1377. gebirah

Lexical Summary

gebirah: Queen, Mistress, Lady

Original Word: גְּבִירָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: gbiyrah
Pronunciation: gheh-bee-RAH
Phonetic Spelling: (gheb-ee-raw')
KJV: queen
NASB: queen mother, queen
Word Origin: [feminine of H1376 (גְּבִיר - master)]

1. a mistress

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

queen

Feminine of gbiyr; a mistress -- queen.

see HEBREW gbiyr

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
fem. of gebir
Definition
lady, queen
NASB Translation
queen (1), queen mother (5).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

גְּבִירָה noun feminine 1. lady, queen, 1 Kings 11:19;

2 queen-mother, 1 Kings 15:13 2Chronicles 15:16; ׳וַיְסִרֶהָ מִגּ he removed her from (the position of) queen-mother; compare 2 Kings 10:13; Jeremiah 13:18; Jeremiah 29:2.

Topical Lexicon

Term and Scope of Meaning

גְּבִירָה designates a woman of royal authority, most often the king’s mother, but in one instance the queen consort of an Egyptian Pharaoh (1 Kings 11:19). In the Israelite and Judean courts the queen mother functioned as an established officer of state, influencing succession, policy, and public piety.

Royal Office and Authority

The mother of a reigning king enjoyed unique prestige in the ancient Near East. Her status was not contingent on the king’s changing matrimonial alliances, and her proximity to the throne gave her enduring political weight. Scripture reflects this reality by naming and sometimes evaluating the conduct of the גְּבִירָה alongside the king himself. Like all authorities, her role was subject to covenant accountability (Jeremiah 13:18).

Biblical Survey of Occurrences

1. Egyptian Court (1 Kings 11:19). Pharaoh’s wife Tahpenes, called “the queen,” reveals that the title could apply outside Israel’s monarchy, underscoring its broader cultural currency.
2. Maacah (1 Kings 15:13; 2 Chronicles 15:16). Asa “removed his grandmother Maacah from her position as queen mother because she had made a detestable image for Asherah”. The narrative highlights the office’s formal nature—she could be deposed—and shows that fidelity to Yahweh outweighs dynastic loyalty.
3. Athaliah’s Circle (2 Kings 10:13). Relatives of Ahaziah declare, “We have come down to greet the families of the king and of the queen mother”. Their greeting implies that the queen mother possessed her own household and sphere of patronage.
4. Jehoiachin’s Exile (Jeremiah 29:2). The queen mother—Nehushta—goes into captivity with her son, symbolizing the collapse of Judah’s political structures.
5. Prophetic Rebuke (Jeremiah 13:18). “Say to the king and to the queen mother, ‘Take a lowly seat, for your glorious crowns have fallen from your heads’”. The prophet lumps king and mother together, portraying shared responsibility for national apostasy.

Historical Significance

The consistent mention of the queen mother in royal formulas (for example, the regnal summaries of Kings and Chronicles) affirms her constitutional place in the monarchy. Contemporary records from Mesopotamia and Egypt corroborate the office’s diplomatic and cultic functions, explaining why Maacah’s idolatry threatened the nation’s orthodoxy and why prophets addressed her directly.

Spiritual and Ministry Implications

1. Influence of Parenthood. The queen mother’s prominence reminds believers of the formative power parents wield over future leaders (compare Proverbs 31:1).
2. Accountability of the Powerful. Whether Maacah’s demotion or Jeremiah’s oracle, Scripture teaches that even the highest earthly rank submits to the Lord’s moral standards.
3. Gender and Service. The גְּבִירָה exemplifies how women exercised strategic leadership within covenant society, a pattern continued in the New Testament through godly mothers and mentors (2 Timothy 1:5).
4. Warning Against Idolatry. Maacah’s fall stands as a perpetual caution to any ministry compromised by syncretism.

Theological Reflection

The queen mother embodies both privilege and peril: privilege, because her close relationship to the king afforded her a platform for covenant faithfulness; peril, because misuse of that platform imperiled the nation itself. Her account therefore reinforces the biblical principle that authority—whether paternal, maternal, or regal—must serve the glory of God and the good of His people.

Forms and Transliterations

הַגְּבִירָֽה׃ הגבירה׃ וְהַגְּבִירָ֨ה וְלַגְּבִירָ֖ה והגבירה ולגבירה מִגְּבִירָ֔ה מגבירה hag·gə·ḇî·rāh haggəḇîrāh haggeviRah mig·gə·ḇî·rāh miggəḇîrāh miggeviRah vehaggeviRah velaggeviRah wə·hag·gə·ḇî·rāh wə·lag·gə·ḇî·rāh wəhaggəḇîrāh wəlaggəḇîrāh

Englishman's Concordance

1 Kings 11:19
HEB: אֲח֖וֹת תַּחְפְּנֵ֥יס הַגְּבִירָֽה׃
NAS: the sister of Tahpenes the queen.
KJV: the sister of Tahpenes the queen.
INT: the sister of Tahpenes the queen

1 Kings 15:13
HEB: אִמּ֗וֹ וַיְסִרֶ֙הָ֙ מִגְּבִירָ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־ עָשְׂתָ֥ה
NAS: his mother from [being] queen mother, because
KJV: even her he removed from [being] queen, because she had made
INT: his mother removed from queen because had made

2 Kings 10:13
HEB: הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ וּבְנֵ֥י הַגְּבִירָֽה׃
NAS: and the sons of the queen mother.
KJV: and the children of the queen.
INT: of the king and the sons of the queen

2 Chronicles 15:16
HEB: הַמֶּ֗לֶךְ הֱסִירָהּ֙ מִגְּבִירָ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־ עָשְׂתָ֥ה
NAS: Asa, from the [position of] queen mother, because
KJV: he removed her from [being] queen, because she had made
INT: of King removed queen because had made

Jeremiah 13:18
HEB: אֱמֹ֥ר לַמֶּ֛לֶךְ וְלַגְּבִירָ֖ה הַשְׁפִּ֣ילוּ שֵׁ֑בוּ
NAS: to the king and the queen mother, Take
KJV: unto the king and to the queen, Humble
INT: Say to the king and the queen A lowly Take

Jeremiah 29:2
HEB: יְכָנְיָֽה־ הַ֠מֶּלֶךְ וְהַגְּבִירָ֨ה וְהַסָּרִיסִ֜ים שָׂרֵ֨י
NAS: Jeconiah and the queen mother, the court officials,
KJV: the king, and the queen, and the eunuchs,
INT: Jeconiah King and the queen the court the princes

6 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 1377
6 Occurrences

hag·gə·ḇî·rāh — 2 Occ.
mig·gə·ḇî·rāh — 2 Occ.
wə·hag·gə·ḇî·rāh — 1 Occ.
wə·lag·gə·ḇî·rāh — 1 Occ.