H3524 H3524
Mighty, great, powerful; of persons, God, natural forces, or abundance -- a poetic synonym for 'great.'
A distinctly poetic adjective found almost exclusively in Job and Isaiah, functioning as a dignified synonym for 'great' or 'mighty.' It describes God as the 'just mighty one' (Job 34:17), powerful warriors (Job 34:24), and overwhelming natural forces like 'mighty waters' (Isa 17:12, 28:2). Bildad uses it memorably for a 'mighty wind' to characterize Job's words (Job 8:2). In one instance it shades toward sheer quantity -- 'my hand had gotten much' (Job 31:25) -- where Spanish 'abundante' distinguishes this economic sense from personal power.
Senses
1. mighty, powerful (of persons or God) — Personal might or sovereign power, applied to God or strong individuals. Arabic 'azim (great/mighty) and Spanish 'poderoso' capture the dignified personal authority intended. Job employs it for God's might (Job 34:17, 36:5) and for warriors (Job 34:24). The doubled occurrence in Job 36:5 -- 'mighty in strength of understanding' -- shows it can denote intellectual as well as physical power. 6×
AR["العَظيمَ","عاتِيَةٌ","عَظيمٌ","عَظِيمٌ","عُظَماءَ"]·ben["প্রচণ্ড","মহান","মহৎ","শক্তিশালী","শক্তিশালীদের"]·DE["[כביר]","maechtig"]·EN["mighty","the-Mighty","the-mighty"]·FR["[כביר]","puissant"]·heb["גדול","כביר","כבירים"]·HI["प्रचण्ड","बड़े-को","शक्तिशालियों-को","शक्तिशाली"]·ID["banyak","kencang","orang-orang perkasa","perkasa","yang perkasa"]·IT["il-Mighty","il-mighty","mighty","potente"]·jav["ageng","agung","ingkang-kuwasa","kuwasa","tiyang-kuwasa"]·KO["강한","강한-자들을","능력하시나","능력하신","크리라","큰"]·PT["grande","poderoso","poderosos"]·RU["великого","значительный","могучий","сильный","сильных"]·ES["fuerte","muchos","poderoso","poderoso-de-","poderosos"]·SW["mkubwa","mkuu","ni-mkuu","wengi","wenye-nguvu"]·TR["buyuk","güçlü","güçlüleri","güçlüyü"]·urd["طاقتور","طاقتوروں کو","طوفانی","عظیم"]
2. great, mighty (of things, forces, quantity) — Greatness or might applied to impersonal forces and natural phenomena. Isaiah's 'mighty waters' (Isa 17:12, 28:2) and Bildad's 'mighty wind' (Job 8:2) illustrate this sense. Arabic 'jarifa' (sweeping, torrential) and Spanish 'impetuosas' (impetuous) point to overwhelming natural force. Job 15:10 uses it for advanced age -- 'greater than your father in days' -- extending 'greatness' to duration. 3×
AR["أَكْبَرُ","جَارِفَةٍ","كَثِيرَةٍ"]·ben["বিশাল","বৃহৎ","মহান"]·DE["[כבירים]","maechtig"]·EN["greater","mighty"]·FR["[כבירים]","puissant"]·heb["כביר","כבירים"]·HI["बड़ा","बहुत","बहुत-का"]·ID["lebih-tua","yang-dahsyat"]·IT["greater","potente"]·jav["agung","ingkang-ageng"]·KO["위대한-자","큰"]·PT["maior","poderosas"]·RU["великий","могучих"]·ES["impetuosas","mayor","poderosas"]·SW["makubwa","mengi","mkubwa"]·TR["buyuk","guclu","yüce"]·urd["بڑا","زور-آور"]
3. much, abundant (quantity) — Abundance or sheer quantity, distinct from power or force. Job 31:25 -- 'because my hand had gotten much' -- is the sole attestation. Spanish 'abundante' and English 'much' clearly mark this as a quantitative rather than qualitative sense, describing material wealth rather than personal might or natural force. 1×
AR["عَظيماً"]·ben["বহু"]·DE["maechtig"]·EN["much"]·FR["puissant"]·heb["כביר"]·HI["बहुत"]·ID["banyak"]·IT["molto"]·jav["kathah"]·KO["많은-것을"]·PT["abundante"]·RU["много"]·ES["abundante"]·SW["mengi"]·TR["büyük"]·urd["بہت"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† כַּבִּיר adj. great, mighty, much, only poet., and only Jb Is 1:—Is 10:13 Qr (but read as Kt כְּאַבִּיר), 17:22 and 28:2 מים כבירים (usually מַיִם רַבִּים), Jb 8:2 ורוח כביר אמרי פיך a mighty wind, 15:10 כביר מאביך ימים (Ges§131, R 5 a) = aged: of God, 34:17 צַדִּיק כַּבִּיר the just mighty one, 36:5 a, v b כ׳ כֹּחַ לֵב mighty in strength of understanding; 34:24 כבירים mighty men; of quantity = much, Is 16:14 שְׁאָר מְעַט מִזְעָר לוֹא כַבִּיר, Jb 31:25 ובי כביר מצאה ידי had gotten much.