גְּאוּאֵל
𐤂𐤀𐤅𐤀𐤋
Geuel
H1345 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Personal name meaning 'Majesty of El' or 'El has exalted.' Used as a proper name for an individual Israelite head of clan during the wilderness wanderings. While composed of elements signifying exaltation and the divine, its use is strictly as a theophoric personal name and not as a descriptor of character or attribute.
Semantic Range
personal name; El has exalted; majesty of El; exaltation is El
Root / Etymology
Formed from the Hebrew verb גָּאָה (ga'ah, 'to be high, exalted, rise up') and אֵל ('El, a title for the chief deity or God'). Thus, גְּאוּאֵל is a compound theophoric name meaning 'El has exalted' or 'Majesty/Exaltation is El.' The root ג-א-ה conveys the notion of rising up or being raised, and אֵל, when used in personal names, refers to God or the deity.
Historical & Contextual Notes
The name גְּאוּאֵל is attested in Numbers 13:15, where Geuel son of Machi is designated as a leader from the tribe of Gad among those sent to scout Canaan. Such theophoric names were common in Israelite society, combining a root expressing a characteristic or wish with a divine name. The English tradition ('Geuel') simply transliterates the Hebrew, but loses the semantic content. The meaning refers not to Geuel’s status but to a quality attributed to or invoked upon El (God) in the naming. The name’s construction is consistent with Israelite personal names, often expressing relationship or experience with the divine. There is no evidence for broader use of the term outside of personal naming, nor does it bear the later English religious connotations of 'Jew.' No significant lexical development or shift in meaning is evident, as the term appears only in this onomastic context.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from גָּאָה and אֵל; majesty of God; Geuel, an Israelite; Geuel.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
גאה (g-ʾ-h) — to be high, to be exalted, to rise, to lift up
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H1341 | גֵּא | proud one |
| H1342 | גָּאָה | he rose high |
| H1343 | גֵּאֶה | lofty |
| H1344 | גֵּאָה | self-exaltation |
| H1346 | גַּאֲוָה | in loftiness |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1345-01 |
גְּאוּאֵ֖ל | geuel | HNp |
Geuel | El has exalted | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1345-01 |
Numbers 13:15 | גְּאוּאֵ֖ל | geuel | HNp |
Geuel | El has exalted |