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indicate the state of “being honored” or “glorious,” for honor and glory are additional
qualities that are added to a person or thing.
“To be heavy” includes negative as well as positive aspects. Thus, calamity is
“heavier than the sand of the sea” (Job 6:3), and the hand of God is “very heavy” in
punishing the Philistines (1 Sam. 5:11). Bondage and heavy work are “heavy” on the
people (Exod. 5:9; Neh. 5:18). Eyes (Gen. 48:10) and ears (Isa. 59:1) that have become
insensitive, or “dull,” have had debilitating conditions added to them, whether through
age or other causes. The heart of a man may become excessively “weighted” with
stubbornness and thus become “hardened” (Exod. 9:7).
“To honor” or “glorify” anything is to add something which it does not have in itself,
or that which others can give. Children are commanded to “honor” their parents (Exod.
20:12; Deut. 5:16); Balak promised “honor” to Balaam (Num. 22:17); Jerusalem (Lam.
1:8) and the Sabbath (Isa. 58:13) are “honored” or “made glorious.” Above all, “honor”
and “glory” are due to God, as repeatedly commanded in the biblical text: “Honor the
Lord with thy substance” (Prov. 3:9); “Let the Lord be glorified” (Isa. 66:5); “Glorify ye
the Lord” (Isa. 24:15).
is also the Hebrew word for “liver,” apparently reflecting the sense that the
liver is the heaviest of the organs of the body.
(
, 7231), “to be numerous, great, large, powerful.” This verb, which
occurs 24 times in biblical Hebrew, appears in most other Semitic languages as well. The
first occurrence means “to be (or become) numerous” (Gen. 6:1).
can also mean
“to be great” in size, prestige, or power (cf. Gen. 18:20; Job 33:12; Ps. 49:16). With a
subject indicating time, this verb implies “lengthening” (Gen. 38:12), and with special
subjects the word may imply “extension of space” (Deut. 14:24).
B. Nouns.
(
, 7230), “multitude; abundance.” This noun occurs about 150 times in biblical
Hebrew. The word basically means “multitude” or “abundance”; it has numerical
implications apparent in its first biblical appearance: “I will multiply thy seed
exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude” (Gen. 16:10).
When applied to time or distance,
indicates a “large amount” or “long”: “And
these bottles of wine, which we filled, were new; and, behold, they be rent: and these our
garments and our shoes are become old by reason of the very long journey” (Josh. 9:13).
In several passages, the word is applied to abstract ideas or qualities. In such cases,
means “great” or “greatness”: “… This that is glorious in his apparel, traveling in the
greatness of his strength” (Isa. 63:1).
The preposition when prefixed to the noun
sometimes forms an adverbial
phrase meaning “abundantly”: “For it was little which thou hadst before I came, and it is
now increased unto a multitude …” (Gen. 30:30). The same phrase bears a different sense
in 1 Kings 10:10, where it seems to be almost a substantive: “There came no more such
abundance of spices as these which the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon.” The
phrase literally appears to mean “great” with respect to “multitude.” This phrase is
applied to Uzziah’s building activities: “… And on the wall of Ophel he built much” (2
Chron. 27:3), where it means “much.” This phrase is extended by the addition of
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