A gorge (from its lofty sides; hence, narrow, but not a gully or winter-torrent)
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The Hebrew noun gay names a valley or gorge, often a narrower depression defined by its sides. It differs in emphasis from terms that commonly denote a broad valley or a seasonal streambed, though English translations may render several Hebrew words as valley.
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Full entry for גַּיְא (H1516) · Open the biblical lexicon
The Hebrew noun gay names a valley or gorge, often a narrower depression defined by its sides. It differs in emphasis from terms that commonly denote a broad valley or a seasonal streambed, though English translations may render several Hebrew words as valley.
The BSB source-word alignment has 60 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include in the valley (10), the Valley (8), valley (6), and valleys (3), through the Valley (3).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Numbers 21:20. Its strongest book concentrations include Ezekiel (10), Jeremiah (8), Joshua (7), 2 Chronicles (5).
The Hebrew noun gay names a valley or gorge, often a narrower depression defined by its sides. It differs in emphasis from terms that commonly denote a broad valley or a seasonal streambed, though English translations may render several Hebrew words as valley. Gay appears in ordinary geography, battle settings, burial notices, prophetic leveling, and many named places.
Some named valleys carry terrible histories. Jeremiah condemns the burning of children and innocent blood in the Valley of Ben-hinnom, while Psalm 23 speaks of walking through the valley of the shadow of death with the Shepherd present. Isaiah can picture every valley being lifted as the Lord's way is prepared, and Zechariah describes a future valley within a difficult prophetic scene.
The noun itself does not mean depression, trauma, judgment, or blessing. Readers should identify the valley, its name and history, the literary genre, and the action occurring there. Gay may hold a battlefield, a grave, a route, or a prophetic image, but geography does not erase victims, guarantee escape, or authorize speculative end-times maps.
Gay names a valley or gorge across geography, named places, warfare, burial, lament, comfort, and prophecy, with each passage's history and genre determining its significance.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
The psalmist walks through the valley of the shadow of death without fear because the Shepherd is present with rod and staff.
Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill made low; the uneven ground will become smooth, and the rugged land a plain.
Within Isaiah's comfort proclamation, every valley is lifted and rough ground leveled as the way of the Lord is prepared.
They have built the high places of Topheth in the Valley of Ben-hinnom so they could burn their sons and daughters in the fire—something I never commanded, nor did it even enter My mind.
Jeremiah names the Valley of Ben-hinnom while condemning the burning of children as something God never commanded.
The Philistines stood on one hill and the Israelites stood on another, with the valley between them.
Philistine and Israelite forces occupy opposing hills with the valley between them before Goliath challenges Israel.
And He buried him in a valley in the land of Moab facing Beth-peor, and no one to this day knows the location of his grave.
Moses is buried in a valley in Moab, while the narrative states that the grave's location remains unknown.
You will flee by My mountain valley, for it will extend to Azal. You will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with Him.
Zechariah depicts people fleeing through a mountain valley within an oracle of battle, upheaval, divine coming, and kingship.
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders ItA compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
Hebrew word. A deep, narrow valley defined by steep sides rather than flowing water or seasonal drainage
A deep, narrow valley defined by steep sides rather than flowing water or seasonal drainage
a gorge (from its lofty sides; hence, narrow, but not a gully or winter-torrent) BDB: valley Usage: valley.
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Showing 1 selected witness from 62 lexical occurrence verses.
גַּיְא is built from this root:
Greek words that correspond to or develop the meaning of this Hebrew word in the New Testament.
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Gay places readers inside terrain that can narrow movement and gather memory. In Psalm 23, the valley of deepest darkness is not denied or renamed; the Shepherd's presence answers fear while the journey continues. Jeremiah's Valley of Ben-hinnom cannot be treated as a generic spiritual low because the oracle names idolatry, innocent blood, and the killing of children.
Faithful teaching must preserve those victims and God's explicit rejection of the practice. A valley can also separate armies, hold an unknown grave, or appear in Isaiah's way-preparation poetry and Zechariah's complex vision. These uses resist a single symbolic formula. The landform does not diagnose a hearer's mental health, prove divine punishment, or guarantee that danger will end on a preferred timetable.
Nor should prophetic geography be attached confidently to modern headlines without the oracle's full literary and canonical setting. Gay invites careful attention to place, passage, and people. Its pastoral value lies not in romanticizing hardship but in confessing that God's presence and truth meet people in real danger while communities remain responsible to oppose violence, protect the vulnerable, mourn honestly, and avoid speculative certainty.
Ps.23.4
Gay is a Hebrew noun for a valley or gorge, often with a narrow or steep-sided profile. It frequently occurs in construct phrases naming a particular valley. English valley can also translate other Hebrew nouns, so a shared English rendering does not prove identical topography or symbolism.
The New Testament proclaims Christ's presence, resurrection hope, judgment, and final kingship, but those themes should not make every valley reference the same symbol. Connections to Gehenna require careful historical and lexical work beyond assuming that every use of gay is identical with later Greek terminology.