Lexical Definition

‎רַב‎ rab (rab) many ^H:N
by contracted from ‎רָבַב‎

(in) abound(-undance, -ant, -antly), captain, elder, enough, exceedingly, full, great(-ly, man, one), increase, long (enough, (time)), (do, have) many(-ifold, things, a time), (ship-)master, mighty, more, (too, very) much, multiply(-tude), officer, often(-times), plenteous, populous, prince, process (of time), suffice(-lent).

• abundant (in quantity, size, age, number, rank, quality)

adj
1) much, many, great
1a) much
1b) many
1c) abounding in
1d) more numerous than
1e) abundant, enough
1f) great
1g) strong
1h) greater than
adv
1i) much, exceedingly
n m
2) captain, chief

See Greek: ἀληθής · ἄρχων · δυνάστης · δυνατός · ἔχω · ἱκανόω · κριτής · λόγχη · μέγας · οἰκονόμος · πονηρός · πονηρότερος · ῥαββί

Brown-Driver-Briggs

Aramaic form: רָבַב
I. ‎רַב‎₄₂₉ adjective much, many, great; — masculine singular absolute ‎׳‎‎ר‎ Gen 24:25+, ‎רָ֑ב‎ Gen 33:9+, also ‎רָ֛ב‎ 2Chr 20:2 ‎ב֖‎ 2Chr 28:8, ‎רָב֨‎ Ezra 10:13, etc.; construct ‎תַב‎ Exod 34:6 +; feminine singular ‎רַבָּה‎ Num 11:33 +; construct ‎רַבַּת‎ Ezek 22:5 + ‎רַבָּ֫תִי‎ (Ges ^{§90 k 1}) Lam 1:1 (twice in verse); masculine plural absolute ‎רַבִּים‎ Exod 23:2 (twice in verse)+, construct see II. ‎רַב‎; feminine plural absolute ‎רַבּוֺת‎ Gen 30:43 +; — [often both as predicate and as attributive; as attributive preceding noun (influence of usage for numerals ? Kö^{Synt.§334 k} Ges^{«GKC:132b»§ 132b}): ‎רַב‎ Isa 63:7; Ps 145:7 (but read probably ‎רֹב‎, ‎רָבֿ‎; in Isa 21:7 ‎׳‎‎ר‎ is predicate), ‎רַבּים‎ Jer 16:16; Ps 32:10; Ps 89:51* (on context Bö^NÄ Bae, also Hup), Prov 7:26; 1Chr 28:5, ‎רַבּוֺת‎ Neh 9:28; Prov 31:29]; —

1. (often opposed to ‎מְעַט‎)
a. (1)much: of substances, gold 1Kgs 10:2; Ps 19:11*, silver (money) 2Kgs 12:11*; 2Chr 24:11, bronze 1Chr 18:8, wine Esth 1:7 of other quantities, e.g.spoil 2Sam 3:22, property 2Chr 32:29, seed Deut 28:38, etc.; ‎רַב שֶׁיִּהְיוּ‎ EC Deut 6:3b be it much that his days amount to; (2) especially of collectives, numerous, ‎עַםרַֿב‎ Josh 11:4; 2Sam 13:34 ‎עֲבֻדָּה רַבָּךְ‎ Gen 26:14; Job 1:3, ‎מִקְנֶה רַב‎ Deut 3:19+,etc.
b. plural many: person Exod 5:5; Judg 8:30; Judg 9:40; 1Kgs 4:20; 1Kgs 11:1+, things Gen 30:48; Amos 5:12; Deut 31:17 +; noun omitted ‎רַבּוֺת‎ Dan 11:41 (that is, lands; read ‎רִבּוֺת‎ myriads Kmp Bev Behrm Marti Prince); ‎יָמִים רֵבִּים‎ many days (a long time) Gen 21:34; Gen 37:24+28 t.,‎שָׁנִים רַבּוֺת‎ Neh 9:30; Eccl 6:3a, ‎אִם עוֺר רַבּוֺת בַּשָּׁנִים‎ Lev 25:51 ‎רַבּוֺת‎ ‎עִתִּים‎ Neh 9:28 many times (see above) =‎פְּעָמִים רַבּוֺת‎ Ps 106:43; Eccl 7:22 ‎מַכָּה רַבָּה‎ Deut 25:3 many blows; ‎מַיִם רִַ׃בּים‎ many waters Num 20:11+27 t., compare Isa 8:7 etc.
c. ‎רַב‎ as substantive collective person Exod 19:21, also (opposed to ‎מְעַט‎)1Sam 14:6; Num 13:18; Num 26:54; Num 26:56; Num 33:54; Num 35:8 so ‎רַבַּת‎ (Ges^{«GKC:130a»§ 130a}) 2Chr 30:17; 2Chr 30:18, and (thing; =much) Ezek 24:12 ‎רַב‎ construct before abstract (= ‎רֹב‎) Isa 21:7; Isa 63:7; Ps 145:7 especially plural ‎רַבִּים‎ of person Exod 23:2 (twice in verse) +37 t. + ‎בַּתרַֿבִּים‎ Song 7:5*.
d. construct= abounding in, ‎רַבבְּֿרֶכוֺת‎ Prov 28:20, ‎רַבחֶֿסֶר‎ (see I. ‎חֶסֶד‎ 3), ‎רַבפֹּֿךְַ‎ Ps 147:5, ‎רַבמְֿאֵרוֺת‎ Prov 28:27, ‎רַב‎ ‎הַמְּהוּמָה‎ Ezek 22:5, ‎רַבנֿוֺצָךְ‎ Ezek 17:7, ‎רַבחֶֿעֲלִיָּה‎ Jer 32:19, ‎רֵבפְּֿעֶלִים‎ 2Sam 23:20= 1Chr 11:22, ‎רַבפָּֿ֑שַׁע‎ Prov 29:22 ‎רַבתְּֿבוּנָה‎ Prov 14:29 ‎רַבַּת אוֺצָרֹת‎ Jer 51:13, ‎רַבַּת בָּנִים‎ 1Sam 2:5 ‎רַבָּ֫תִי עָם‎ Lam 1:1 (Ges^{«GKC:90l»§ 90l}).
e. + ‎מִן‎ compare= more numerous than Exod 1:9; Num 22:15; Josh 10:11; Judg 16:30; 2Kgs 6:16; Isa 54:1; 1Chr 24:4; 2Chr 32:7; Dan 11:13 followed by infinitive, too many to Gen 36:7; Judg 7:2 (compare vJudg 7:4); see also following feminine ‎רַב‎ =abundant, enough Gen 24:25; Gen 33:9 as exclamation enough! Gen 45:28; 2Sam 24:16; 1Chr 21:15; 1Kgs 19:4, so (+ ‎מִן‎ infinitive) Exod 9:28 (‎מִן‎ 6 d); ‎רַבלָֿךְ‎ (with implication of excess) Deut 3:26 (let it) suffice thee! so ‎רַבלָֿכֶם‎ Ezek 45:9, also Num 16:3; Num 16:7= ye assume too much ! + infinitive it is enough for you to Deut 1:6; Deut 2:3 (i.e. you have done it enough), so+ ‎מִן‎ infinitive 1Kgs 12:23, ‎מִן‎ substantive Ezek 44:6.
g. as adverb much, exceedingly (only Psalms), ‎רַב‎ Ps 123:3, ‎ָ™רב‎ Ps 18:15* (Hup De Che and others; HPS^{2Sam 22:15} conjectures ‎רָמָה‎ omits || 2Sam 22:15); ‎רַבָּה‎ Ps 62:3*; Ps 78:15; Ps 89:8* (ᵐ5. Bae ‎רַב‎ ‎הוּא‎ ); ‎רַבַּת‎ (Aramaism, compare Syriac , , Nö^{§ 155} A&W^{SG 135}) Ps 65:10*; Ps 120:6 (=long enough), Ps 123:4; Ps 129:1; Ps 129:2

2. less often great:
a. of space 1Sam 26:13, the deep Amos 7:4; Gen 7:11; Isa 51:10; Ps 36:7*(figurative), city Lam 1:1 (‎רַ֫בָּתִי בַגּוֺיִם‎ Ges§), — see also ‎צִירוֺן‎ ‎חֲמַת‎; -plague Num 11:33, empire Esth 1:20 goodness Ps 31:20*, wickedness Gen 6:5, etc.
b. specifically strong (opposed to ‎אֵין כֹּחַ‎) 2Chr 14:10* ‎רַב לְהוֺשִׁיעַ‎ Isa 63:1 so ‎רַבִּים‎ as substantive Isa 53:12 (|| ‎עֲצוּמִים‎).
c. major natu Gen 25:23 (opposed to ‎צָעִיר‎); ‎רַבּים‎ as substantive grandoevi, Job 32:9.
d. + ‎מִן‎ compare greater than Deut 7:1; Deut 7:17; Deut 9:14; Deut 20:1 too great for Josh 19:9; 1Kgs 19:7 — Prov 26:10 is hopelessly corrupt, see Toy.

Also see: רַב־מָג | שָׁקָה

II. ‎רַב‎₄₉ noun masculine chief (Assyrian-Babylonian influence, compare rab Dl^{HWB 609 b}; Biblical Aramic ‎רַב‎); — construct ‎׳‎‎ר‎ Jer 39:9+; plural construct ‎רַבֵּי‎ Jer 39:13; Jer 41:1 (but see below); — especially ‎רַבֿ‎ ‎טַבָּחִים‎ chief of guardsmen (see ‎טַבָּח‎), only as title of Babylonian officer Jer 30:9; Jer 30:10 + 15 t. Jeremiah, 7 t || 2Kgs 25 (compare ‎׳‎‎שַׁר הַט‎ in Gen [J](/btb/not_created.html) E]); also ‎רַב הַחֹבֵל‎ Jonah 1:6 chief of the sailors, i.e. captain; in general ‎כָּלרַֿב‎ ‎בֵּיתוֺ‎ Esth 1:8, ‎רַבמָֿרִיסָיו‎ Dan 1:3 (see ‎סָרִיס‎ ), and so ‎רַבֵּי‎ ‎מֶלֶךְ בָּבֶל‎ Jer 39:13, ‎רַבֵּי הַמֶּלֶךְ‎ Jer 41:1 (late gloss; omitted by ᵐ5 and || 2Kgs 25:25, so Hi Gf Gie). The following titles of Assyrian -Babylonian officers are probably loan-words in Hebrew: ‎רַבמָֿ֑ג‎ Jer 39:3; Jer 39:13 usually chief soothsayer (see ‎מָ֑ג‎), but = rab-mugi [? chief of princes] Pinches^{Hast. DB. BAB-MAG}; ‎רַבסָֿרִיס‎ (compare Old Aramaic [Nineveh] ‎רב סרס‎ Lzb³⁸⁶), 2Kgs 18:17 (Assyrian; not in || Isa 36:2), Jer 39:8; Jer 39:13 (Babylonian ), usually chief eunuch, but = rabû-ša-rêši, chief of the heads (the principal men) Wkl^{Unters. x.altor.Geschichte.1889, Excurs. v, p. 138} (actually found as rubû-ša-ri-ešu Pinches^{Acad June 25,1892, 618}), Pinches^{Hast.DB.RAB-SARIS}; ‎רַבשָֿׁקֵה‎ (van d. H. ‎רַבְשָׁקֵה‎) chief of the officers (?) (so probably Assyrian rab-ŠA†; ša‡kû = high one; COT^{2Kgs 18:17} KB^ii.23 Dl^{HWB 685 a} Tiele^{Bab.-As. Geschichte.497.513} Pinches^{Hast.DB.iv 191}), 2Kgs 18:17; 2Kgs 18:19; 2Kgs 18:26; 2Kgs 18:27; 2Kgs 18:37; 2Kgs 19:4; 2Kgs 19:8 = Isa 36:2; Isa 36:4; Isa 36:11; Isa 36:13 (twice in verse); Isa 36:22; Isa 37:4; Isa 37:8

Brown-Driver-Briggs References