Hebrew Thoughts Archives
First available on February 10, 2007

Gebher 'mighty man'

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	Author Bio
	Jonathan Went teaches biblical Hebrew and Jewish background to Christianity. His "Biblical Hebrew made easy" course can be found at www.biblicalhebrew.com. He specialises in Hermeneutics, Judaica and Patristics (Early Church). He is the editor of the new Hebraic Roots journal, Roots and Branches (www.rootsandbranchespress.com) and also runs www.BMSoftware.com a biblical and multilingual software site.

""Are Your days like the days of a mortal man?
Are Your years like the days of a mighty man " (Job 10:5, NKJ)

Gbr gebher (Strong's #1397),emphasises man in his might and strength or warrior-like ability to fight, and occurs just 68 times. Other words for man such as (y# 'îysh (Strong's #376), occur 2180 times and (de 'âdhâm (Strong's #120) over 550 times, these concentrate on man generically, or in relation to woman, or in respect of man's origins - from the earth and in the image of God. In Job 10:5 another infrequent word for man, (nw# 'enôwsh (Strong's #582, is used in parallel with to emphasise man's humanity as opposed to divinity.

Gbr gebher derives from the root verb Gbr gâbher (Strong's #1396) which means to be strong, to prevail, and to bind up and make strong. But the neutral concept of strength in some forms of the verb drifts over to the more negative concept of pride and insolence. That said, other derivatives of the verb could be used for 'soldier, hero' and in the archangel Gabriel's name Gbry(l 'mighty-man of God' (Strong's #1403).

The word is used mainly in the poetic books, predominantly Job and also Psalms and Proverbs. The next most frequent usage is in the prophet Jeremiah. In Job the word usually emphasises man more as mortal than mighty, until the last few occurrences in Job 38:3, 40:7 where it is rendered in the context of "gird up your loins like a real man".

The Psalms speak of the Gbr gebher man having to trust in God and not his own strength (Psalms 34:8, 40:4, 52:7).

Jeremiah speaks similarly but goes on to encourage the might of man to put his trust in God's strength, not his own:

"Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD...Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is." (Jeremiah 17:5,7)

Psalm 88:4 describes the ultimate paradox, a mighty man without might:

"I am counted with them that go down into the pit;
I am as a man that hath no strength"

But according to Proverbs 24:5 a man's true strength lies in exercising wisdom and knowledge:

"A wise man is strong;
yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength"

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