ESTUDIO DE LA PALABRA HEBREA
Gâdôl (H1419) — Great, Elder, Mighty in the Bible
Gâdôl (גָּדוֹל, H1419) is a fundamental Hebrew adjective meaning 'great' in size, number, intensity, rank, or age, used 262 times across the Hebrew Scriptures.
Significado de la palabra
The root גדל (g-d-l) underlies gâdôl, and the adjective covers a remarkably wide semantic field. In its most concrete sense, it describes physical size — as in the 'great lights' of Genesis 1:16 (sun and moon) or the 'great sea-monsters' of Genesis 1:21. But the word quickly extends beyond mere dimension to denote magnitude in number, intensity, social rank, age, and moral weight.
From the lexical entry, gâdôl carries the senses 'great (in any sense); hence, older; also insolent.' The 'older' usage appears in Genesis 10:21, where Shem is called 'the elder brother of Japheth.' The 'insolent' sense reflects how greatness can shade into arrogance when divorced from righteousness — a warning thread that runs through the prophets.
By extension, gâdôl frequently qualifies abstract or collective nouns: a 'great nation' (Genesis 12:2), 'great plagues' (Genesis 12:17), 'great darkness' (Genesis 15:12), 'great substance' (Genesis 15:14), and the 'great river' Euphrates (Genesis 15:18). In each case, the adjective marks whatever it modifies as standing out — numerically, spatially, or qualitatively — from its ordinary context.
Uso en las Escrituras
In the early chapters of Genesis, gâdôl establishes the theological vocabulary of greatness. God creates 'great lights' and 'great sea-monsters,' but the adjective is also applied to human enterprises: cities (Genesis 10:12, Resen as 'the great city'), nations (Genesis 12:2, 17:20), and personal sin or suffering (Genesis 4:13, Cain's punishment 'greater than I can bear'). The word thus spans the spectrum from divine workmanship to human moral condition.
The covenant narratives lean heavily on gâdôl. God's promises to Abraham repeatedly deploy the adjective — 'great nation,' 'great plagues,' 'great darkness,' 'great substance,' 'great river' — framing Abraham's offspring, trials, possessions, and inheritance in superlative terms. This narrative habit shapes the rest of the Hebrew Bible, where 'great' functions as a covenant and apocalyptic marker: the great day of the Lord, the great tribulation, the great throne.
Readers should note that gâdôl is rarely neutral. Whether describing God's acts, human kings, or natural phenomena, the adjective invites comparison. Something labeled גָּדוֹל is set over against something else, and the reader is asked to reckon with its scale — physical, political, or theological.
La palabra en detalle
- H1419 Gâdôl (גָּדוֹל) is the standard Hebrew adjective for 'great' and one of the most frequent descriptive terms in the Old Testament (262 occurrences). Its semantic range covers physical size (great city, great river), quantity (great nation, great multitude), intensity (great darkness, great plagues), rank (great king), age (elder brother, as in Genesis 10:21), and, in a negative shade, insolence. It appears in every major genre: creation narrative, covenant promise, law, wisdom, prophecy, and apocalyptic.
Versículos de ejemplo
- Genesis 1:16 God's creation of the 'two great lights' uses gâdôl to mark the sun and moon as the supreme celestial bodies set 'to rule' day and night — a covenantal and creational use of 'great' that sets the theological scale for the rest of Scripture.
- Genesis 4:13 Cain's declaration that his punishment is 'greater than I can bear' is the first human use of gâdôl in Scripture. Here 'great' expresses not praise but overwhelming moral weight — guilt that exceeds the bearer's capacity.
- Genesis 10:12 Resen is identified as 'the great city,' an early use of gâdôl in the Table of Nations to denote civic and political magnitude rather than physical dimension alone.
- Genesis 12:2 God's promise to make Abram a 'great nation' anchors gâdôl in the Abrahamic covenant. The word signals not merely numerical size but covenantal significance — a people set apart to mediate blessing to all families of the earth.
Preguntas frecuentes
What does gâdôl (H1419) mean?
Gâdôl is the Hebrew adjective 'great.' It covers physical size, large numbers, intensity, social rank, age ('elder'), and, in a negative sense, insolence. The KJV usage list reflects this breadth: great, elder, mighty, loud, noble, exceeding, proud, and more.
How many times does gâdôl appear in the Hebrew Bible?
According to the data provided, gâdôl appears 262 times across 247 distinct verses — making it one of the most common descriptive adjectives in the Old Testament.
Is gâdôl always positive?
No. The base definition includes 'insolent' as a possible sense, and usages such as 'great plagues' or 'great darkness' carry negative weight. Even neutral applications (a 'great city') imply scale that can become threatening when divorced from covenant faithfulness.