Original Word: גַּב
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: gab
Pronunciation: gahb
Phonetic Spelling: (gab)
NASB: back
Word Origin: [(Aramaic) corresponding to H1354 (גַּב - rims)]

1. back

back

(Aramaic) corresponding to gab -- back.

see HEBREW gab

Word Origin
(Aramaic) corresponding to gab
Definition
back or side
NASB Translation
back (1).

[גַּב] noun [masculine] either back (ᵑ7 גַּב back, top; Biblical Hebrew גַּב, √ גנב), or < side (√ גנב, compare Arabic side, Syriac side, √ ; — see also D^{WB 65}); — plural suffix Daniel 7:6 Kt wings עַלגַּֿבַּיהּ on its sides (Bev Behrm Dr; Qr גַּבַּהּ perhaps its back, so most).

Occurrence and Immediate Context

Daniel 7:6 records the sole biblical use of גַּב. In the prophet’s night vision, “there was another beast, like a leopard, with four wings of a bird on its back” (Daniel 7:6). The term directs attention to the part of the creature upon which the four wings are fixed, emphasizing the organic unity between body and wings in the symbolism.

Role within Daniel’s Vision

Daniel’s four-beast sequence parallels the fourfold statue of Daniel 2, each creature representing a successive world empire. The leopard—swift, agile, predatory—corresponds to the Greek Empire that succeeded Medo-Persia. The mention of the “back” highlights how the wings were not merely accessories but integral instruments of rapid conquest. Historically, Alexander the Great’s campaigns moved with unparalleled speed, a fact mirrored by the imagery of wings attached squarely to the back, ready for immediate propulsion.

Symbolism of the Back in Biblical Thought

While other Hebrew terms for “back” appear elsewhere, Scripture often uses the idea of a back or shoulders to convey strength or the seat of burdens (Exodus 23:5; Psalm 81:6). In Daniel 7:6 the back becomes the launch point for wings—strength transformed into mobility. The imagery implies that the empire’s support structure (its back) carried the mechanisms (wings) enabling it to overtake nations swiftly.

Historical Reception

Intertestamental literature and early Christian commentators (for example, Hippolytus of Rome, “On Christ and Antichrist,” 19-23) recognized the leopard’s four wings on its back as a figure of the empire’s hastened expansion and subsequent division into four realms after Alexander’s death. They viewed the anatomical detail as confirming the coherence of prophecy with recorded history.

Theological Implications

1. Sovereignty of God: Daniel testifies that earthly dominion is “given” (Daniel 7:6), not seized autonomously. Even the back that bears wings owes its capacity to divine grant.
2. Frailty of Human Power: The creature’s reliance on its back underscores dependence; should its support fail, the wings cannot function. Empires, however formidable, remain creatures under the Creator.
3. Continuity of Revelation: The specific anatomical term, preserved in a single verse, threads together lexical precision with grand prophetic narrative, demonstrating Scripture’s unity at both micro and macro levels.

Ministry and Devotional Application

• Preaching: The image offers an illustrative contrast between the fleeting might of human kingdoms and the everlasting dominion of the Son of Man (Daniel 7:13-14).
• Discipleship: Believers can take heart that God orchestrates history down to anatomical details, fostering trust amid geopolitical upheaval.
• Apologetics: The convergence of the prophetic detail with historical outcomes provides a datum for demonstrating biblical reliability.

Summary

גַּב appears once, yet its placement on the back of Daniel’s leopard contributes a decisive stroke to prophetic portraiture. It affirms that every facet of creation—even the backside of a symbolic beast—serves God’s redemptive storyline and underlines His sovereign orchestration of history for the ultimate exaltation of Christ.

גַּבַּ֑הּ גבה gab·bah gabbahInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts