3255. yesaph
Lexical Summary
yesaph: added

Original Word: יסַף
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: ycaph
Pronunciation: yah-saf'
Phonetic Spelling: (yes-af')
NASB: added
Word Origin: [(Aramaic) corresponding to H3254 (יָסַף - again)]

1. add

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
add

(Aramaic) corresponding to yacaph -- add.

see HEBREW yacaph

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
(Aramaic) corresponding to yasaph
Definition
to add
NASB Translation
added (1).

Topical Lexicon
Core Idea: God Adds and Restores

The verb in Daniel 4:36 expresses the action of “adding” or “increasing.” Though it occurs only once, the concept is woven throughout Scripture—God Himself is the One who bestows additional honor, influence, and blessing. Human rulers can be stripped of glory in a moment, yet the Lord may choose to restore and even augment what was lost when there is genuine humility before Him.

Usage in Daniel 4:36

“...and I was reestablished over my kingdom, and even more greatness was added to me.” (Daniel 4:36)

Nebuchadnezzar, who had been driven away in judgment, confesses that both his sanity and his expanded greatness came directly from “the King of heaven” (Daniel 4:37). The word signals a divinely initiated increase: what returns to the king exceeds what he originally possessed. The term therefore highlights God’s prerogative not merely to replace what He removes, but to amplify it at His will.

Historical Setting

Daniel chapter 4 records a royal decree in which Nebuchadnezzar publishes his humbling and restoration. The empire of Babylon is at its zenith; yet its emperor acknowledges that his new “added greatness” results from submission to the Most High. This admission stands in marked contrast to the proud boasts carved on Mesopotamian monuments, underscoring the uniqueness of biblical revelation in Ancient Near Eastern history.

Theological Themes

1. Divine Sovereignty

God alone “changes times and seasons; He removes kings and establishes them” (Daniel 2:21). The added greatness teaches that promotion ultimately comes “from the LORD” (Psalm 75:6-7).

2. Grace After Discipline

Discipline is not an end in itself. When chastisement achieves repentance, God delights to restore “the years that the swarming locusts have eaten” (Joel 2:25). Nebuchadnezzar becomes a living illustration.

3. Humility Precedes Honor

“Before honor comes humility” (Proverbs 15:33). The increase arrives only after the king lifts his eyes to heaven and acknowledges divine authority (Daniel 4:34).

4. Witness to the Nations

A pagan monarch’s public confession magnifies Israel’s God before the Gentile world—anticipating the global scope of the gospel (Matthew 24:14).

Intertextual Echoes

• Joseph: “God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction” (Genesis 41:52). After suffering, increase.
• Job: “The LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than the former” (Job 42:12). Restoration plus abundance.
• Church Growth: “The Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47). The same divine pattern operates in redemptive history.

Ministry Application

1. Pastoral Counseling

When believers face loss due to sin or trial, Daniel 4:36 offers hope: repentance can lead to restoration that surpasses former status.

2. Leadership Training

Christian leaders, like Nebuchadnezzar, must hold authority lightly, recognizing that increase is a stewardship granted by God.

3. Mission Strategy

Testimonies of transformed lives, especially from unlikely backgrounds, serve as powerful evangelistic tools—just as a Babylonian king’s account reached all his provinces.

Christological Perspective

Jesus Christ embodies the ultimate paradox of abasement followed by exaltation. Philippians 2:8-9 parallels the pattern: after humbling Himself to death on a cross, He is “highly exalted” and receives “the name above every name.” The lone occurrence of the word in Daniel foreshadows the Messiah’s perfect fulfillment of humbled obedience rewarded with everlasting dominion (Daniel 7:14).

Eschatological Outlook

In the coming kingdom, the redeemed “will reign with Him” (2 Timothy 2:12), displaying God’s ability to add honor beyond measure. Nebuchadnezzar’s temporal increase prefigures the eternal, unassailable glory awaiting all who bow to the Son.

Summary

The solitary use of this verb shines a bright light on a sweeping biblical principle: God not only restores but enlarges. Whether in the life of an ancient emperor, a repentant believer, or the advancing church, the Most High delights to “add” greatness for His own glory.

Forms and Transliterations
ה֥וּסְפַת הוספת hū·sə·p̄aṯ Husefat hūsəp̄aṯ
Links
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Englishman's Concordance
Daniel 4:36
HEB: וּרְב֥וּ יַתִּירָ֖ה ה֥וּסְפַת לִֽי׃
NAS: greatness was added to me.
KJV: majesty was added unto me.
INT: greatness and surpassing was added

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 3255
1 Occurrence


hū·sə·p̄aṯ — 1 Occ.

3254
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