H1403 — גַּבְרִיאֵל (Gabrîʾēl)¶

Note on Strong's number: Gabriel is H1403 in standard Strong's numbering. H1391 is Gibʻôwn (Gibeon, a place). This study uses the correct number H1403.

Core Data¶

Strong's: H1403
Original: גַּבְרִיאֵל
Transliteration: Gabrîyʾêl
Pronunciation: gab-ree-ale'
Part of Speech: Proper masculine noun (personal name)
Root / Composition: Compound of H1397 geber (גֶּבֶר, "strong man, warrior") + H410 ʾēl (אֵל, "God, Mighty One") — i.e., "Man of God" / "God is my strength" / "Mighty one of God"
Occurrences: 2 in OT (token count: 2)
First Occurrence: Dan 8:16 — "And I heard a man's voice between [the banks of] Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make this [man] to understand the vision."
Hapax Legomenon: No (occurs twice); however, Gabriel is entirely absent from the Hebrew OT outside Daniel and never appears in any OT book other than Daniel.

Lexicon Definition¶

Strong's: "from [H1397 geber] and [H410 ʾēl]; man of God; Gabriel, an archangel."

The name is a sentence-name: the noun geber ("strong/valiant man") in construct with the divine element ʾēl. Traditional glosses are "Man of God," "Mighty One of God," or "God is my strength." In Jewish Second-Temple literature (1 Enoch, 4Q Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice) Gabriel is reckoned among the chief angels that stand before the divine throne.

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Count	%
Gabriel	2	100%

Total: 2 unique verses; proper name, consistently transliterated.

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Book Verses	Per 100 Verses
Daniel	2	357	0.6

Pattern: Entirely confined to the book of Daniel in the Hebrew canon. Both occurrences fall inside the "vision" section of Daniel (chs. 8–9), never in the Aramaic core (chs. 2–7) and never in the final vision (chs. 10–12 — where the unnamed "man clothed in linen" and Michael take center stage).

Semantic / Functional Categories¶

Because Gabriel is a proper name with only two OT tokens, there are no translational categories. Instead the usage falls into functional patterns — what Gabriel does in the text.

1. Commissioned Interpreter of Visions (Dan 8:16)¶

Dan 8:16 — "I heard a man's voice between [the banks of] Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make this [man] to understand the vision."
Gabriel is summoned by a higher voice and instructed to explain the ram-and-goat vision to Daniel. He is positioned as a mediating, explanatory figure — not the one who gives the vision, but the one who unpacks it.

2. Messenger of Chronological Revelation (Dan 9:21)¶

Dan 9:21 — "Yea, whiles I [was] speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation."
Gabriel returns (note: "whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning" — a back-reference to Dan 8) to deliver the Seventy-Weeks oracle. His arrival is synchronized with the time of the evening sacrifice, tying the heavenly messenger to temple rhythms.

3. (NT Continuation) — not within H1403 but via the Hebrew-origin Greek form G1043 Γαβριήλ¶

Luke 1:19 — "I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings." (to Zacharias)
Luke 1:26 — "the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth" (to Mary)
The NT preserves the same two patterns: Gabriel explains/announces and stands in God's presence. See G1043 and the cross-testament trace file.

Common Collocations (within the 2 verses)¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
אִישׁ (ʾîysh, "man")	H376	1x (50%)	"the man Gabriel" — Gabriel appears in human-male form
אָדָם (ʾâdam, "man/human")	H120	1x (50%)	"like the appearance of a man" (Dan 8:15 context)
אָמַר (ʾâmar, "said")	H559	1x	speech commissioning Gabriel
בִּין (bîyn, "understand")	H995	1x	"make this man to understand the vision" — Gabriel's defining task
חָזוֹן (châzôwn, "vision")	H2377	1x	object of Gabriel's interpretive mission
מַרְאֶה (marʾeh, "appearance, vision")	H4758	1x	vehicle of the revelation
קוֹל (qôwl, "voice")	H6963	1x	the voice that commissions him
קָרָא (qârâʾ, "call")	H7121	1x	the voice calls to Gabriel
נָגַע (nâgaʻ, "touch")	H5060	1x	Gabriel touches Daniel
יָעַף / יְעָף (yâʻaph, "fly swiftly/wearied")	H3286/H3288	1x	Gabriel is "caused to fly swiftly" (Dan 9:21)
מִנְחָה (minchâh, "oblation")	H4503	1x	arrives at time of evening oblation
עֶרֶב (ʻereb, "evening")	H6153	1x	evening oblation timing

Collocation signature: A small, tight cluster — voice calls → Gabriel → touches / speaks → causes to understand vision → at time of oblation. Every content word in Gabriel's two verses reinforces his role as swift, speaking, interpreting mediator.

Word-family components (etymology)¶

H1397 גֶּבֶר (geber) — "valiant man, warrior, mighty man" (68x). Root sense: strength, manliness. Appears in Dan 8:15 immediately before Gabriel's naming: "there stood before me as the appearance of a man (geber)" — a deliberate paronomasia with Gabriel's name.
H410 אֵל (ʾēl) — "God, Mighty One" (245x). Second element of the name; the divine component.
H1368 גִּבּוֹר (gibbôr) — "mighty one, hero" (sibling of geber from root gbr); used of divine warriors and of YHWH himself (Isa 9:6 "Mighty God" = ʾēl gibbôr).
H1396 גָּבַר (gâbar) — "to be strong, prevail" (root verb).

Synonyms¶

No synonyms returned by search_relationships.py for H1403.

Antonyms¶

No antonyms returned by search_relationships.py for H1403.

Other "-ʾēl" Theophoric Angelic / Personal Names¶

H4317 מִיכָאֵל (Mîykhâʾêl) — Michael — "Who is like God?" Fellow archangel; appears Dan 10:13, 10:21, 12:1 (plus Jude 9, Rev 12:7). Functionally distinct from Gabriel: Michael is military/guardian ("one of the chief princes," "the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people"), while Gabriel is interpreter/announcer.
H7846 Uriel, H7525 Raphael — not in the Hebrew canon but appear in Second-Temple literature alongside Gabriel.

Easily Confused Words (shared KJV translation)¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
Γαβριήλ (Gabriḗl)	G1043	"Gabriel" (2x NT)	Greek transliteration of the same Hebrew name; same referent, different language (see TR file)

Because "Gabriel" as an English word is a transliteration, confusion is negligible. The only other biblical "Gabriel" is the Greek form G1043, which denotes the same angelic being.

Functional Contrast — Gabriel vs. Michael (H4317)¶

Feature	Gabriel (H1403)	Michael (H4317)
Name-sense	"Man of God / God is my strength"	"Who is like God?"
Textual role	Interpreter, announcer	Guardian, combatant
Standard verb	bîyn "cause to understand" (Dan 8:16, 9:22, cf. 10:14)	ʻâmad "stand [for]" (Dan 10:13, 12:1)
Arena	Visions, prayer, annunciation	Angelic warfare, national protection
OT occurrences	2 (Dan 8:16; 9:21)	3 (Dan 10:13; 10:21; 12:1) + genealogical homonyms
NT continuation	Luke 1:19, 26 (G1043)	Jude 9; Rev 12:7 (G3413)

Semantic Domains¶

UBS / Relationship Domains¶

[003001012] Names of Supernatural Beings — search_relationships.py places Gabrîʾēl in the named-heavenly-being field rather than under a generic messenger label. Its nearest neighbors are H4317 מִיכָאֵל, H5799 עֲזָאזֵל, and H7854 שָׂטָן, which fits Gabriel's role as a specific supernatural personage in Daniel and Luke.

LXX Mapping¶

Because Gabriel is named only in Daniel 8–9, the LXX cross-testament pairing is narrow but clean.

Greek Equivalent	Co-occ	PMI	Notes
Γαβριήλ G1043	2 / 2	—	Direct transliteration; LXX-Dan preserves the proper name exactly

Secondary PMI-scored neighbors in Greek-Daniel context (not equivalents of the name itself, but frequent co-occurrences in the Daniel sections where Gabriel appears): Ἰησοῦς G2424 (Jesus/Joshua, 4x), σκηνή G4633 (tent, 4x), κατοικέω G2730 (dwell, 5x), Ἰσραήλ G2474 (Israel, 8x) — these are artifacts of LXX Daniel vocabulary rather than translations of the name.