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Old Testament Hebrew Lexical Dictionary
Strong's #1354 - גַּב
1) convex surface, back
1a) back (of man)
1b) mound (for illicit worship)
1c) boss (convex projection of shield)
1d) bulwarks, breastworks (of arguments — figuratively)
1e) brow, eyebrow
1f) rim (of wheel)
Nm/f ) bc (גב GB) - I. Arch:The arch of the back when digging. Also any high arched or convex thing such as the eyebrow, rim of a wheel, locust, etc. [df: Pg]II. Pit:The work of the back of digging a pit or trench. KJV (18): back, eminent place, rings, bodies, bosses, eyebrows, naves, higher place, pit, beam, ditch, locust, den - Strongs: H1354 (גַּב), H1355 (גַּב), H1356 (גֵּב), H1357 (גֵּבָה), H1610 (גַּף)
H) ebc (גבה GBH) AC: Lift CO: High AB: ?: From the high arch of the back when digging. Something that is lifted up high. This can be something physical or mental such as pride as the lifting up of the heart.
Jeff Benner, Ancient Hebrew Research Center Used by permission of the author.
גַּב with suffix גַּבִּי, pl. גַּבִּים and גַּבּוֹת (see No. 5, 6) from the root גָּבַב No. 1, pr. something gibbous, something curved like an arch or a bow.
(1) the back of animals, Ezekiel 10:12 and of men, Psalms 129:3, עַל גַּבִּי חָֽרְשׁוּ חֹרְשִׁים “the plowers plowed upon my back,” i.e. they cut my back with stripes as the ground is cut with a plough.(2) back, boss of a shield (comp. Arab. جَوْبُ shield, and French bouclier from boucle). Job 15:26, it is said proverbially, יָרוּץ אֵלָיו … בַּעֲבִי גַּבֵּי מָגִנָּיו “he rushes upon him … with thick bosses of shields,” a metaphor taken from soldiers, who join their shields closely together like a testudo, and so make an onset. Comp. Schult. ad loc. cit.; Har. Cons. xxiii, p. 231; xl. 454, ed. de Sacy. Hence
(3) bulwark, fortress, Job 13:12, גַּבֵּי חֹמֶר גַּבֵּיכֶם “fortresses of clay (are) your fortresses.” This is to be understood of the weak and feeble arguments with which the adversaries are defending themselves (comp. Isaiah 41:21). So Arab. ظهر back for bulwark.
(4) a vaulted house, a vault, specially used of a brothel or chamber, where harlots prostituted themselves (like the Lat. fornix, Juven. iii. 156), Ezekiel 16:24, 31 Ezekiel 16:31, 39 Ezekiel 16:39. LXX. οἴκημα πορνικόν, πορνεῖον.
(5) rim, circumference of wheels. Plur. גַּבִּים 1 Kings 7:33 גַּבּוֹת Ezekiel 1:18.
(6) the eyebrow, as if the bow of the eye. Pl. גַּבּוֹת Leviticus 14:9. Arab. جُبَّةُ the bone above which the eyebrow grows.
(7) back, i.e. surface of the altar. Ezekiel 43:13. LXX. τὸ ὕψος τοῦ θυσιαοτηρίου. So the Gr. νῶτος used of the surface of the sea, land, &c. Equivalent to this is גַּג הַמִּזְבֵּחַ Exodus 30:3, 37:26 so that it may be doubted whether it should not be so read.
גַּב Ch. i.q. Heb. back, pl. backs, for sing. like the Gr. τὰ νῶτα. Daniel 7:6 כתיב, “and that beast had four wings עַל גַּבַּיהּ on its back.” גַּבַּהּ קרי. LXX. ἐπάνω αὐτῆς. Theod. ὑπεράνω αὐτῆς. Vulg. super se.
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