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Psalms 94:2 — Word Study

Depth

WLCהִ֭נָּשֵׂא שֹׁפֵ֣ט הָאָ֑רֶץ הָשֵׁ֥ב גְּ֝מ֗וּל עַל־ גֵּאִֽים׃

BSARise upnâsâʼ [Lift up thyself, be lifted up] O Judgeshâphaṭ [ruler and vindicator] of the earthʼerets [land, the world] rendershûwb [send back, pay back, give] a rewardgᵉmûwl [recompense, desert] toʻal the proudgêʼeh [arrogant, lofty, the proud leaders]

Word
Listen & take awayPsalms 94
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 2 is in this chapter.
Hebrew ↓ Download MP3 The Masoretic text of this chapter, read aloud. Read by Abraham Shmuelof, courtesy of Audio Scriptures International. Chapter divisions by the Academy of Ancient Languages..
Say the word Each Hebrew word carries its transliteration (ge.'Im) — no per-word recordings of the Hebrew exist to link to.
Take it away
Psalms 94:2quick helps
In a sentenceThe psalmist calls upon God to rise as the Judge of the earth and to repay the proud.
Who is speakingThe psalmist, addressing God directly.
Where we areIn a plea for divine justice, the psalmist expresses urgency.
The hard wordגְּמוּל
Take awayThe call for justice is clear; the proud are to be recompensed.
8 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them › clause verbנָשָׂא The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
How rare are these words?in the Old Testament

Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.

Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.

Deep Study — Psalms 94:2

Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.

Context — A Call for Divine Justicegenerated

1O LORD, God of vengeance, O God of vengeance, shine forth.
2Rise up, O Judge of the earth; render a reward to the proud.
3How long will the wicked, O LORD, how long will the wicked exult?
4They pour out arrogant words; all workers of iniquity boast.

Psalms 94:2 expresses the psalmist's urgent plea for God to rise up as the Judge of the earth. This verse is part of a larger context where the psalmist laments the oppression of the wicked and seeks God's intervention against those who boast in their arrogance. The surrounding verses highlight the psalmist's deep concern for justice and righteousness in the face of evil, as seen in Psalm 94:1 and Psalm 94:3.


Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
1Psalm 7:6Arise, O LORD, in Your anger; rise up against the fury of my enemies. Awake, my God, and ordain judgment.
2Psalm 68:1God arises. His enemies are scattered, and those who hate Him flee His presence.
3Psalm 74:22Rise up, O God; defend Your cause! Remember how the fool mocks You all day long.
4Micah 5:9Your hand will be lifted over your foes, and all your enemies will be cut off.
5Psalm 50:6And the heavens proclaim His righteousness, for God Himself is Judge. Selah

The Key Word הִ֭נָּשֵׂא, Hi.na.se'generated

The Hebrew word נָשָׂא (nasa') is a verb in the Niphal form, which indicates a passive or reflexive action. It means to lift or raise, and in this context, it is a call for God to elevate Himself as the Judge. This word encompasses a range of applications, from lifting burdens to elevating status, and is often used in a divine context.

The imperative form here emphasizes urgency, as the psalmist implores God to act decisively. The choice of this verb suggests a need for God to manifest His authority and power in judgment.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, which uses Rise up for הִ֭נָּשֵׂא and render for הָשֵׁ֥ב.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The structure of this verse centers around two finite verbs: הִ֭נָּשֵׂא and הָשֵׁ֥ב. The first verb, 'rise up,' commands God to take action, while the second, 'render,' directs Him to repay the proud. This dual structure emphasizes both the call for God to act and the specific action He is to take.

The word order places the verbs at the forefront, highlighting the urgency and importance of the psalmist's plea for justice.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

In the Septuagint, הִ֭נָּשֵׂא is rendered as ὑψώθητι, meaning 'be exalted.' This choice indicates a focus on God's elevation in authority and presence as the Judge.

The translation of הָשֵׁ֥ב as ἀπόδος suggests a direct call for God to give back or repay, aligning with the concept of justice and recompense.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

Psalms 94:2 is a direct plea from the psalmist to God, asking Him to rise up as the Judge of the earth and to repay the proud for their actions. This verse highlights the theme of divine justice and the need for God to act against the wicked.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

What does it mean for God to be the Judge of the earth?

It signifies God's authority to govern and execute justice over all creation.

Why does the psalmist call for a reward to the proud?

The psalmist seeks justice, asking God to address the arrogance and wrongdoing of the proud.

How does this verse relate to the theme of justice in the Psalms?

This verse encapsulates the cry for God to intervene and bring justice, a recurring theme in the Psalms.

What can we learn from the psalmist's plea?

We learn the importance of seeking divine justice and acknowledging God's role as the ultimate judge.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. In what areas of my life do I need to seek God's judgment and justice?
  2. How can I better recognize and respond to pride in myself and others?
  3. What does it mean for me to lift up my voice in prayer for justice?
  4. How can I reflect God's character as a judge in my interactions with others?

The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it

Early commentators reference this verse to discuss God's role as Judge and the call for justice, as seen in the writings of Augustine of Hippo.

Augustine of HippoExposition on Psalms 94 354–430
And what followed, because He dealt confidently? "Be exalted, Thou Judge of the world" [Psalms 94:2].
Early Church Fathers on Psalms 94 →

Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on Psalms 94:2 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Lift up thyself, thou, O Judge of the earth,.... A title very proper to Christ, and which is given him by Abraham, Genesis 18:25, who then appeared to him in an human form, and with whom he was

Read John Gill on Psalms 94 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth: render a reward to the proud. Lift up thyself, thou Judge of the earth - (Psalms 7:6.) Set thyself on high on the throne of judgment.

Read Robert Jamieson on Psalms 94 →
Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy Bible

Lift up thyself; either, 1. Ascend thy tribunal to pronounce the sentence. Or, 2. Arise from thy seat, and bestir thyself to punish thy proud enemies, as it here follows.

Read Matthew Poole on Psalms 94 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Psalms 94:2 Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth: render a reward to the proud.Ver. 2. Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth] Judges, as they ascend the tribunal, so when to pass sentence they usually stand up. See Isaiah 33:10. And hereunto the psalmist alludeth.

Read John Trapp on Psalms 94 →
Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(2) Lift up thyself—i.e., either be exalted, or rise to give sentence.

Read Charles John Ellicott on Psalms 94 →
AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible

Verse 2. Lift up thyself] Exert thy power. Render a reward to the proud.] To the Babylonians, who oppress and insult us.

Read AdamClarke on Psalms 94 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

2. Lift up thyself] Shew Thyself to be the supremely exalted Ruler. Cp. Isaiah 6:1; Isaiah 33:10; Psalms 7:6. judge of the earth] Cp. Genesis 18:25; Psalms 58:11; Psalms 82:8. The universal Judge is needed to call the subordinate ‘judges of the earth’ to account. render a reward to the proud] R.V. Render to the proud (their) desert; assimilating the rendering to that of Psa 28:4. Cp. Lamentations 3:64.

Read Cambridge on Psalms 94 →
Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Lift up thyself - Be exalted or lifted up so as to be manifest in thy true character. The idea is that God was, as it were, sitting at his ease, or as if he were indifferent to what was occurring in the world.

Read Albert Barnes on Psalms 94 →

The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company

Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.

Modern formal

BSBBerean Standard Bible2020

Rise up, O Judge of the earth; render a reward to the proud.

WEBWorld English Bible2000

Rise up, you judge of the earth. Pay back the proud what they deserve.

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

Rise up, O Judge of the earth; render a reward to the proud.

NETBNew English Translation2006

Rise up, O judge of the earth! Pay back the proud!

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth: render a reward to the proud.

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth: Render to the proud their desert.

RVARevised Version, American1894

Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth: render to the proud their desert.

NWBWebster's Bible1833

Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth: render a reward to the proud.

GNVGeneva Bible1599

Exalt thy selfe, O Iudge of the worlde, and render a reward to the proude.

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth, render the reward to the proud.

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

Be lifted up, O Judge of the earth, Send back a recompence on the proud.

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

Be lifted up, judging the earth, || Send back a repayment on the proud.

ILTInterlinear Literal Translation2000

Lift up thyself, O judge of the Earth! bring a recompense upon the proud.

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

Rise up, judge of the earth, give to the proud what they deserve.

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving; and make a joyful noise to him with psalms.

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

Stand up, judge of the earth, and pay back those who are proud what they deserve.

BBEBible in Basic English1949

Be lifted up, O judge of the earth; let their reward come to the men of pride.

Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.


The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank

This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.

clauseclauseverbהִ֭נָּשֵׂאraise.yourself.upclausenoun phraseשֹׁפֵ֣טO.judgenoun phraseהָofאָ֑רֶץthe.earthclauseverbהָשֵׁ֥בrepayobjectגְּ֝מ֗וּלrecompenseprepositional phrase · prepositionalעַלtoגֵּאִֽיםproud.[people]

Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.


The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran

The Masoretic Text aligns with the Septuagint in the wording of this verse, with all seven words matched. The Dead Sea Scrolls show partial restoration, but the core message remains consistent across these witnesses.

Masoretic TextLeningrad Codex, c. AD 1008 — the text this page is built on

הִ֭נָּשֵׂא שֹׁפֵ֣ט הָאָ֑רֶץ הָשֵׁ֥ב גְּ֝מ֗וּל עַל־ גֵּאִֽים׃

Septuagintthe Greek the translators chose, word by word
הִ֭נָּשֵׂאὑψώθητιשֹׁפֵ֣טκρίνωνהָאָ֑רֶץγῆνהָשֵׁ֥בἀπόδοςגְּ֝מ֗וּלἀνταπόδοσινעַל־τοῖςגֵּאִֽים׃ὑπερηφάνοις

7 of the 7 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.

Dead Sea Scrolls — 4Q84a copy a thousand years older than the Leningrad Codex

[הנשא] [שפט] הארץ [השב] [גמול] על גאים

2 words on the leather — 1 partly restored, 4 supplied entire by an editor.

Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.


The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with

This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.

Psalms 94:2נָשָׂאraise yoursraise yourself נָשָׂאשָׁפַטO judge ofO judge ofשָׁפַטאֶ֫רֶץthe earththe earthאֶ֫רֶץשׁוּבrepayrepayשׁוּבגְּמוּלrecompenserecompenseגְּמוּלעַלtotoעַלגֵּאֶהproud [peopproud [people]גֵּאֶהגָּמַלto weanto weanגָּמַלגָּאָהto rise upto rise upגָּאָהאֵבfruitfruitאֵבאָבַדto perishto perishאָבַדעַלheightheightעַלכְּלִמָּהshameshameכְּלִמָּהמָשָׁלproverbproverbמָשָׁלשֹׁטֵרofficialofficialשֹׁטֵרצֶ֫דֶקRighteousnRighteousnessצֶ֫דֶקכְּנַ֫עַןCanaanCanaanכְּנַ֫עַןמִצְרַ֫יִם(Sea of) E(Sea of) Egyptמִצְרַ֫יִםשְׁבִיתcaptivitycaptivityשְׁבִיתחָרוֹןburning anburning angerחָרוֹןשָׁלֵםto completto completeשָׁלֵםכִּפֶּרto atoneto atoneכִּפֶּרכִּסֵּאthronethroneכִּסֵּאגָּאוֹןprideprideגָּאוֹןרָאָהProviderProviderרָאָה
meets it a little oftener than chancemeets it far oftener than chancebuilt from the same roottwo words of the verse share ita word of this versea related word

Lexicons — every word in Psalms 94:2

One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.

Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.

raise yourself up O judge of the earth repay recompense to proud [people]
הִ֭נָּשֵׂאHi.na.se' raise yourself up H5375 Verb · Niphal · imperative second person masculine singular
656× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In the Bible, this Hebrew word means to lift or raise something, and it's used in many ways, like lifting a burden or raising someone's status. It appears in books like Genesis and Isaiah, often talking about God lifting people up. It's about supporting or carrying something or someone.
Amplified meaning
Lift up thyself, be lifted up
Tyndale gloss
to lift: raise
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word נָשָׂא (nasa') means to lift, carry, or take, encompassing a wide range of applications both literal and figurative. It can refer to actions like bearing burdens, taking away, or being exalted. The entries indicate various forms and uses, including the ability to lift oneself up or cause others to bear iniquity. There is no significant disagreement among the lexicons regarding its meanings.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

נָשָׂא 656 vb. lift, carry, take

Qal

lift, lift up

Bear, carry

Take, take away

Niph.

be lifted up

refl. lift oneself up = rise up, of י׳, to display power in judgment

be borne, carried

be taken away, carried off

Pi.

lift up = exalt

fig. = desire, long

carry, bear continuously

take, take away

Hithp. lift oneself up

Hiph.

cause one to bear iniquity

appar. cause to bring, have brought

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H5375 נָשָׂא lift, carry, take .. lift, lift up

. Bear, carry

. Take, take away

. . be lifted up

. refl. lift oneself up = rise up, of י׳, to display power in judgment

. be borne, carried

. be taken away, carried off

. . lift up = exalt

. fig. = desire, long

. carry, bear continuously

. take, take away

. lift oneself up

. . cause one to bear iniquity

. appar. cause to bring, have brought

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

5375 nasa' naw-saw'

or nacah (Psalm 4 : 6 (7)) {naw-saw'}; a primitive root; to

lift, in a great variety of applications, literal and

figurative, absol. and rel. (as follows):--accept, advance,

arise, (able to, (armor), suffer to) bear(-er, up), bring

(forth), burn, carry (away), cast, contain, desire, ease,

exact, exalt (self), extol, fetch, forgive, furnish, further,

give, go on, help, high, hold up, honorable (+ man), lade,

lay, lift (self) up, lofty, marry, magnify, X needs, obtain,

pardon, raise (up), receive, regard, respect, set (up), spare,

stir up, + swear, take (away, up), X utterly, wear, yield.

see HEBREW for 04

see HEBREW for 06

see HEBREW for 07

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

נָשָׂא (na.sa) — to lift: raise.

: raise/take_up

1) to lift, bear up, carry, take

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to lift, lift up

1a2) to bear, carry, support, sustain, endure

1a3) to take, take away, carry off, forgive

1b) (Niphal)

1b1) to be lifted up, be exalted

1b2) to lift oneself up, rise up

1b3) to be borne, be carried

1b4) to be taken away, be carried off, be swept away

1c) (Piel)

1c1) to lift up, exalt, support, aid, assist

1c2) to desire, long (fig.)

1c3) to carry, bear continuously

1c4) to take, take away

1d) (Hithpael) to lift oneself up, exalt oneself

1e) (Hiphil)

1e1) to cause one to bear (iniquity)

1e2) to cause to bring, have brought

נָשָׂא (na.sa) — to lift: bear.

: look/lift(eyes)

1) to lift, bear up, carry, take

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to lift, lift up

1a2) to bear, carry, support, sustain, endure

1a3) to take, take away, carry off, forgive

1b) (Niphal)

1b1) to be lifted up, be exalted

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Niphal-Impv-2ms — Verb · Niphal · imperative second person masculine singular
HVNv2ms
raise yourself up O judge of the earth repay recompense to proud [people]
שֹׁפֵ֣טsho.Fet O judge of H8199 Verb · Qal · participle (active) masculine singular common
202× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
To shaphat means to judge or govern, and can also mean to vindicate or punish. In the Bible, this term is often used to describe God's role as a judge, as well as human judges and rulers.
Amplified meaning
ruler and vindicator
Tyndale gloss
to judge
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

שָׁפַט (shaphat) is a Hebrew verb meaning to judge or govern. It encompasses a range of actions including pronouncing sentences, executing judgments, and deciding controversies in various contexts such as civil and religious matters. The word can also imply being judged or entering into legal disputes. There is a specific mention of its use in the context of final judgment.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

שָׁפַט 185 vb. judge, govern

Qal

act as law-giver, judge, governor

specif. decide controversy, discriminate betw. persons, in civil, political, domestic and religious questions

execute judgment

Niph.

recipr., enter into controversy, plead

pass. be judged

Pô‛el = my opponent-at-law

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H8199 שָׁפַט judge, govern .. act as law-giver, judge, governor

. specif. decide controversy, discriminate betw. persons, in civil, political, domestic and religious questions

. execute judgment

. . recipr., enter into controversy, plead

. pass. be judged

.= my opponent-at-law

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

8199 shaphat shaw-fat'

a primitive root; to judge, i.e. pronounce sentence (for or

against); by implication, to vindicate or punish; by

extenssion, to govern; passively, to litigate (literally or

figuratively):--+ avenge, X that condemn, contend, defend,

execute (judgment), (be a) judge(-ment), X needs, plead,

reason, rule.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

שָׁפַט (sha.phat) — to judge.

1) to judge, govern, vindicate, punish

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to act as law-giver or judge or governor (of God, man)

1a1a) to rule, govern, judge

1a2) to decide controversy (of God, man)

1a3) to execute judgment

1a3a) discriminating (of man)

1a3b) vindicating

1a3c) condemning and punishing

1a3d) at theophanic advent for final judgment

1b) (Niphal)

1b1) to enter into controversy, plead, have controversy together

1b2) to be judged

1c) (Poel) judge, opponent-at-law (participle)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Qal — Verb · Qal · participle (active) masculine singular common
HVqrmsc
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

ov:

(1) In Anglo-Saxon, had the meaning "from," "away from" (as the strengthened form "off" has still), and was not used for genitive or possessive relations, these being expressed by special case-forms. In the Norman period, however, "of" was taken to represent the French de (a use well developed by the time of Chaucer), and in the Elizabethan period both senses of "of" were in common use. But after about 1600 the later force of the word became predominant, and in the earlier sense (which is now practically obsolete) it was replaced by other prepositions. In consequence the King James Version (and in some cases the Revised Version (British and American)) contains many uses of "of" that are no longer familiar--most of them, to be sure, causing no difficulty, but there still being a few responsible for real obscurities.

English usagewhat the translators’ English meant
Webster's Dictionary (1828), Webster's Unabridged (1913), Webster's Dictionary (1806)

OF, preposition ov. [Gr.]

1. From or out of; proceeding from, as the cause, source, means, author or agent bestowing.

I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered to you. 1 Corinthians 11:1.

For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts. Joshua 11:1.

It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed.

Lamentations 3:1.

The whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Proverbs 16:1.

Go, inquire of the Lord for me. 2 Chronicles 34:2.

That holy thing that shall be born of thee. Luke 1:1.

Hence of is the sign of the genitive case, the case that denotes production; as the son of man, the son proceeding from man, produced from man. This is the primary sense, although we now say, produced by man. 'Part of these were slain; ' that is, a number separate, for part denotes a division; the sense then is, a number from or out of the whole were slain. So also, 'some of these were slain; ' that is…

raise yourself up O judge of the earth repay recompense to proud [people]
הָאָ֑רֶץha.'A.retz the earth H776 Particle · noun common feminine singular absolute
2,504× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The land or earth refers to the soil or ground, and can also mean a country, territory, or region. In the Bible, it is used to describe the earth and its inhabitants, and is often translated as 'land' or 'country'.
Amplified meaning
land, the world
Tyndale gloss
land: soil
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

אֶ֫רֶץ (erets) is a feminine noun meaning 'earth' or 'land.' It encompasses various meanings, including the whole earth, specific territories like Canaan, and even inhabitants of the land. It can refer to soil, ground, or regions, and is used in phrases related to distance and the living. There is a note on the plural form אֲרָצוֹת, which mainly appears in later texts to denote multiple lands.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אֶ֫רֶץ n. f. & (seld.) m. earth, land

earth, whole earth (opp. to a part)

earth, opp. to heaven, sky

earth = inhabitants of earth

land =

country, territory

district, region

trial territory

piece of ground

specif. land of Canaan, or Israel

= inhabitants of land

used even of Shᵉʼôl

ground, surface of ground

soil, as productive

אֶרֶץ in phrases

people of the land

in measurements of distance

the country of the plain, level or plain country

land of the living

end(s) of the earth

pl. אֲרָצוֹת is almost wholly late; it denotes lands, countries, often in contrast to Canaan, lands of the nations, etc.

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H776 אֶ֫רֶץ n. f. & (seld.) m. earth, land . . earth, whole earth (opp. to a part)

. earth, opp. to heaven, sky

. earth = inhabitants of earth

. land = . country, territory

. district, region

. trial territory

. piece of ground

. specif. land of Canaan, or Israel

. = inhabitants of land

. used even of Shᵉʼôl

. . ground, surface of ground

. soil, as productive

. אֶרֶץ in phrases . people of the land

. in measurements of distance

. the country of the plain, level or plain country

. land of the living

. end(s) of the earth

. pl. אֲרָצוֹת is almost wholly late; it denotes lands, countries, often in contrast to Canaan, lands of the nations, etc.

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

776 'erets eh'-rets

from an unused root probably meaning to be firm; the earth

(at large, or partitively a land):--X common, country, earth,

field, ground, land, X natins, way, + wilderness, world.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אֶ֫רֶץ (e.rets) — land: country/planet.

: country/field

1) land, earth

1a) earth

1a1) whole earth (as opposed to a part)

1a2) earth (as opposed to heaven)

1a3) earth (inhabitants)

1b) land

1b1) country, territory

1b2) district, region

1b3) tribal territory

1b4) piece of ground

1b5) land of Canaan, Israel

1b6) inhabitants of land

1b7) Sheol, land without return, (under) world

1b8) city (-state)

1c) ground, surface of the earth

1c1) ground

1c2) soil

1d) (in phrases)

1d1) people of the land

1d2) space or distance of country (in measurements of distance)

1d3) level or plain country

1d4) land of the living

1d5) end(s) of the earth

1e) (almost wholly late in usage)

1e1) lands, countries

1e1a) often in contrast to Canaan

אֶ֫רֶץ (e.rets) — land: soil.

: soil

1) land, earth

1a) earth

1a1) whole earth (as opposed to a part)

1a2) earth (as opposed to heaven)

1a3) earth (inhabitants)

1b) land

1b1) country, territory

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Art | N-cs — Particle · noun common feminine singular absolute
HTd/Ncfsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

urth ('adhamah, 'erets, 'aphar; ge, oikoumene):

In a hilly limestone country like Palestine, the small amount of iron oxide in the rocks tends to be oxidized, and thereby to give a prevailing reddish color to the soil. This is especially the case on relatively barren hills where there is little organic matter present to prevent reddening and give a more blackish tinge.

'Adhamah (compare 'adham, "a man," and Adam) is from 'adham, "to be red," and is used in the senses: "earth" (Ex 20:24), "land" (Ps 105:35), a "land" or country (Isa 14:2), "ground" (Ge 4:11), "the earth" (Ge 7:4).

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Earth

(1.) In the sense of soil or ground, the translation of the word adamah’. In Gen. 9:20 “husbandman” is literally “man of the ground or earth.” Altars were to be built of earth (Ex. 20:24). Naaman asked for two mules’ burden of earth (2 Kings 5:17), under the superstitious notion that Jehovah, like the gods of the heathen, could be acceptably worshipped only on his own soil.

(2). As the rendering of ’erets, it means the whole world (Gen. 1:2); the land as opposed to the sea (1:10). Erets also denotes a country (21:32); a plot of ground (23:15); the ground on which a man stands (33:3); the inhabitants of the earth (6:1; 11:1); all the world except Israel (

Smith's Bible Dictionary

The term is used in two widely-different senses: (1) for the material of which the earth’s surface is composed; (2) as the name of the planet on which man dwells. The Hebrew language discriminates between these two by the use of separate terms, adamah for the former, erets for the latter. Adamah is the earth in the sense of soil or ground, particularly as being susceptible of cultivation. (Genesis 2:7) Erets is applied in a more or less extended sense-- (1) to the whole world, (Genesis 1:1) (2) to land as opposed to sea, (Genesis 1:10) (3) to a country, (Genesis 21:32) (4) to a plot of ground, (Genesis 23:15) and (5) to…

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

In both Hebrew and Greek the same word is used to denote the earth as a whole, and a particular land. Only the context can enable us to decide in which of these senses it is to be taken in a given passage.

Thus in Mt 27:45 we might, so far as the original word is concerned, render either "there was darkness over all the land," or over all the earth. The expression "all the earth" is sometimes used hyperbolically for a large portion of it, Ezr 1:2. The word is used of the whole world, etc. In a moral sense, earthly is opposed to what is heavenly, spiritual and holy, Joh 3:31 1Co 15:47 Col 3:2

raise yourself up O judge of the earth repay recompense to proud [people]
הָשֵׁ֥בha.Shev repay H7725 Verb · Hiphil · imperative second person masculine singular
1,057× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word means to return or turn back, and can be used literally or figuratively. It is often used to describe someone returning to God or repenting from sin, as seen in the book of Psalms and the prophets.
Amplified meaning
send back, pay back, give
Tyndale gloss
to return: return
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word שׁוּב (shuwb) means to turn back or return, covering a wide range of contexts including physical, spiritual, and relational. It can denote returning to a previous state, repenting, or even apostatizing. The entries describe various forms and uses, including bringing back, restoring, and refreshing. Notably, it can also imply a change in course of action.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

שׁוּב 1056 vb. turn back, return

Qal 683;—turn back, return:

turn back

return, come or go back

esp. return unto

of dying

of revival from death

fig. of human relations:

return to leader, king

= change so as to appoach (in purpose, desire)

turn, i.e. resort to

return to a physical condition

abs. = change course of action

fig., specif. of spiritual relations:

turn back from God = apostatize

of י׳, turn away

turn back to God (= seek penitently)

abs. repent

turn back from evil

of י׳

of י׳, return (to shew favour)

of inanimate things (sts. personified, or treated as things of life):

denoting repetition, etc.

trans.

Pō‛l.

bring back

fig. restore, refresh

restore, repair

lead away (enticingly)

shew turning = apostatize

Hiph. 353 cause to return, bring back

bring back into bondage

put back

= draw back

= give back, restore

= relinguish

= give in payment, requital

bring one back (from dead)

bring back heart

= refresh

Read the full entry →
Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H7725 שׁוּב turn back, return .—turn back, return: . turn back

. return, come or go back

. esp. return unto

. . of dying

. of revival from death

. fig. of human relations: . return to leader, king

. = change so as to appoach (in purpose, desire)

. turn, i.e. resort to

. return to a physical condition

. abs. = change course of action

. fig., specif. of spiritual relations: . turn back from God = apostatize

. of י׳, turn away

. turn back to God (= seek penitently)

. abs. repent

. turn back from evil

. of י׳

. of י׳, return (to shew favour)

. of inanimate things (sts. personified, or treated as things of life):

. denoting repetition, etc.

. trans.

. . bring back

. . fig. restore, refresh

. restore, repair

. lead away (enticingly)

. shew turning = apostatize

. cause to return, bring back . . bring back into bondage

. put back

. = draw back

. = give back, restore

. = relinguish

. = give in payment, requital

Read the full entry →
Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

7725 shuwb shoob

a primitive root; to turn back (hence, away) transitively or

intransitively, literally or figuratively (not necessarily

with the idea of return to the starting point); generally to

retreat; often adverbial, again:--((break, build, circumcise,

dig, do anything, do evil, feed, lay down, lie down, lodge,

make, rejoice, send, take, weep)) X again, (cause to) answer

(+ again), X in any case (wise), X at all, averse, bring

(again, back, home again), call (to mind), carry again (back),

cease, X certainly, come again (back), X consider, +

continually, convert, deliver (again), + deny, draw back,

fetch home again, X fro, get (oneself) (back) again, X give

(again), go again (back, home), (go) out, hinder, let, (see)

more, X needs, be past, X pay, pervert, pull in again, put

(again, up again), recall, recompense, recover, refresh,

relieve, render (again), requite, rescue, restore, retrieve,

Read the full entry →
Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

שׁוּב (shuv) — to return: return.

: return

1) to return, turn back

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to turn back, return

1a1a) to turn back

1a1b) to return, come or go back

1a1c) to return unto, go back, come back

1a1d) of dying

1a1e) of human relations (fig)

1a1f) of spiritual relations (fig)

1a1f1) to turn back (from God), apostatise

1a1f2) to turn away (of God)

1a1f3) to turn back (to God), repent

1a1f4) turn back (from evil)

1a1g) of inanimate things

1a1h) in repetition

1b) (Polel)

1b1) to bring back

1b2) to restore, refresh, repair (fig)

1b3) to lead away (enticingly)

1b4) to show turning, apostatise

1c) (Pual) restored (participle)

1d) (Hiphil) to cause to return, bring back

1d1) to bring back, allow to return, put back, draw back, give back, restore, relinquish, give in payment

1d2) to bring back, refresh, restore

1d3) to bring back, report to, answer

1d4) to bring back, make requital, pay (as recompense)

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Hiphil-Impv-2ms — Verb · Hiphil · imperative second person masculine singular
HVhv2ms
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
raise yourself up O judge of the earth repay recompense to proud [people]
גְּ֝מ֗וּלge.Mul recompense H1576 Noun common · masculine singular absolute
19× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word means a reward or recompense for something, like a payment for work done. In the Bible, it is used to describe God's rewards for the faithful, like in Psalm 19. The KJV translates it as recompense or reward.
Amplified meaning
recompense, desert
Tyndale gloss
recompense
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

גְּמוּל (gmuwl) refers to dealing, recompense, or benefit, encompassing acts of good or ill and implying service or requital. It is built from the root meaning treatment or act, and covers concepts of reward and deserving. The term appears in contexts related to how one has been treated or compensated.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

גְּמוּל n.m. dealing, recompense, benefit

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H1576 גְּמוּל dealing, recompense, benefit

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

1576 gmuwl ghem-ool'

from 1580; treatment, i.e. an act (of good or ill); by

implication, service or requital:--+ as hast served, benefit,

desert, deserving, that which he hath given, recompense,

reward.

see HEBREW for 01580

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

גְּמוּל (ge.mul) — recompense.

1) dealing, recompense, benefit

1a) dealing (of one's hand)

1b) recompense

1c) benefit

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-ms — Noun common · masculine singular absolute
HNcmsa
raise yourself up O judge of the earth repay recompense to proud [people]
עַל־'al- to H5921 Preposition
5,774× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word means on or above something, like a physical object or a situation. It can also imply a sense of responsibility or accountability, as in being on behalf of someone.
Tyndale gloss
upon
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word עַל (*al*) is a preposition meaning 'upon' and encompasses a wide range of meanings, including 'on account of,' 'beside,' 'above,' and 'against.' It can indicate physical placement, emotional burdens, or duties imposed on a person. The entries also note its use in idiomatic expressions and with verbs of motion. There is a mention of its function as a conjunction in certain contexts.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

כִּי עַל כֵּן forasmuch as

base

עַל, עָ֑ל

subst. height

As prep. upon, and hence on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against

Upon, of the substratum upon which an object in any way rests, or on which an action is performed

of clothing, etc., which any one wears

With verbs of covering or protecting, even though the cover or veil be not over or above the thing covered, but around or before it

Of what rests heavily upon a person, or is a burden to him

Of a duty, payment, care, etc., imposed upon a person, or devolving on him

על is used idiom. to give pathos to the expression of an emotion, by emphasizing the person who is its subject, and who, as it were, feels it acting upon him

חָיָה עַל to live upon (as upon a foundation or support)

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Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H5921a עַל, עָ֑ל . As prep. upon, and hence on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against . Upon, of the substratum upon which an object in any way rests, or on which an action is performed . — . of clothing, etc., which any one wears

. With verbs of covering or protecting, even though the cover or veil be not over or above the thing covered, but around or before it

. Of what rests heavily upon a person, or is a burden to him

. Of a duty, payment, care, etc., imposed upon a person, or devolving on him

. על is used idiom. to give pathos to the expression of an emotion, by emphasizing the person who is its subject, and who, as it were, feels it acting upon him

. חָיָה עַל to live upon (as upon a foundation or support)

Read the full entry →
Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

5921 `al al

properly, the same as 5920 used as a preposition (in the

singular or plural often with prefix, or as conjunction with a

particle following); above, over, upon, or against (yet always

in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great

variety of applications (as follow):--above, according

to(-ly), after, (as) against, among, and, X as, at, because

of, beside (the rest of), between, beyond the time, X both

and, by (reason of), X had the charge of, concerning for, in

(that), (forth, out) of, (from) (off), (up-)on, over, than,

through(-out), to, touching, X with.

see HEBREW for 05920

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

עַל (al) — upon.

prep

1) upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against

1a) upon, on the ground of, on the basis of, on account of, because of, therefore, on behalf of, for the sake of, for, with, in spite of, notwithstanding, concerning, in the matter of, as regards

1b) above, beyond, over (of excess)

1c) above, over (of elevation or pre-eminence)

1d) upon, to, over to, unto, in addition to, together with, with (of addition)

1e) over (of suspension or extension)

1f) by, adjoining, next, at, over, around (of contiguity or proximity)

1g) down upon, upon, on, from, up upon, up to, towards, over towards, to, against (with verbs of motion)

1h) to (as a dative)

[כִּי] עַל [כֵּן] ([ki] al [ken]) — as.

conj

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Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep — Preposition
HR
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
raise yourself up O judge of the earth repay recompense to proud [people]
גֵּאִֽים׃ge.'Im proud [people] H1343 Adj
9× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Proud or arrogant, describing someone with a lofty attitude, like the proud people in Proverbs. It is used to describe those who think too highly of themselves.
Amplified meaning
arrogant, lofty, the proud leaders
Tyndale gloss
proud
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

גֵּאֶה (ge'eh) means 'proud' and is derived from the root meaning 'lofty.' It covers the sense of being arrogant or haughty. The entries consistently emphasize this prideful aspect without significant disagreement among the lexicons.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

גֵּאֶה adj. proud

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H1343 גֵּאֶה proud

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

1343 ge'eh gay-eh'

from 1342; lofty; figuratively, arrogant:--proud.

see HEBREW for 01342

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

גֵּאֶה (ge.eh) — proud.

proud

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Adj — Adj
HAampa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

pe'-p'-l: In English Versions of the Bible represents something over a dozen Hebrew and Greek words. Of these, in the Old Testament, `am, is overwhelmingly the most common (about 2,000 times), with le'om, and goy, next in order; but the various Hebrew words are used with very little or no difference in force (e.g. Pr 14:28; but, on the other hand, in Ps 44 contrast verses 12 and 14). Of the changes introduced by the Revised Version (British and American) the only one of significance (cited explicitly in the Preface to the English Revised Version) is the frequent use of the plural "peoples" (strangely avoided in the King James Version except Re 10:11; 17:15), where other nations than Israel are in question. So, for instance, in Ps…

Sources on this page. Lexicons and dictionaries imported from the CrossWire SWORD modules — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, Dodson, the Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones, Robinson and Packard, Webster and Cawdrey. Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Harper, 1889 — Grimm’s Wilke’s Clavis Novi Testamenti, translated, revised and enlarged by Joseph Henry Thayer) is public domain and is set here from the Internet Archive page scan greekenglishlex00grim; it is uncorrected OCR, marked as such on the entry itself, and the Strong’s numbers — which Thayer’s own edition does not carry — were matched by lemma against the other modules on this page. Trench’s Synonyms of the New Testament (Macmillan, 1880) and Moulton and Milligan’s Vocabulary of the Greek Testament (Hodder & Stoughton, 1930, which entered the United States public domain on 1 January 2026) are set from Internet Archive page scans synonymsofnewtes00treniala and vocabularyofgree00mouluoft, and are likewise uncorrected OCR matched to Strong’s numbers by lemma. Trench treats a group of words at once, so the same essay stands on the page of each word it compares. The Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary is © 1993 and is used here by permission for non-commercial use, www.teknia.com/greek-dictionary. The full Liddell-Scott-Jones and the Hebrew word data (TAHOT) come from STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0. Brown-Driver-Briggs is the OpenScriptures digitisation, public domain. Syntax analysis is the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (biblicalhumanities.org); the concordance and morphology are built from the tagged Nestle 1904 text. Septuagint occurrences use the Open Scriptures Septuagint lemma index, derived from CCAT (University of Pennsylvania) and the Rahlfs 1935 dataset by Eliran Wong, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — used here on a non-commercial ministry site. Greek of Josephus and Barnabas from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA 4.0. Commentaries and the Ante-Nicene Fathers are public-domain texts hosted on this site. Everyday Greek from the Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri, CC BY 3.0, with dates and provenance from the Heidelberger Gesamtverzeichnis. Philo and the Apostolic Fathers from Open Greek and Latin (First1KGreek), CC BY-SA 4.0. The apparatus and the fifth Greek column are the SBL Greek New Testament, © 2010 SBL and Logos Bible Software, CC BY 4.0. The Latin is the Clementine Vulgate (public domain); the Syriac New Testament is the ETCBC edition (MIT licence). The Hebrew behind the Greek is computed here from the Septuagint index and TAHOT, not taken from any aligned edition. The translation spread and the per-word edition marks come from the Translators Amalgamated Greek NT (STEPBible, CC BY 4.0); clause roles from the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (CC BY-SA 4.0); place identifications and their confidence from OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding (CC BY 4.0), with map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Gospel parallels are computed here from shared uncommon vocabulary, not taken from any printed harmony. Cross references are the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and the subject headings are Nave’s Topical Bible, both public domain. Works under Creative Commons licences are used unchanged apart from markup removal.

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