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H1459 · Hebrew · Old Testament
גַּו
Gav
Noun, masculine
Back, midst, within

Definition

The Aramaic-influenced noun gav (found in the Aramaic sections of Daniel) means the back of the body, or the midst/interior of a space. In Daniel it describes the interior of the fiery furnace and similar enclosed spaces.

Usage & Theological Significance

Though a small word, gav ('midst') in Daniel 3 carries enormous theological weight: 'Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego fell bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace' (Daniel 3:23). The miracle of their deliverance from the gav of the furnace, and the appearance of a fourth figure like 'a son of the gods,' prefigures the Emmanuel truth — God is present with his people even in the furnace of affliction. The New Testament echoes this in Revelation 1:13, where the Son of Man walks in the midst of the lampstands.

Key Bible Verses

Daniel 3:25 He answered and said, 'But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.'
Daniel 3:6 And whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace.
Daniel 6:12 Then they came near and said before the king concerning the injunction: 'Did you not sign an injunction, that anyone who makes petition to any god or man within thirty days except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?'
Daniel 7:15 As for me, Daniel, my spirit within me was anxious, and the visions of my head alarmed me.
Ezekiel 1:1 As I was among the exiles by the Chebar canal, the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.

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