רב

רב¹ much, many, great

Pronunciation

• Tiberian: raḇ, pausal rāḇ, feminine rabbâ^[1][2]
• Samaritan reading tradition: råb, feminine råbbå^[2][3]

Forms

רַב (raḇ) adjective^[1] Pausal רָב, feminine רַבָּה, construct רַבַּת (with the old ending in רַבָּתִי, Lamentations 1:1), plural רַבִּים, feminine plural רַבּוֹת.^[2][4] As the noun “chief” it stands in the construct before the title's second word: רַב־טַבָּחִים, רַב־שָׁקֵה, and with a plural רַב סָרִיסִים (Daniel 1:3).^[2]

Etymology

The adjective is inherited from Proto-Semitic *rabb- (“big, great”).^[5][6] Kogan treats the root ⟨rbb⟩ “to be large, numerous” as a Central Semitic formation, whose agreement across the languages is remarkable, and relates it to Proto-Semitic *rby (“to be large”), the root of Akkadian rabû (“large; chief”).^[7][8] The adjective is found in Ugaritic rb (“great, large”),^(DULAT 2015|s.v. rb (I)) Phoenician rb,^[2] Biblical Aramaic רַב (raḇ), used 23 times in Ezra and Daniel,^[1] and Classical Syriac ܪܲܒ݁ܵܐ (rabbā, “great, large”).^[9][7] Beside it stand the noun Arabic رَبّ (rabb, “lord, master”)^[10] and the Ugaritic noun of the same form, “chief”;^(DULAT 2015|s.v. rb (II)) Klein thinks the Arabic noun is probably a loan from Aramaic.^[11]

The noun “chief, officer” of the titles is the same word used as a substantive, as in the titles of Ugaritic, Phoenician and Aramaic and in the Akkadian compounds with rab (“chief of”).^[2][12] Several biblical titles of Assyrian and Babylonian officials were taken over from Akkadian. רַב־שָׁקֵה (raḇ-šāqēh) is Akkadian rab šāqê (“chief cupbearer”), which Mankowski accepts as a loan known through Babylonian sources, as its spelling with ⟨š⟩ shows.^[13][2] HALOT derives רַב־מָג (raḇ-māḡ) from rab mugi (“a high military official”) and the second part of רַב־סָרִיס (raḇ-sārîs) from ša rēši.^[2][14] Tawil sees in רַב־טַבָּחִים (raḇ-ṭabbāḥîm), the title of Nebuzaradan, a loan translation of an Akkadian court title meaning “chief cook”, not “chief executioner”.^[15]

Earliest recorded meaning

Seven of its 421 uses are in the poems that Sáenz-Badillos counts as the most archaic Hebrew.^[1][16] Balaam says of Israel wəzarʿô bəmayim rabbîm “and his seed is in many waters” (Numbers 24:7), the Song of Hannah sets the barren woman against rabbaṯ bānîm “she who had many sons” (1 Samuel 2:5), and David's psalm says God drew him mimmayim rabbîm “out of many waters” (2 Samuel 22:17).^[1] These poems are classed as archaic, not dated.^[16]

Semantic evolution

HALOT orders the biblical senses from number to size: numerous (ʿam raḇ “a numerous people”), much (fodder, gold, wealth), great (ṣîḏôn rabbâ “Great Sidon”, matching an Akkadian phrase), and rich in something with a following noun.^[2] Used alone, raḇ means “enough!” (1 Kings 19:4), often with the sense “too much”, as in raḇ-lāḵ “enough for you!” (Deuteronomy 3:26).^[2][4] The adverb rabbaṯ “much, very” of the late psalms is probably an Aramaism.^[2] In the titles of officials, used in Kings, Jeremiah, Jonah, Esther and Daniel, the word is a noun “chief”.^[2][1]

The Septuagint renders the adjective with forms of Ancient Greek πολύς (polús).^[1] In the Dead Sea Scrolls the plural hārabbîm “the Many” is a technical term for the community.^[2][17] Rabbinic Hebrew used raḇ for a master or teacher,^[2] and Klein records it as the title of the Babylonian Amoraim and, later, of a congregation's spiritual head.^[11] The form with the suffix “my master” lies behind English rabbi.^[18]

Timeline

• Archaic Hebrew poetry – bəmayim rabbîm “in many waters” in the Balaam oracles (Numbers 24:7) and rabbaṯ bānîm in the Song of Hannah (1 Samuel 2:5).^[16][1]
• Classical Biblical Hebrew – 103 uses in Genesis to Kings, and the titles of Assyrian and Babylonian officials in 2 Kings 18 and 25.^[1][2]
• Late Biblical Hebrew – 87 uses in the late books, with the titles raḇ bêṯô (Esther 1:8) and raḇ sārîsîm (Daniel 1:3).^[1][2]
• 3rd–2nd century BC – the Septuagint renders it with Ancient Greek πολύς (polús).^[19][1]
• 2nd century BC – 2nd century AD – 444 uses in the Dead Sea Scrolls, where hārabbîm “the Many” names the community.^[20][17][2]

Meanings

Adjective

1. numerous, many: ʿam raḇ “a numerous people”; as a plural noun, rabbîm “many people”.^[2][4]
2. much, abundant, of quantities such as fodder, gold or spoil.^[2]
3. great, large: of a city, of the deep, of a plague.^[2][4]
4. with a following noun, rich in, full of: rabbaṯ bānîm “having many sons”.^[2]
5. (as an exclamation) enough!, too much.^[2][4]
6. (late, adverb) rabbaṯ much, very.^[2]

Noun

1. chief, officer, in the titles of foreign officials: raḇ-ṭabbāḥîm “chief of the guard”, raḇ-šāqēh “chief cupbearer”.^[2][13]

Word family

• רָבַב (rāḇaḇ, “to be many”)
• רָבָה (rāḇâ, “to become many, great”)
• רְבָבָה (rəḇāḇâ, “ten thousand”)
• רִבּוֹ (ribbô, “ten thousand”)

Descendants

• Modern Hebrew רב (rav)^[5]
• English rabbi^[18]

רב² abundance, multitude

Pronunciation

• Tiberian: rōḇ, before maqqeph rāḇ-^[1][21]
• Samaritan reading tradition: råb^[21][3]

Forms

רֹב (rōḇ) noun, masculine^[1] Rarely spelled plene רוֹב, before maqqeph רָב־, with suffix רֻבְּכֶם.^[21]

Etymology

The noun of quantity is formed on the root רבב (rbb, “to be many, much”).^[21][7] Kogan lists it among the Hebrew reflexes of the Central Semitic root ⟨rbb⟩.^[7] HALOT compares Phoenician rb (“crowd, amount, wealth”), Jewish Aramaic רֻבָּא (rubbā, “majority”) and Arabic رُبَّ (rubba, “many a”).^[21]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its one use in the archaic poems is in the Song of the Sea: ûḇərōḇ gəʾônəḵā taharōs qāmeḵā “in the greatness of your majesty you overthrow those who rise against you” (Exodus 15:7).^[1][16] In the prose of Genesis the angel promises Hagar offspring that cannot be counted mērōḇ “for multitude” (Genesis 16:10), and Isaac blesses Jacob with rōḇ dāḡān “plenty of grain” (Genesis 27:28).^[1][21]

Semantic evolution

In the Bible the word measures both things and qualities: plenty of food and wealth, the fullness of strength, of steadfast love and of mercy, and the mass of sins or of idols.^[21] With words, rōḇ dəḇārîm is “many words” (Proverbs 10:19, Qoheleth 5:2).^[21] It is common in the late books (44 of its 148 uses) and in the Psalms.^[1] The Septuagint mostly translates it Ancient Greek πλῆθος (plêthos).^[1] The Dead Sea Scrolls use it 217 times, and Rabbinic Hebrew uses it for a majority, multitude or amount.^[17][21]

Timeline

• Archaic Hebrew poetry – ûḇərōḇ gəʾônəḵā “in the greatness of your majesty” in the Song of the Sea (Exodus 15:7).^[16][1]
• Classical Biblical Hebrew – rōḇ dāḡān “plenty of grain” (Genesis 27:28).^[1][21]
• Late Biblical Hebrew – 44 uses in the late books, most of them in Chronicles.^[1]
• 3rd–2nd century BC – the Septuagint renders it Ancient Greek πλῆθος (plêthos).^[19][1]
• 2nd century BC – 2nd century AD – 217 uses in the Dead Sea Scrolls.^[20][17]

Meanings

Noun

1. abundance, plenty: rōḇ dāḡān “plenty of grain”.^[21]
2. greatness, fullness of a quality: rōḇ ḥasdəḵā “the greatness of your steadfast love”.^[21]
3. a great amount, mass: rōḇ ʿăwōnəḵā “the mass of your guilt”, rōḇ dəḇārîm “many words”.^[21]
4. multitude, great number: mērōḇ “for multitude, beyond counting”.^[21][1]

Descendants

• Modern Hebrew רוב (rov)^[5]