Great, Greatness
Great, Greatness
grat, gratnes: Great occurs very often in Scripture. The chief words so translated are , gadhol, , rabh; , megas, , polus.
(1) In the Old Testament many other terms are employed: (a) gadhol is used to express greatness in various senses, chiefly of magnitude, including excellence, e.g. great lights (Gen 1:16); the great city (Gen 10:12); a great nation (Gen 12:2); a great sight (Exo 3:3); Moses was very great (Exo 11:3); the great God (Deu 10:17; Neh 1:5); great is Yahweh (Psa 48:1). It is sometimes translated by mighty (Deu 4:37; Deu 7:21, a mighty God, the Revised Version (British and American) great). It is also used to designate the high priest (literally, great, Lev 21:10; Zec 3:1, etc.); also to express the elder of a family, e.g. Gen 27:1, Esau his eldest son, the Revised Version (British and American) elder; probably also of great stature: a great man among the Anakims, the Revised Version (British and American) the greatest (Jos 14:15). (b) rabh denotes, rather, quantity, number, therefore, often, many (Gen 21:34, etc.; Exo 2:23 the Revised Version (British and American), etc.); abundant (Exo 34:6, the English Revised Version plenteous), and similar terms; thus we have a great people (Jos 17:14); His mercies are great, the Revised Version, margin many (2Sa 24:14; 1Ch 21:13); Great was the company, the Revised Version (British and American) a great host (Psa 68:11); great reward (Psa 19:11); Mine iniquity … is great (Psa 25:11); exceedingly (Psa 123:3). In the Septuagint rabh is, for the most part, translated by polus. But it is used for great in other senses, e.g. the great (God) (Pro 26:10), the Revised Version (British and American) as an archer, margin master worker; Hebrew text obscure; a saviour, and a great one, the Revised Version (British and American) defender, margin or a mighty one (Isa 19:20); Great shall be the peace (Isa 54:13), etc. It is sometimes translated mighty (Psa 89:50, the Revised Version, margin many; Isa 63:1). (c) Other words thus translated are kabhedh, heavy, e.g. so great a people, the Revised Version (British and American) thy great people, margin heavy (1Ki 3:9); me’odh, implying force, might, e.g. with all his might (2Ki 23:25). ‘El and ‘Elohim are sometimes used to express greatness. In Psa 36:6, we have Thy righteousness is like the great (‘El) mountains, the Revised Version (British and American) mountains of God; in Gen 30:8, with great (, ‘Elohm) wrestlings, the Revised Version (British and American) mighty, margin wrestlings of God; and in 1Sa 14:15 a very great (, ‘Elohm) trembling, the Revised Version (British and American) exceeding great, margin a trembling of God.
(2) (a) Megas denotes magnitude, in its various aspects, physical, moral, etc., e.g. great joy (Mat 2:10); a great light (Mat 4:16); the great King (Mat 5:35); great in the kingdom (Mat 5:19, etc.); Great is thy faith (Mat 15:28); The greatest is charity (love), the Revised Version, margin greater (1Co 13:13); a great high priest (Heb 4:14); the great shepherd (Heb 13:20); a great voice (Rev 1:10); in Rev megas is very frequent. (b) Polus denotes properly number, multitude, e.g. great multitudes (Mat 4:25); a great company (Luk 5:29, the Revised Version (British and American) a great multitude; frequent in the Gospels); great possessions (Mar 10:22). But also great in the sense of magnitude, e.g. great plainness of speech, the Revised Version (British and American) boldness (2Co 3:12; 2Co 7:4); a great trial of affliction, the Revised Version (British and American) much proof (2Co 8:2); great love (Eph 2:4). (c) Among other terms we have telikoutos, so great (in degree), so great a salvation (Heb 2:3); tosoutos, so great (in quantity), so great faith (Mat 8:10; Luk 7:9); so great a cloud of witnesses (Heb 12:1); hosos, how great (in quantity) (Mar 3:8; Mar 5:19 f); helkos, how great (in degree) (Col 2:1; Jam 3:5, how great a matter, the Revised Version (British and American) how much wood, margin how great a forest); pelkos, how great (in degree) (Heb 7:4); posos, how great (in quantity) (Mat 6:23), etc.
(3) In His person and teaching, Jesus introduced into the world a new conception of greatness. It was to be found in humility and self-forgetting service: Whosoever would become great among you shall be your minister (the Revised Version, margin servant); and whosoever would be first among you shall be your servant (the Revised Version, margin (Greek) bond-servant): even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many (Mat 20:26-28; compare also Mat 18:1-4; Mat 23:11; Phi 2:5-11 ).