1356. geb

Lexicon

geb: Cistern, pit, reservoir

Original Word: גֵּב
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: geb
Pronunciation: ghev
Phonetic Spelling: (gabe)
Definition: Cistern, pit, reservoir
Meaning: a log, well, cistern

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

beam, ditch, pit

From guwb; a log (as cut out); also well or cistern (as dug) -- beam, ditch, pit.

see HEBREW guwb

Brown-Driver-Briggs

II. [גֵּב] pit, III. [גֵּב] beam, see below גוב.

II. גֵּב noun [masculine] pit, ditch, trench, (Arabic hollow, depression; Syriac cistern) — only plural גֵּבִים Jeremiah 14:3; in 2 Kings 3:16 גבים גבים, i.e. full of ditches; further, cisterns (according to Klo 2 Kings 25:12) Jeremiah 39:10 וִּיגֵבִים (read וְגֵבִים); compare also "" 2 Kings 25:12 (ולגבים Kt, וּלְיוֺגְבִים Qr) = Jeremiah 52:16 (וּלְֹיגְבִים; both with כֹּרְמִים); Klo propose to emend these, so as to read in all וַיִּתֵּן לָהֶם כְּרָמִים וְגֵבִים and gave to them vineyards and cisterns; another view in Th; compare further גוב, יגב. — I. גֵּב see below גבה.

III. [גֵּב] noun [masculine] beam, rafter? (Thes below גוב, but meaning & √ dubious), גֵּבִים 1 Kings 6:9; but Lag^{Armen. Stud. § 499, M i. 212; BN 155} reads גֻּבְּדִים (Persian , Armenian γμβεθ) vaulted roofs.

Topical Lexicon

Word Origin: Derived from an unused root meaning to hollow or excavate.

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: • Strong's Greek Number 5421 • φρέαρ (phrear): A well or pit, often used in the New Testament to describe a deep hole or shaft, similar in function to the Hebrew גֵּב.

Usage: The term גֵּב is used in the context of a pit or cistern, often referring to a man-made excavation for storing water or other purposes.

Context: The Hebrew word גֵּב (geb) appears in the Old Testament to describe a pit or cistern, typically used for storing water. This term is indicative of ancient practices of water conservation and storage, essential in the arid regions of the Near East. The construction of a גֵּב would involve digging into the earth to create a hollow space, which could then be lined with stone or plaster to prevent seepage and contamination. Such structures were vital for sustaining life, especially during dry seasons or in areas lacking natural water sources.

In the Berean Standard Bible, גֵּב is translated in contexts that highlight its function as a storage or containment facility. For example, in Jeremiah 14:3, the term is used to describe a well or cistern that has run dry, illustrating the dire circumstances faced by the people due to drought: "The nobles send their servants for water; they go to the cisterns but find no water. Their jars return empty; they are ashamed and humiliated; they cover their heads."

The use of גֵּב in biblical texts underscores the importance of water management in ancient Israelite society and serves as a metaphor for spiritual and physical sustenance. The imagery of a dry cistern often symbolizes desolation and need, contrasting with the abundance and life-giving properties of a well-filled cistern.

Forms and Transliterations

גֵּבִ֔ים גֵּבִ֞ים גֵּבִ֥ים ׀ גֵּבִֽים׃ גבים גבים׃ gê·ḇîm gêḇîm geVim

Englishman's Concordance

1 Kings 6:9
HEB: אֶת־ הַבַּ֙יִת֙ גֵּבִ֔ים וּשְׂדֵרֹ֖ת בָּאֲרָזִֽים׃
NAS: the house with beams and planks
KJV: the house with beams and boards
INT: covered the house beams and planks made of cedar

2 Kings 3:16
HEB: הַנַּ֥חַל הַזֶּ֖ה גֵּבִ֥ים ׀ גֵּבִֽים׃
NAS: this valley full of trenches.'
KJV: Make this valley full of ditches.
INT: valley this full full

2 Kings 3:16
HEB: הַזֶּ֖ה גֵּבִ֥ים ׀ גֵּבִֽים׃
NAS: valley full of trenches.'
INT: this full full

Jeremiah 14:3
HEB: בָּ֣אוּ עַל־ גֵּבִ֞ים לֹא־ מָ֣צְאוּ
NAS: They have come to the cisterns and found
KJV: they came to the pits, [and] found
INT: have come unto the cisterns no and found

4 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 1356
4 Occurrences

gê·ḇîm — 4 Occ.