H1347 H1347
Exaltation, majesty, or pride; used positively of divine glory and negatively of human arrogance and haughtiness
This noun holds a striking moral ambiguity at its core — the same word that celebrates God's thundering majesty (Exod 15:7; Job 37:4) condemns the swelling arrogance of nations and individuals (Prov 8:13; Isa 13:11). When applied to God, גָּאוֹן conveys an awesome, unapproachable grandeur — 'clothe yourself with glory and majesty' (Job 40:10). When turned toward human pride, it becomes one of the prophets' sharpest words of rebuke: Amos swears by it ironically as 'the pride of Jacob' (Amos 6:8; 8:7), and Jeremiah buries a linen sash to dramatize how God will 'ruin the pride of Judah' (Jer 13:9). The French and German translations often collapse both senses into a single term ('orgueil,' 'Hochmut'), while Spanish more carefully distinguishes 'majestad' from 'soberbia.'
3. glory, honor (of people or land) — A mediating positive sense: glory, splendor, or rightful pride associated with a people, land, or inheritance — not sinful arrogance but legitimate honor. Psalm 47:4 celebrates that God 'chose our inheritance for us, the pride of Jacob whom he loved.' Isaiah 4:2 envisions the 'branch of the LORD' becoming 'the beauty and glory' of Israel's survivors. Isaiah 13:19 calls Babylon 'the glory of kingdoms' before announcing its destruction. The line between this and sense 1 is often drawn by context alone. 5×
AR["عَظَمَةِ","فَخْرَ","لِ-فَخْرٍ","لِـ-الفَخْرِ","لِلفَخرِ"]·ben["-গর্বের","-গর্বের-জন্য","অহংকার","গর্ব-হিসেবে","গৌরব"]·DE["Hochmut","Stolz-von"]·EN["for-majesty-of","for-pride","pride-of"]·FR["majesté","orgueil","à-orgueil"]·heb["גאון","ל-גאון"]·HI["को-घमंड","गौरव-","गौरव-के-लिए","गौरवके-लिए","महिमा"]·ID["kebanggaan","menjadi-kebanggaan"]·IT["orgoglio","superbia"]·jav["dados-kamulyan","dhateng-gumunggung","gumunggungipun","kangge-kaagungan","rakyat"]·KO["에-영원한-자부심으로","영광-을","위엄을-위하여","자랑-으로","자랑이라"]·PT["glória-de","o-orgulho-dos","para-majestade","para-majestade-de","para-orgulho"]·RU["в-гордость","величием-","гордости","для-гордости","славу"]·ES["orgullo-de","para-orgullo"]·SW["kiburi-cha","kuwa-kiburi","kwa-kiburi","wa-kiburi"]·TR["gurur-","gurur-icin","gururu","görkeme","övüncünü"]·urd["غرور","فخر","فخر-کے-لیے"]
▼ 3 more senses below
Senses
1. pride, arrogance (negative) — The dominant negative sense: sinful pride, arrogance, or haughtiness — the self-exaltation of humans or nations who elevate themselves against God. This is the prophets' characteristic use: 'I will break the pride of your power' (Lev 26:19), 'I will punish the world for its evil, and the arrogant for their pride' (Isa 13:11). Proverbs 8:13 lists it among the things the LORD hates. Spanish consistently distinguishes this with 'soberbia' or 'orgullo,' while French 'orgueil' and German 'Hochmut' serve for both positive and negative valences, sometimes obscuring the moral dimension. 31×
AR["بِـ-كِبْرِيَاءِ-","بِكِبْرِيَاءِ","فَخْرَ","كِبرياءُ-","كِبْرِياءَ","كِبْرِيَاءَ","كِبْرِيَاءُ","وَ-عَظَمَتُهُ","وَكِبْرِيَاؤُهُ"]·ben["অহংকার","অহংকার-","অহঙ্কার-","এবং-তার-অহঙ্কার","ও-তার-অহংকার","গর্ব","গর্ব-","গৌরব"]·DE["Hochmut","Stolz","pride-von","und-Hochmut"]·EN["and-his-pride","pride-of","pride-of-"]·FR["et-orgueil","majesté","orgueil","pride-de"]·heb["גאון","גאון-","ו-גאונו"]·HI["उसमें","और-उसका-अभिमान","और-उसका-अहंकार","और-नाश-होगी","घमंड","घमंड-","घमण्ड","घमण्ड-"]·ID["dan-keangkuhannya","dan-kesombongannya","keangkuhan","keangkuhan-","kebanggaan","kesombongan","kesombongan-"]·IT["e-superbia","orgoglio","pride-di","superbia"]·jav["gumedhénipun-","gumunggung","gumunggungipun","kagumedheaning","kagumedheaning-","kagumunan","kamulyan","kumalungkung","kumalungkung-","lan-gumedhénipun","lan-kaluhuranipun"]·KO["교만을","교만을-","교만이","교만이-","그리고-그의-교만과","자랑을"]·PT["a-arrogância-de","da-soberba-de","e-seu-orgulho","e-sua-arrogância","majestade-do","orgulho-de","soberba-de","soberba-de-"]·RU["Моё","гордость","гордость-","гордыню","гордыню-","гордыня","и-гордыня-его"]·ES["el-orgullo-de","la-soberbia-de","orgullo-de","soberbia-de","soberbia-de-","y-su-orgullo","y-su-soberbia"]·SW["kiburi","kiburi-cha","kiburi-cha-","na-kiburi-chake"]·TR["gurur-","gururu","gururu-","gururunu","gururunu-","gücünün","kibirine","kibri-","tüm-","ve-gurunu","ve-gururunu"]·urd["اور-اُس-کا-غرور","اور-غرور-اُس-کا","غرور","غرور-","فخر"]
2. majesty, excellency (divine) — The positive theological sense: the majestic greatness, excellency, and splendor of God Himself. At the Song of the Sea, Moses sings 'in the greatness of your majesty you overthrow your adversaries' (Exod 15:7). Job 37:4 describes God's thundering voice as inseparable from His גָּאוֹן. In Job 40:10 God challenges Job to 'deck yourself with majesty and dignity.' Spanish 'majestad' and French 'majesté' both render this divine application with appropriate weight, distinguishing it from the negative human pride sense. 11×
AR["بِ-جَلاَلِ","بِالْجَلَالِ","بِعَظَمَةِ","جَلَالِهِ","عَظَمَةِ","عَظَمَتِكَ","كَعَظَمَةِ","كِبْرِيَاؤُكَ"]·ben["গৌরব","তাঁর-প্রতাপের","তাঁর-মহিমার","তোমার-অহংকার","তোমার-মহিমার","মহিমা-","মহিমায়","মহিমায়-","মহিমার-মতো-"]·DE["Dein-majesty","Hochmut","Stolz","in-Stolz","wie-Stolz"]·EN["His-majesty","Your-majesty","his-majesty","in-majesty-of","like-the-majesty-of","over-the-majesty","the-majesty-of","with-majesty","your-majesty"]·FR["Ton-majesté","dans-orgueil","majesté","orgueil","son-orgueil-lui"]·heb["ב-גאון","גאון","גאונו","גאונך","כ-גאון"]·HI["उसके-प्रताप-के","गौरव","घमंड","जैसे-गौरव","तेरा-घमंड","महिमा-अपनी","महिमा-तेरी","महिमा-में"]·ID["dalam-keagungan","dengan-keagungan","keagungan","keagungan-Nya","kemuliaan-Mu","kemuliaanNya","kemuliaanmu","seperti-keagungan"]·IT["Tuo-majesty","orgoglio","orgoglio-suo","superbia"]·jav["ing-kamulyanipun","kaagunganipun","kados-kaluhuran","kalayan-kaluhuran","kaluhuran","kaluhuran-Panjenengan","kamulyan","kamulyan-ipun","kamulyan-panjenengan"]·KO["같이-위엄","그-위엄의","그-의-위엄의","네-위엄이","에-위엄","위엄-으로","위엄-을","위엄을","주의-위엄의"]·PT["como-a-majestade","de-majestade","majestade","majestade-Sua","na-majestade-de","sua-majestade","tua-majestade","tua-soberba"]·RU["в-величии","величие","величием","величия-Его","величия-Твоего","гордость-твоя","как-величие","о-величии"]·ES["como-majestad-de","en-majestad-de","majestad","majestad-de","por-la-majestad-de","su-majestad","tu-majestad","tu-soberbia"]·SW["kama-utukufu-wa","kiburi-chako","kwa-ukuu-wa","kwa-utukufu","ukuu","ukuu-wake","utukufu-wa","wa-ukuu-wako","ya-utukufu-wake"]·TR["azametinin","gorkemliligininin","gorunun","görkemi-gibi","görkemini","görkeminin","görkemiyle","görkemle","yuceliginde"]·urd["اس-کی-شانداری","اپنے جلال کی","تیرا-غرور","جیسے-شان","شان","عظمت","عظمت-تیری","عظمت-سے","عظمت-میں"]
4. sense 4 — A distinctive concrete geographical usage found in Jeremiah 49:19 and 50:44, where the phrase 'the thicket of the Jordan' (גְּאוֹן הַיַּרְדֵּן) describes the dense, lush vegetation along the Jordan River — its 'swelling' or 'pride' rendered as luxuriant overgrowth. English renders 'thicket of,' Spanish 'espesura de' (thicket of), preserving the concrete image, while French 'orgueil' and German 'Hochmut' miss the geographical sense entirely, defaulting to the abstract 'pride' meaning. 2×
AR["مِنْ-أَجْمَةِ","مِنْ-كِبْرِيَاءِ"]·ben["অহংকার-থেকে","গর্ব-থেকে"]·DE["Hochmut"]·EN["from-the-thicket-of"]·FR["de-orgueil"]·heb["מ-גאון"]·HI["से-घमंड"]·ID["dari-belukar"]·IT["superbia"]·jav["saking-gumedhénipun"]·KO["에서-우거진-곳"]·PT["da-majestade-do"]·RU["из-чащи"]·ES["desde-espesura-de"]·SW["kutoka-vichaka-vya"]·TR["-den-gürüründen"]·urd["غرور-سے","گھنے-جنگل-سے"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† גָּאוֹן n.m. Ho 5:5 exaltation—Jb 40:10 + 5 times; cstr. גְּאוֹן Lv 26:19 + 31 times; sf. גְּאוֹנְךָ etc. Ex 15:7 + 9 times; pl. sf. גְּאוֹנָ֑יִךְ Ez 16:56;— 1. exaltation, majesty, excellence, a. of nations, their wealth, power, magnificence of buildings, e.g. Egypt Ez 32:12, Chaldeans Is 13:11, 19; 14:11, Philistines Zc 9:6, Assyria Zc 10:11, Jacob; ψ 47:5 Am 6:8; 8:7 Na 2:3, Israel Ho 5:5;…