I. [
רָבָה]
225 verb be, or 
become, much, many, great (Late Hebrew id.; Assyrian 
rabû, 
be great, grow; Arabic 

 Aramaic 
רְבָא; 

, 

, all 
grow, increase); — 
Qal59, 
Perfect 3rd person feminine singular רָֽבְתָה 1 Samuel 14:30; 
2nd person masculine singular וְרָבִ֫יתָ consecutive 
Deuteronomy 30:16; 
3rd person plural רָבוּ Ezra 9:6 +, etc.; 
Imperfect 3rd person masculine singular יִרְבֶּה Deuteronomy 8:13 +, jussive 
יִ֫רֶב Genesis 1:22 2 Chronicles 24:27 Qr (< 
ורב Kt, see 
רֹב 1), 
וַיִּ֫רֶב Exodus 1:20 3rd person feminine singular תִּרְבֶּה Deuteronomy 7:22; 
Daniel 12:4, 
וַתֵּ֫רֶב Genesis 43:34; 
1 Kings 5:10; 
3rd person masculine plural יִרְבּוּ Deuteronomy 11:31 +, 
יִרְבּוּן Psalm 139:18, 
יִרְבְּיֻן Deuteronomy 8:13 etc.; 
Imperative masculine singular 
וּרְבֵה Genesis 35:11; 
Infinitive construct רְבוֺת Exodus 11:9 +; — 
Participle רֹבֶה see II. 
רבה; — 
    1. become many, numerous:
    a. of people, 
Exodus 1:10, 
12 (J), 
Exodus 1:20 (E), 
Deuteronomy 6:3; 
Deuteronomy 8:1; 
Deuteronomy 30:16; 
Zechariah 10:8; 
1 Chronicles 5:23 רָבוּ לְמָ֑עְלָה 1 Chronicles 23:17; especially + 
פרה be fruitful and multiply Jeremiah 3:16; 
Jeremiah 23:3 (figurative of flock), 
Genesis 47:27b (P), 
Exodus 1:7 (P), 
Psalm 107:38 also (of man and beast) 
Ezekiel 36:11; of children 
Job 27:14; 
צַדִּיקִים Proverbs 28:28, 
בִּרְבוֺת צ׳ Proverbs 29:2 (Toy 
רְדוֺת rule, || 
מְשֹׁל),
רְשָׁעִים בר׳ Proverbs 29:16 (Toy 
id.).
 
    2.
    a. be great:
    (2) of person, 
יִרְבֶּה אֱלֹהִים מֵאֱנוֺשׁ Job 33:12 i.e. is too great for (De and others); has loftier, nobler thoughts (Di Bu), but no ||.
 
    b. grow great (Aramaism):
† 
Pi. 
4 make large, increase; — Imperative masculine singular
רַבֶּה צְבָאֲךָ Judges 9:29 enlarge thy host; Perfect 2nd person masculine singular רִבִּיתָ בִּמְחִירֵיהֶם Psalm 44:13 thou hast not made great with their price (set a high price; so Ew De Che and others); or 
increased (that is, thy wealth) 
by their price (Hup Bae); = 
bring up, rear (children) 
Lamentations 2:22 (+ 
טפּח), whelps 
Ezekiel 19:2 (in figurative). 
Hiph.162 Perfect 3rd person masculine singular הִרְבָּה Hosea 8:11 +, suffix 
וְהִרְבְּךָֹ consecutive 
Deuteronomy 30:5; 
2nd person masculine singular הִרְבִּיתָ Isaiah 9:2 +, 
1st person singular הִרְבֵּיתִי Hosea 2:10 +, etc.; 
Imperfect יַרְבֶּה Hosea 12:2 +, 
וַ֫יֶּרֶב 2 Samuel 18:8; 
Lamentations 2:5 etc.; 
Imperative masculine singular 
הַרְבֵּה Ezekiel 24:10, 
הֶ֫רֶב Judges 20:38 + 
Psalm 51:4 Qr (
הרבה Kt, Infinitive absolute), etc.; feminine singular 
הַרְבִּי Isaiah 23:16, masculine plural 
הַרְבּוּ Amos 4:4; 
Genesis 34:12; 
Infinitive absolute הַרְבֵּה Genesis 15:1 +, 
הַרְבָּה (Ba
NB 90, 91) 
Genesis 3:16; 
Genesis 16:10; 
Genesis 22:17; 
construct הַרְבּוֺת Deuteronomy 28:63 + (
2 Samuel 14:11 Kt 
הרבית; 
Amos 4:9; 
Proverbs 25:27 see below); 
Participle מַרְבֶּה Exodus 16:17 +, construct 
מַרְבֵּה Leviticus 11:42, etc.; — 
    1. make much, or many:
    d.
    (1) followed by infinitive, 
make much to do, do much in respect of, = do much, abundantly; greatly, often, etc. (Dr
181, 12): 
הַרְבּוּ לִפְשֹׁעַ Amos 4:4 = 
transgress greatly, so 
Ezra 10:13, compare 
2 Kings 21:6 2 Chronicles 33:6; further, 
Isaiah 55:7; 
Exodus 36:5; 
2 Chronicles 36:14; 
Psalm 78:38, also 
2 Samuel 14:11 (Kt 
מהרבית, Qr 
מֵהַרְבַּת, read probably 
מֵהַרְבוֺת Dr
reff. Ges
§ 75 ff. Th Löhr); + 
מִן compare 
2 Samuel 18:8; 
1 Samuel 1:12 = 
pray a long time; 
Judges 20:38 strike out 
הֶרֶב as dittograph of 
הארב Be Bu GFM.
 
    (2) followed by finite verb (Dr
sm Ges
§ 120g), 
אַלֿ תַּרְבּוּ תְדַבְּרוּ 1 Samuel 2:3 i.e. 
talk not so much; compare 
Psalm 51:4.
 
    e. the infinitive absolute (Ol§ 191 b Köii. 1, 555 Ges§ 75 ff.) is used:
    (3)הַרְבֵּה as adverb (with verbs and [
Ecclesiastes 7:16] adjective), 
greatly, exceedingly, etc., especially 
מְאֹד ה׳ Genesis 41:49 (E), 
1 Samuel 26:21; 
2 Samuel 12:30 — 
2 Samuel 20:2, 
Joshua 13:1 (D), 
2 Kings 21:16; 
Nehemiah 2:2; perhaps also 
1 Kings 5:9. 
1 Kings 10:10 (both with 
נָתַן), 
1 Kings 10:11 (with 
הֵבִיא), 
Jeremiah 40:12 (with 
אָסַף), 
2 Chron 14:12 (with 
נָשָׂא); 
הַרְבֵּה alone 
2 Kings 10:8 (opposed to 
מְעָ֑ט), Nehemiah 3:33; 
Ecclesiastes 1:16; 
Ecclesiastes 5:19; 
Ecclesiastes 7:16, 
17; 
Psalm 51:4 Kt (Qr 
הֶרֶב Imperative);
 
    (4) as adjective attributive (Kö
Synt.:§ 318 e), 
מְאֹד ח׳ Deuteronomy 3:5; 
Joshua 22:8 (D; || 
רַבמְֿאֹד), 
2 Samuel 8:8 (
רַבָּה מְאֹד in || 1 Chronicles 18:18), 
1 Chronicles 12:2; 
Isaiah 30:33; 
2 Chronicles 32:27; so 
הַרְבֵּה alone 
Nehemiah 4:4; 
Nehemiah 4:13 (+ 
רְחָבָה), 
Ezra 10:1 (preceding noun, compare 1. 
רַב), 
Ecclesiastes 2:7; 
Ecclesiastes 5:6; 
Ecclesiastes 5:16 (reading 
כעס as noun, Ew De Hi-Now and others), 
Ecclesiastes 6:11; 
Ecclesiastes 9:18; 
Ecclesiastes 11:8a Ecclesiastes 12:9, 
12 (twice in verse),
הַרְבּוֺת alone 
Proverbs 25:27 (Toy reads 
הַרְבֵּה); 
חִרְבֵּה מְאֹד as predicate 
Genesis 15:1 (J; Samaritan 
אַרְבֶּה), 
Ecclesiastes 11:8b Psalm 130:7 (adverb Bae);
 
† II. [
רָבָה] 
verb shoot (compare II. 
רָבַב, I. 
רָמָה); — only 
Qal Participle רֹבֶה קַשָּׁ֑ת Genesis 21:20 < 
רֹבֵה קָ֑שֶׁת, Kn Di and others, but read probably 
דֹמֵה ק׳ Ol Ball, 
one shooting the bow. 
See related Aramaic BDB entry 
H7236.
														
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon, Unabridged, Electronic Database.
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