H1516 H1516
gay -- valley, ravine; a geographic depression between hills, often in place names
The masculine noun gay (also spelled ge, with construct gey) denotes a valley or ravine -- a deep geographic depression between mountains or hills. It appears both as a common noun (Isa 40:4, 'every valley shall be lifted up') and in construct chains forming some of the Bible's most theologically charged place names: ge-hinnom ('Valley of Hinnom,' the refuse-burning gorge outside Jerusalem that gave rise to the concept of Gehenna), emek ha-melakh ('Valley of Salt'), and the valley in Moab where Israel encamped (Num 21:20). Unlike the broader emek ('wide valley/plain'), gay typically suggests a narrower, more rugged terrain feature. Spanish valle, French vallee, and German Tal render it consistently.
Senses
1. valley, ravine — A valley or ravine between hills or mountains, used both as a common geographic noun and as part of theologically significant place names. The most consequential compound is ge-hinnom, the Valley of Hinnom south of Jerusalem (Josh 15:8; 2 Kgs 23:10), whose association with child sacrifice and later refuse-burning became the source of the New Testament term Gehenna. Cross-lingual glosses -- Spanish valle, French vallee, German Tal -- map uniformly to a single geographic-depression concept across all 61 occurrences. 61×
AR["فِي-وادي", "فِي-وَادِي", "وادي", "وَادٍ", "وَادِي", "وَادِيًا"]·ben["উপত্যকা", "উপত্যকা-", "উপত্যকায়", "উপত্যকার", "পিতল"]·DE["Tal", "Tal-von", "[גיא]", "in-Tal-von"]·EN["Valley-of", "a-valley", "in-Valley-of", "in-valley-of", "the-Valley-of", "valley", "valley-of"]·FR["dans-vallée-de", "vallée", "vallée-de"]·heb["ב-גיא", "גיא"]·HI["घाटी", "घाटी-", "घाटी-में", "तराई", "ब-घाटी", "बे-गे"]·ID["Lembah", "di-Lembah", "di-lembah", "lembah", "lembah-"]·IT["in-valle-di", "valle", "valle-di"]·jav["Lebak-", "Lèmbah", "Pepejahan.", "ing-lebak", "lebak", "lembah", "lembah-", "lèbak", "lèmbah", "lèmbah-nipun", "wonten-ing-lebak", "wonten-ing-lèbak"]·KO["골짜기", "골짜기-", "골짜기가", "골짜기라고", "골짜기를", "골짜기에-있는", "골짜기에게", "골짜기의", "골짜기의-", "에-골짜기"]·PT["Vale-de", "no-vale-de", "vale", "vale-de", "vale-de-"]·RU["в-долине", "долина", "долиной", "долину", "долины", "долины-"]·ES["Valle-de", "en-valle-de", "la-Matanza", "valle", "valle-de"]·SW["Bonde-la", "bonde", "bonde-la", "cha-bonde", "cha-bonde-", "katika-bonde", "katika-bonde-la", "katika-bonde-la-", "wa-bonde"]·TR["-vadisinde", "vadi", "vadisi", "vadisinde", "vadisinde-", "vadisine", "vadisinin", "vadisinin-", "vadiye"]·urd["میں-وادی", "وادی", "وادی-میں"]
Num 21:20, Deut 3:29, Deut 4:46, Deut 34:6, Josh 8:11, Josh 15:8, Josh 18:16, Josh 18:16, Josh 19:14, 1 Sam 13:18, 1 Sam 17:3, 1 Sam 17:52 (+38 more)
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† גַּיְא n.m.Is 40:4 (f. Zc 14:4) valley—abs. גַּיְא Nu 21:20 + 8 times + 1 S 17:52 (cf. infr.) גָּ֑יְא 1 Ch 4:39, גֵּיא Zc 14:4, גֶּיא Is 40:4, גַּי Dt 34:6 + 2 times; cstr. גֵּיא Is 22:1 + 21 times גֵּי Jos 15:8 + 13 times; pl. abs. גֵּאָיוֹת Ez 31:12; 36:4, 6 + 7:16; 32:5 (del. Co) + 6:3 2 K 2:16 Qr (so Co Ez 6:3; Kt גיאות); sf. גֵּיאוֹתֶיךָ Ez 35:8;—valley Jos 8:11 (E) Mi 1:6 1 S 17:3 2 K…