Lexical Summary
golah: Exile, Captivity
Original Word:גּוֹלָה
Part of Speech:Noun Feminine
Transliteration:gowlah
Pronunciation:go-LAH
Phonetic Spelling:(go-law')
KJV: (carried away), captive(-ity), removing
NASB:exile, exiles, captives
Word Origin:[active participle feminine ofH1540 (גָּלָה - uncover)]
1. exile
2. (concretely, collectively) exiles
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
carried away, captivity, removing
Or (shortened) golah {go-law'}; active participle feminine ofgalah; exile; concretely and collectively exiles -- (carried away), captive(-ity), removing.
see HEBREWgalah
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfem. part. of
galahDefinitionexiles, exile
NASB Translationcaptives (1), exile (19), exiled* (1), exiles (16), exiles* (5).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
42 — (compare Arabic
one emigrating,
a company of exiles) —
Jeremiah 28:6 38t.,
Isaiah 49:21;
1 Chronicles 5:22;
Esther 2:6;
Nahum 3:10; —
collectiveexiles,Esther 2:6;Jeremiah 29:1;Ezekiel 1:1;Ezekiel 3:11,15;Ezekiel 11:24,25;Nahum 3:10;Jeremiah 28:6;Jeremiah 29:4,20,31,Ezra 10:8.
,exile,Ezra 6:21;Ezra 9:4;Ezra 10:6;Zechariah 6:10;go into exileJeremiah 48:11;Jeremiah 49:3;Ezekiel 12:11;Ezekiel 25:3;Amos 1:15;Jeremiah 29:16;Jeremiah 48:7;Zechariah 14:2;carry into exile2 Kings 24:15,2 Kings 24:16,Ezekiel 12:4,Ezra 1:11;equipment for exileJeremiah 46:19;Ezekiel 12:3,4,7;until the exile1 Chronicles 5:22;exilesEzra 4:1;Ezra 6:19,20;Ezra 8:35;Ezra 10:7,16;capitivity of the exileEzra 2:1;Nehemiah 7:6.
Topical Lexicon
OverviewThe noun גּוֹלָה most commonly designates the body of Israelites who were deported from their homeland and lived in foreign lands under Assyrian, Babylonian, and later Persian rule. It can also denote the condition of captivity itself. Across roughly forty-four Old Testament occurrences, the term always keeps the dual focus of people and place: a displaced covenant community and the foreign soil that marks their discipline and testing.
Usage across Scripture
• Historical Books:2 Kings 24–25 repeatedly reports that King Nebuchadnezzar “carried all Jerusalem into exile” (2 Kings 24:14) and later “took into exile the rest of the people who were left in the city” (2 Kings 25:11).
• Prophetic Books: Ezekiel writes from among the deportees—“In the thirtieth year… I was among the exiles by the Kebar River” (Ezekiel 1:1). Jeremiah recalls earlier exiles under Jehoiachin (Jeremiah 29:1) and looks ahead to their restoration (Jeremiah 29:14).
• Post-Exilic Writings: Ezra and Nehemiah employ the word as a virtual title—“the returnees of the captivity.”Ezra 2:1 introduces the census with, “These are the people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles.”Nehemiah 7:6 copies the same register, reinforcing the community’s identity.
•Esther 2:6 anchors Mordecai’s family account in the same historic deportation, showing how the exile shaped Jewish life across the Persian Empire.
Historical Context
1. Assyrian Deportations (722 BC onward) removed large segments of the northern tribes, creating an early golah that never returned in mass.
2. Babylonian Captivity (597/586 BC) uprooted the southern kingdom of Judah, with waves of deportees in 605, 597, and 586 BC. The elite of society, temple vessels, and ultimately the monarchy itself were carried to Babylon.
3. Persian Era Return (539 BC forward) began under Cyrus’s decree. Yet even after successive returns under Zerubbabel, Ezra, and Nehemiah, substantial portions of the golah remained scattered, forming the Diaspora addressed in later Scripture (for example,1 Peter 1:1).
Theological Significance
Judgment and Mercy: The exile demonstrates covenant discipline for persistent idolatry (2 Kings 17:7–23) yet simultaneously highlights God’s unwavering commitment to His promises. Restoration prophecies (Jeremiah 29:10;Ezekiel 11:17) underscore mercy that triumphs over judgment.
Remnant Doctrine: The golah preserves a purified remnant through which the Messianic line and the Scriptures themselves are safeguarded.
Missionary Dimension: Living “among the nations” placed Israel’s faith in the international arena (compareDaniel 3 and 6), previewing the global scope of the Gospel.
Representative References
•2 Kings 24:16 – “All the men of valor… the king of Babylon brought them into exile to Babylon.”
•Ezekiel 3:15 – “Then I came to the exiles at Tel-abib who lived beside the Kebar River, and I sat there among them for seven days—overwhelmed.”
•Jeremiah 29:1 – “This is the text of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the rest of the elders of the exiles…”
•Ezra 6:21 – “The Israelites who had returned from exile ate it, together with all who had separated themselves from the uncleanness of the peoples of the land to seek the LORD.”
•Nehemiah 8:17 – “The whole assembly who had returned from the captivity made booths and lived in them… and their joy was very great.”
•Esther 2:6 – “Mordecai had been carried into exile from Jerusalem with the captives who had been deported with King Jeconiah of Judah.”
•Ezekiel 39:28 – “Then they will know that I am the LORD their God, when I regather them to their own land, not leaving any of them behind.”
Worship and Identity in the Golah
Deportation dismantled temple-based worship, pressing the exiles toward prayer, fasting, and Scripture study (Daniel 6:10;Ezra 7:10). Upon return, rebuilding the altar and temple (Ezra 3–6) became the tangible sign of renewed covenant fidelity. The reading of the Law inNehemiah 8 anchored communal identity, while strict measures against intermarriage (Ezra 9–10) protected holiness.
Practical Ministry Implications
1. Enduring Discipline: Exile illustrates that divine correction, though painful, aims at restoration (Hebrews 12:11 echoes the principle).
2. Faith under Pressure: Daniel, Ezekiel, and Esther model courageous witness in hostile cultures—essential for believers who find themselves cultural outsiders.
3. Hope of Return: Just as the golah could trust God’s timetable (Jeremiah 29:10), Christians await the consummated kingdom with unshakable assurance.
Eschatological Perspective
Prophets merge the historical return with ultimate restoration.Ezekiel 37 joins the return imagery to resurrection life, andIsaiah 49 casts the Servant’s mission in worldwide regathering terms, fulfilled in Jesus Christ gathering both Jew and Gentile (John 10:16).
Christological Foreshadowing
The physical return from exile prefigures the greater redemption accomplished by Christ, who proclaims “freedom for the captives” (Luke 4:18). Just as Persia’s decree opened the way back to Zion, the cross opens the way into the heavenly Jerusalem.
Related Terms and Concepts
Captivity, Diaspora, Remnant, Restoration, Return, Sojourner.
Key Figures of the Golah
Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, Ezekiel, Esther, Mordecai, Zerubbabel, Ezra, Nehemiah—each embodies aspects of faithful living, leadership, and renewal within or after the exile.
Summary
גּוֹלָה gathers within one word the pain of judgment, the hope of restoration, and the enduring faithfulness of God to His covenant people. Its storyline moves from expulsion to return, from despair to joy, pointing ultimately to the greater deliverance accomplished in Jesus Christ and anticipating the full ingathering of God’s people into His everlasting kingdom.
Forms and Transliterations
בַּגּוֹלָ֑ה בַּגּוֹלָ֔ה בַּגּוֹלָ֣ה בַּגּוֹלָ֥ה בַּגּוֹלָֽה׃ בגולה בגולה׃ גֹּלָ֣ה ׀ גּוֹלֶ֔ה גּוֹלָ֖ה גּוֹלָ֥ה גּוֹלָֽה׃ גוֹלָ֔ה גוֹלָ֛ה גוֹלָה֙ גולה גולה׃ גלה הַ֨גּוֹלָ֔ה הַגֹּלָֽה׃ הַגֹּלָה֙ הַגּוֹלָ֑ה הַגּוֹלָ֔ה הַגּוֹלָ֖ה הַגּוֹלָ֗ה הַגּוֹלָ֜ה הַגּוֹלָֽה׃ הַגּוֹלָה֒ הַגּוֹלָה֙ הגולה הגולה׃ הגלה הגלה׃ וּבַגּוֹלָ֖ה ובגולה לַגֹּלָה֙ לגלה מֵֽהַגּוֹלָ֔ה מהגולה bag·gō·w·lāh baggoLah baggōwlāh gō·lāh gō·w·lāh ḡō·w·lāh gō·w·leh goLah gōlāh goLeh gōwlāh ḡōwlāh gōwleh hag·gō·lāh hag·gō·w·lāh haggoLah haggōlāh haggōwlāh lag·gō·lāh laggoLah laggōlāh mê·hag·gō·w·lāh mehaggoLah mêhaggōwlāh ū·ḇag·gō·w·lāh ūḇaggōwlāh uvaggoLah
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