Definition

to be heavy, i.e. in a bad sense (burdensome, severe, dull) or in a good sense (numerous, rich, honorable; causatively, to make weighty (in the same two senses)

Etymology

or כָּבֵד; a primitive root;

Where the KJV renders it

• abounding with
• more grievously afflict
• boast
• be chargeable
• be dim
• glorify
• be (make) glorious (things)
• glory
• (very) great
• be grievous
• harden
• be (make) heavy
• be heavier
• lay heavily
• (bring to
• come to
• do
• get
• be had in) honour (self)
• (be) honourable (man)
• lade
• more be laid
• make self many
• nobles
• prevail
• promote (to honour)
• be rich
• be (go) sore
• stop

Every distinct English word the King James Version uses to translate this Hebrew term. The variety shows what readers in English receive across many different surface words — the same underlying word, scattered across the English Bible under different names.

What the first audience heard

A deep-dive treatment of this word is in the works. The featured chapter above carries the long form of what this word meant to its first audience.