H1377 H1377
gevirah -- a queen mother or noble lady; the king's mother holding court authority
The noun gevirah denotes a lady of high rank, specifically the queen mother -- the mother of the reigning king who held significant political authority in the Judahite monarchy. Unlike malkah ('queen' as wife of a king), gevirah designates the mother's unique institutional position. In 1 Kings 15:13 (= 2 Chr 15:16), Asa strips Maacah 'from gevirah' -- from the office of queen mother -- because of her idolatrous Asherah image, revealing the title as a removable political role rather than a mere kinship label. Jeremiah addresses both king and gevirah as a pair (Jer 13:18; 29:2), underscoring her distinct place in the royal hierarchy. Spanish reina madre and English queen mother both capture this specialized meaning.
Senses
1. queen mother, lady of the court — The queen mother or ruling lady -- a woman holding formal political authority as the mother of the reigning king. The term appears in 1 Kings 11:19 for Pharaoh's wife (a lady of the court), and in the Judahite monarchy for the king's mother whose position carried real institutional power. The key evidence is 1 Kings 15:13, where Asa removes Maacah 'from gevirah,' treating it as a deposable office. Jeremiah pairs king and gevirah as co-rulers going into exile (Jer 13:18; 29:2). Spanish reina madre and English queen mother converge on this single court-political sense. 6×
AR["الـ-سَيِّدَةِ", "مِنَ-السِّيَادَةِ", "مِنَ-المَلِكِيَّةِ", "وَ-لِ-الْمَلِكَةِ", "وَالْمَلِكَةِ-الْأُمِّ", "ٱلْمَلِكَةِ"]·ben["-রাজমাতা-থেকে", "আর-রাজমাতা-সেই", "ও-রানীমাতাকে", "রাজমাতা-থেকে", "রানী", "রানীর"]·DE["[והגבירה]", "[ולגבירה]", "[מגבירה]", "der-Koenigin", "der-Koenigin-Mutter", "von-Koenigin-Mutter"]·EN["and-the-queen-mother", "and-to-the-queen-mother", "from-queen-mother", "the-queen", "the-queen-mother"]·FR["[והגבירה]", "[ולגבירה]", "[מגבירה]", "de-reine-mère", "le-reine", "le-reine-mère"]·heb["ה-גבירה", "ו-ה-גבירה", "ו-ל-גבירה", "מ-גבירה"]·HI["और-राजमाता", "और-राजमाता-से", "रानी-माँ", "रानी-माँ-से", "से-राजमाता", "हगवीराह"]·ID["-ibu-suri", "dan-kepada-ibu-suri", "dan-sang-ibu-suri", "dari-ibu-suri", "dari-kedudukan-ibu-suri", "ratu"]·IT["[והגבירה]", "[ולגבירה]", "[מגבירה]", "da-regina-madre", "il-regina", "il-regina-madre"]·jav["lan-dhateng-ibu-sori", "lan-ibu-ratu", "ratu", "ratu-ibu", "saking-dados-ibu-ratu", "saking-dados-ibu-suri"]·KO["그-왕비-의", "그-왕비의", "그리고-그-왕모와", "그리고-왕비-에게", "에서-왕비로서", "왕태후-에서"]·PT["a-rainha", "a-rainha-mãe", "de-rainha-mãe", "e-a-rainha-mãe", "e-à-rainha-mãe:"]·RU["госпожи", "и-царице", "и-царицы-матери", "от-госпожи", "от-госпожства", "царицы"]·ES["de-reina-madre", "la-reina", "la-reina-madre", "y-a-la-reina-madre", "y-la-reina-madre"]·SW["kutoka-kuwa-malkia", "kutoka-ubibi", "malkia", "malkia-mama", "na-malkia-mama"]·TR["kraliçe", "kraliçe-analıktan", "kraliçe-annelikten", "kraliçenin-o", "ve-kraliçenin", "ve-valide-sultana"]·urd["اور-ملکہ", "اور-ملکہ-سے", "ملکہ", "ملکہ-سے", "ملکہ-کے", "ملکہ-کے-عہدے-سے"]
Related Senses
H0376 1. man, person, human male (2130×)H0251 1. brother (blood sibling) (573×)H0120 1. man, human being (individual/generic) (527×)H0802 1. woman, female person (519×)H0802 2. wife, spouse (255×)H0517 1. mother, female parent (217×)G0435 1. man, male person (202×)G1135 1. woman, adult female (190×)H2233 1. offspring, descendants (172×)H0001 2. ancestor, forefather (146×)H5288 1. Youth, young man (122×)H0269 1. sister (female sibling) (113×)H1755 1. generation, contemporaries (96×)G5043 1. child, offspring (89×)G0444 2. people, humankind (86×)H3206 1. child, boy, youth (86×)H2145 1. male (human being) (79×)G3384 1. mother (77×)H6485a 1. Qal passive participle: numbered ones, enrollment (76×)H1397 1. man (strong/mighty) (65×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† גְּבִירָה n.f. 1. lady, queen, 1 K 11:19; 2. queen-mother, 1 K 15:13 = 2 Ch 15:16; וַיְסִרֶהָ מִגּ׳ he removed her from (the position of) queenmother; cf. 2 K 10:13 Je 13:18; 29:2.