Genesis 26:13

Summary

Genesis 26:13 describes a progression using repeated forms of the root gadal ("to become great"). The verse states that "the man" became great, then describes this growth as continuous and progressive, culminating in a final statement that he became "great" to an extreme degree (me'od).

Key words

• ga.Dal ("he became great", H1431) — qal perfect, used twice in the verse (once as narrative verb, once as completed action) to frame the growth as an accomplished fact.
• ha.loKh ("continuously ", H1980L) — infinitive absolute; in Biblical Hebrew this construction paired with a following form intensifies or extends the verbal action it accompanies.
• ga.Del ("becoming great", H1432) — adjective/participle-like form paired with the infinitive absolute above; together they express a repeated, ongoing process rather than a single event.
• me.'Od ("exceedingly", H3966) — intensifier marking the endpoint of the process as reaching an extreme degree.
• 'ad ("until", H5704) combined with ki- ("for/that", H3588A) — a compound subordinating expression marking the outcome or limit of the preceding progressive action.

What the text says

The verse is built on a double occurrence of the root gadal (H1431/H1432), first as a finite verb (yigdal, "he became great") introducing the narrative, and later as a perfect verb (gadal) closing it after the phrase ad ki ("until... that"). Between these two points, the Hebrew inserts the construction halokh ve-gadel — infinitive absolute halokh ("to go") plus the adjectival form gadel ("becoming great"). This pairing of infinitive absolute with a companion form is a known Hebrew device for signaling that an action is continuous or progressive: rather than saying "he grew" as a single event, the text presents growth as an ongoing, step-by-step process ("he kept going, becoming great"). The final clause, introduced by ad ki ("until... that") and closed with me'od ("exceedingly"), marks the terminus of this process — the point at which the growth reached its extreme.

Differences between versions

The Hebrew root gadal (H1431/H1432) denotes becoming "great" or "large" in a general sense, without inherent reference to wealth. The Vulgate renders this as locupletatus est ("he was made rich"), and the modern translations BSB ("richer and richer... wealthy") and SBLIBRE ("riqueza... rico") follow this same interpretive line, narrowing "greatness" specifically to material wealth. The LXX instead uses ὑψώθη ("was exalted" or "raised up"), a term suggesting elevation in status rather than wealth specifically. The Hebrew text itself, per the glosses given, uses only the general term "great" (H1431/H1432) without specifying the domain (wealth, status, or otherwise) in which this greatness occurs.