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This word is frequently used in a name (
) of God; it describes Him as the
Most High, the “highest” and only Supreme Being. The emphasis here is on divine
supremacy rather than divine exclusiveness: “And Melchizedek king of Salem brought
forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most
5
" [
] (Gen.
14:18—the first occurrence). This name for a god also appears in extra-biblical
Palestinian documents.
Also the figurative use of
to describe the “house” or dynasty of Israel takes an
unusual turn in 1 Kings 9:8, where the kingdom is said to be the “height” of
astonishment: “And at this house, which [will be a heap of ruins], every one that passeth
by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss; and they shall say, Why hath the Lord done thus
unto this land, and to this house?”
B. Verb.
(
4 %
, 1362), “to be high, exalted, lofty.” This verb, which occurs 38 times in
the Bible, has cognates in Akkadian, Aramaic, and Arabic. Its meanings parallel those of
the adjective. It may mean “to be high, lofty.” In this sense, it is used of trees (Ezek.
19:11), the heavens (Job 35:5), and a man (1 Sam. 10:23). It may mean “to be exalted” in
dignity and honor (Job 36:7). Or it may simply mean “to be lofty,” used in the positive
sense of “being encouraged” (2 Chron. 17:6) or in the negative sense of “being haughty
or proud” (2 Chron. 26:16).
C. Noun.
(
4 %
, 1363), “height; exaltation; grandeur; haughtiness; pride.” This noun,
which occurs 17 times in biblical Hebrew, refers to the “height” of things (2 Chron. 3:4)
and of men (1 Sam. 17:4). It may also refer to “exaltation” or “grandeur” (Job 40:10), and
to “haughtiness” or “pride” (2 Chron. 32:26).
HIGH PLACE
(
, 1116), “high place.” This noun occurs in other Semitic languages,
meaning the “back” of an animal or of a man (Ugaritic), the incline or “back” of a
mountain (Akkadian), and the “block” (of stone) or grave of a saint (Arabic).
0
is
used about 100 times in biblical Hebrew, and the first occurrence is in Lev. 26:30: “And I
will destroy your high places, and cut down your images, and cast your carcases upon the
carcases of your idols, and my soul shall abhor you.” Most of the uses are in the Books of
Kings and Chronicles, with the sense of “cultic high place.” The word is rarely used in
the Pentateuch or in the poetic or prophetic literature.
0
with the sense of “back” is still to be found in the Hebrew Old Testament:
“So your enemies shall cringe before you, and you shall tread upon their high places”
(Deut. 33:29,
NASB
). Compare this with the
NEB
“Your enemies come crying to you, and
you shall trample their bodies [
] underfoot.”
The Bible’s metaphorical use of the “backs” of the clouds and the waves of the sea
gives problems to translators: “I will ascend above the heights [
] of the clouds; I
will be like the most High” (Isa. 14:14), and "[He] alone spreadeth out the heavens, and
treadeth upon the waves [literally, “high places”] of the sea” (Job 9:8). A similar problem
is found in Ps. 18:33 (cf. 2 Sam. 22:34; Hab. 3:19): “He maketh my feet like hinds’ feet,