Lexical Summary gebir: Lord, Master Original Word: גְּבִיר Strong's Exhaustive Concordance lord From gabar; a master -- lord. see HEBREW gabar NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom gabar Definition lord NASB Translation master (2). Brown-Driver-Briggs גְּבִיר noun masculine lord, Genesis 27:29,37. Topical Lexicon Scope of Usage גְּבִיר occurs only twice, both inside Isaac’s prophetic blessing scene (Genesis 27:29 and Genesis 27:37). In each verse it designates a position of acknowledged supremacy granted to Jacob and withheld from Esau. Because the word appears nowhere else, its meaning and weight are drawn entirely from this single but decisive narrative moment. Covenantal Context The twins’ struggle for pre-eminence had been foretold before their birth (Genesis 25:23). When Isaac utters, “Be lord over your brothers” (Genesis 27:29), גְּבִיר crystallizes that prenatal oracle into concrete covenantal reality. The word therefore functions as a verbal seal on the Abrahamic line, transferring headship, inheritance, and promise to Jacob. Sociopolitical Implications in Patriarchal Culture Patriarchal households were mini-kingdoms. A single “lord” governed migration, defense, worship, and wealth distribution. By calling Jacob גְּבִיר, Isaac is not assigning a mere courtesy title; he is conveying juridical authority over clan, servants, and allied families. Genesis 27:37 underscores the breadth of that transfer: “I have made him lord over you and have made all his relatives his servants.” The blessing effectively reorders the social map of the emerging nation. Foreshadowing National History Jacob’s elevation anticipates the later dominance of Israel over Edom (Numbers 24:18; 2 Samuel 8:14; Obadiah 1). Whenever Scripture records Israel’s eventual supremacy, it echoes the patriarchal proclamation of גְּבִיר. Thus the word serves as a seed that blossoms into tangible geopolitical history, validating the reliability of prophetic blessing. Christological Trajectory Jacob’s line culminates in the Messiah, “the Lion of the tribe of Judah” (Revelation 5:5). The lordship encoded by גְּבִיר finds its ultimate expression in the universal dominion of Jesus Christ. The New Testament echoes the language of subjection (“every knee shall bow,” Philippians 2:10) originally spoken over Jacob, showing that patriarchal lordship was a shadow of Christ’s comprehensive reign. Ministry Significance 1. Assurance of Divine Election: גְּבִיר reminds believers that God’s choice rests not on human merit or custom but on sovereign grace (Romans 9:10-13). Related Concepts • Adon (Lord) – broader term for mastership, applied to God and men. Intertextual Resonances The motif of the younger ruling the elder recurs with Joseph over his brothers (Genesis 37), Ephraim over Manasseh (Genesis 48), David over Saul’s house (2 Samuel 7), and ultimately Christ as the last Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45-47). Each instance reiterates that true lordship is granted by divine appointment, not by human convention. Summary גְּבִיר is a rare but theologically weighty term that marks the decisive transfer of headship within the patriarchal family, anticipates Israel’s national ascendancy, and ultimately points to the universal lordship of the Messiah. Forms and Transliterations גְּבִ֞יר גְבִיר֙ גביר gə·ḇîr ḡə·ḇîr gəḇîr ḡəḇîr geVirLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Genesis 27:29 HEB: לְאֻמִּ֔ים הֱוֵ֤ה גְבִיר֙ לְאַחֶ֔יךָ וְיִשְׁתַּחֲוּ֥וּ NAS: down to you; Be master of your brothers, KJV: to thee: be lord over thy brethren, INT: and nations be to you be master of your brothers bow Genesis 27:37 2 Occurrences |
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