v. Jb 34:37 sub 2), cf. Is 1:15; Jb 40:27, הַרְבִּי־שִׁיר Is 23:16; obj. days Jb 29:18 (like sand); = use many (medicines) Je 46:11; have many (feet) Lv 11:42; bring abundantly 2 Ch 31:5; yield abundantly Ne 9:37; c. ל of obj. Ho 10:1 (ל 3 a); obj. om. Hb 2:6; Pr 22:16, also (opp. מעט \[usually Hiph.\]) Ex 16:17, 18; 30:15; Nu 35:8 (all P), Pr 13:11. (1) sq. inf., make much to do, do much in respect of, = do much, abundantly, greatly, often, etc. (Dr 1 S 1:12): הַרְבּוּ לִפִשֹׁעַ Am 4:4 = transgress greatly, so Ezr 10:13, cf. 2 K 21:6 = 2 Ch 33:6; further, Is 55:7; Ex 36:5; 2 Ch 36:14 ψ 78:38, also 2 S 14:11 (Kt מהרבית, Qr מֵהַרְבַּת, read prob. מֵהַרְבּוֹת Drreff. Ges§ 75 ff. Th-Löhr); + מִן comp. 18:8; 1 S 1:12 = pray a long time; Ju 20:38 del. הֶרֶב as dittogr. of הארב Be Bu GFM. (2) sq. vb. fin. (DrSm Ges§ 120 g), אַל־תַּרְבּוּ תְדַבְּרוּ 1 S 2:3 i.e. talk not so much; cf. ψ 51:4. the Inf. abs. (Ol§ 191 b Köii. 1, 555 Ges§ 75 ff.) is used: (1) הַרְבָּה אַרְבֶּה I will greatly increase Gn 3:16; 16:10; 22:17 (all J; Ges§ 113 n); (2) וְדַרְבֵּה carrying on inf. cstr. Ez 21:20; (3) הַרְבֵּה as adv. (c. vbs. and \[Ec 7:16\] adj.), greatly, exceedingly, etc., especially ה׳ מְאֹד Gn 41:49 (E), 1 S 26:21 2 S 12:30 = 1 Ch 20:2, Jos 13:1 (D), 2 K 21:16 Ne 2:2; perhaps also 1 K 5:9; 10:10 (both c. נָתַן), v 11 (c. הֵבִיא), Je 40:12 (c. אָסַף), 2 Ch 14:12 (c. נָשָׂא); הַרְבֵּה alone 2 K 10:18 (opp. מְעָ֑ט), Ne 3:33 Ec 1:16; 5:19; 7:16, 17 ψ 51:4 Kt (Qr הֶרֶב Imv.); (4) as adj. attrib. (KöSynt. § 318 e), ה׳ מְאֹד Dt 3:5; Jos 22:8 (D; ‖ רַב־מְאֹד), 2 S 8:8 (רַבָּה מְאֹד in ‖ 1 Ch 18:8), 12:2 Is 30:33; 2 Ch 32:27; so דַרְבֵּה alone Ne 4:4, 13 (+ רְחָבָה), Ezr 10:1 (preceding n., cf. i. רַב). Ec 2:7; 5:6, 16 (reading כעס as n., Ew De Hi-Now al.), 6:11; 9:18; 11:8a; 12:9, 12(×2), הַרְבּוֹת alone Pr 25:27 (Toy reads הַרְ בֵּה); הַרְבֵּה מְאֹד as pred. Gn 15:1 (J; Sam. אַרְבֶּה), Ec 11:8b ψ 130:7 (adv. Bae); (5) הַרְבֵּה as n. concr. (KöSynt. § 318 a) 2 S 1:4; Je 42:2 (-בֶּה van d. H.), c. מִן comp., 2 Ch 25:9; Jon 4:11; as obj. (or adv.), opp. מְעַט Hg 1:6, 9; Ec 5:11; late in adv. phr. (מְאֹד) לְהַרְבֵּה †Ne 5:18; 2 Ch 11:12; 16:8; הַרְבּוֹת as n. Am 4:9 (read prob. הֶחֱרַבְתִּי We Now). make great, obj. pers. 2 S 22:36 = ψ 18:36; enlarge border 1 Ch 4:10; perhaps also Jb 34:37 make words great, presumptuous, against God (לְאֵל; so BuhlLex; most make many words, 1 c). Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech not compared, 47 of its verses cited, 0 words shared with the glosses (4 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech not compared, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 1 with the glosses (3 candidates) ### Trees and pragmatics [Every English meaning of «רָבָה» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1512/lemma_3a_5e8_5b8_5d1_5b8_5d4/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames. ### In the verses [2 Samuel 12:2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/2SA.12.2/) לְעָשִׁ֗יר הָיָ֛ה צֹ֥אן וּבָקָ֖ר הַרְבֵּ֥ה מְאֹֽד׃ *Word for word:* to.\[the\] rich.\[man\] it.belonged flock\[s\] and herd\[s\] many very *JPS 1917:* The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds; [Ecclesiastes 6:11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/ECC.6.11/) כִּ֛י יֵשׁ־דְּבָרִ֥ים הַרְבֵּ֖ה מַרְבִּ֣ים הָ֑בֶל מַה־יֹּתֵ֖ר לָאָדָֽם׃ *Word for word:* (dm) there.\[are\] words many \[which\].increase futility what? advantage \[belongs\].to (the) person *JPS 1917:* Seeing there are many words that increase vanity, what is man the better? - ← previous: [רַבָּה](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/7237.md) - next →: [רִבֹּוא](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/7239.md) - ↑ back to [ר](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1512.md)