Lexical Summary gev: Back, body, middle Original Word: גֵּו Strong's Exhaustive Concordance among, back, body From ga'ah (corresponding to gab); the back; by analogy, the middle -- + among, back, body. see HEBREW ga'ah see HEBREW gab Brown-Driver-Briggs I. גֵּו noun [masculine] back — גֵּו absolute unused, construct Proverbs 10:13 2t., suffix גֵּוִי Isaiah 50:6, גֵּוְךָ Isaiah 38:17, גֵּוֵךְ Isaiah 51:23; — back, as beaten, lashed Proverbs 10:13; Proverbs 19:29; Proverbs 26:3 compare Isaiah 50:6; in phrase ׳הִשְׁלִיךְ אַחֲרֵי ג (as גַּו) Isaiah 38:17, of Yahweh's casting sins of penitent behind his back, putting them out of mind; as trodden upon Isaiah 51:23, figurative of extreme humiliation. II. גֵּו noun [masculine] midst, Aramaism (compare Aramaic גַּוָּא, גֵּו middle, Late Hebrew גֵּו midst, interior; Topical Lexicon Definition and Scope Gêv denotes the back or torso, the surface upon which blows are laid, burdens are borne, and—figuratively—matters are removed from view. Scripture employs the term both in literal descriptions of physical assault and in rich metaphors of discipline, deliverance, and submission. Occurrences in Scripture Job 30:5; Proverbs 10:13; Proverbs 19:29; Proverbs 26:3; Isaiah 38:17; Isaiah 50:6; Isaiah 51:23. Physical and Cultural Background In the Ancient Near East the back was the customary target for corrective blows. Rods, whips, or bundled sticks were applied publicly, marking both punishment and shaming. Because garments opened easily at the spine, the victim’s gêv was exposed to strike. This cultural context underlies every occurrence of the word. Theme of Discipline and Correction Proverbs gathers the term into wisdom’s curriculum: The back is the classroom of folly—where ignorance meets instruction. Divine wisdom sanctions measured corporal discipline, portraying it as a mercy designed to turn the simple from destructive paths (compare Hebrews 12:6). Theme of Suffering and Servant-hood Isaiah’s Servant declares, “I gave My back to those who strike” (Isaiah 50:6). The voluntary presentation of the gêv anticipates the scourging of Jesus Christ (Matthew 27:26; 1 Peter 2:24). The innocent Servant bears unjust blows to redeem the guilty, transforming the back from a canvas of correction to an altar of substitutionary suffering. Theme of Divine Forgiveness and Forgetfulness of Sin King Hezekiah rejoices, “You have cast all my sins behind Your back” (Isaiah 38:17). Once hurled behind God’s gêv, sins pass from His judicial sight (Psalm 103:12; Micah 7:19). The image assures the penitent that the Lord’s memory of forgiven sin is decisively severed. Theme of Oppression and Restoration Jerusalem’s captors command, “Lie down, so we may walk over you,” and Zion “made [her] back like the ground” (Isaiah 51:23). The city becomes a roadway of conquest, yet the verse immediately announces reversal: the cup of wrath is transferred to the oppressors. The humiliated back will rise when the Lord acts for His people. Job’s Social Outcasts Job 30:5 sketches banished vagabonds whose gêv bears the contempt of society. Their condition dramatizes Job’s complaint that he, though righteous, is treated like one of them. The verse provides a narrative foil to Proverbs’ principle, reminding readers that not every flogged back belongs to a fool—some belong to the tested righteous or the undeserving poor. Theological and Ministry Applications 1. Discipline is a covenant mercy: gracious correction now averts condemnation later (Proverbs 23:13-14). Connections with the New Testament The beating of Acts 5:40, the scourging of Jesus in Mark 15:15, and the Apostle Paul’s catalogue of lashes in 2 Corinthians 11:24 all trace their lineage to the Old Testament concept embodied in gêv. Hebrews 12:5-11 synthesizes the theology: discipline is evidence of sonship, not rejection. Summary Gêv is more than anatomy; it is a theological stage where folly is chastened, sin is hidden, oppression is endured, and salvation is enacted. From the proverbs of Solomon to the passion of Christ, the Scriptural back bears witness to both the justice and the mercy of God. Forms and Transliterations גֵּ֥ו גֵּוִי֙ גֵּוֵ֔ךְ גֵוְךָ֖ גו גוי גוך לְגֵ֣ו לגו ḡê·wə·ḵā gê·wêḵ gê·wî gev geVech geveCha geVi gêw gêwêḵ ḡêwəḵā gêwî lə·ḡêw leGev ləḡêwLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Job 30:5 HEB: מִן־ גֵּ֥ו יְגֹרָ֑שׁוּ יָרִ֥יעוּ NAS: They are driven from the community; They shout KJV: They were driven forth from among [men], (they cried INT: from the community are driven shout Proverbs 10:13 Proverbs 19:29 Proverbs 26:3 Isaiah 38:17 Isaiah 50:6 Isaiah 51:23 7 Occurrences |
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id., belly, Arabic 
midst)