Gabah means to be high or to exalt oneself. It has two distinct trajectories: (1) the appropriate exaltation of God, whose ways are higher than human ways (Isaiah 55:9), and (2) the arrogant self-exaltation of the proud, which God opposes and brings low. The same verb that describes God's transcendence also describes Hezekiah's pride (2 Chronicles 32:25).
The tension in gabah reveals a core biblical principle: height belongs rightly to God alone. When humans exalt themselves, they usurp what belongs to God and invite humbling (Isaiah 2:12-17; Daniel 4:30-37). The prophets repeatedly announce judgment on the proud and lifting up of the lowly (Luke 1:51-52; James 4:6). God's ways being 'higher' (gabah) than human ways (Isaiah 55:9) is not a rebuke but an invitation to trust His superior wisdom. True exaltation comes through humility before God.