Lexical Summary
Gilgal: Gilgal
Original Word:גִּלְגָּל
Part of Speech:Proper Name Location
Transliteration:Gilgal
Pronunciation:gil-GAWL
Phonetic Spelling:(ghil-gawl')
KJV: Gilgal See also H1019
NASB:Gilgal
Word Origin:[the same asH1536 (גִּלגָּל - wheel) (with the article as a properly, noun)]
1. Gilgal, the name of three places in Israel
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Gilgal
The same asgilgal (with the article as a properly, noun); Gilgal, the name of three places in Palestine -- Gilgal. See alsoBeyth hag-Gllgal.
see HEBREWgilgal
see HEBREWBeyth hag-Gllgal
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom the same as
gilgalDefinition"circle (of stones)," the name of several places in Pal.
NASB TranslationGilgal (40).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
II. (= (sacred)
circle of stones; compare Di on
Joshua 5:9, where word-play on
roll away, off) — with article except
Joshua 5:9;
Joshua 12:23; —
place east of Jericho, where Israel lay encampedJoshua 4:19,20;Joshua 5:9,10;Joshua 9:6;Joshua 10:7,9;Joshua 14:6 compare alsoMicah 6:5 &Judges 3:19 ;? modernTell Jeljul BdPal 169; perhaps also the place where sacrifices were offered1 Samuel 10:8;1 Samuel 11:14,15 (twice in verse);1 Samuel 13:4,7,8,12,15 (in1 Samuel 13:15 insert also with other words, Dr compare We)1 Samuel 15:12,21,33; place of illicit sacrificeHosea 4:15;Hosea 9:15;Hosea 12:12;Amos 4:4;Amos 5:5 (twice in verse), named alsoJudges 2:1;1 Samuel 7:16;2 Samuel 19:16;2 Samuel 19:41; ? =Nehemiah 12:29.
Joshua 15:17 (=Joshua 18:17 compare Di).
place in Northern Israel, dwelling of prophets2 Kings 2:1;2 Kings 4:38, modernJiljilie south from Nâbulus, southwest fromSeilûn (Shiloh) compare Di RiHWB 518.
place in Northern Israel near Mt. Gerizim and Mt. EbalDeuteronomy 11:30, identification with
by Ke RiHWB 518 SchenkelBL SS; but compare Di.
in phraseJoshua 12:23, in list of Canaanitish kings; probably name of a (northern) district compare Di (B — butL & Manuscripts ); Di compareIsaiah 8:23.
Topical Lexicon
Location and TopographyGilgal designates several sites, most prominently the camp on the eastern edge of Jericho (Joshua 4:19) where Israel first lodged after crossing the Jordan. Scripture also mentions a Gilgal near Bethel (2 Kings 2:2), one in the vicinity of the Jordan basin listed among conquered Canaanite kings (Joshua 12:23), and another in the northern hills associated with the restoration of the wall (Nehemiah 12:29). These discrete locations share a name that evokes a “rolling” or “circle,” yet each preserves its own narrative setting.
Foundational Acts of Covenant Renewal
1. Memorial Stones. Twelve stones taken from the Jordan were raised “in Gilgal” as a perpetual witness that “all the peoples of the earth may know the hand of the LORD” (Joshua 4:20–24).
2. Circumcision and Passover. At Gilgal the males born during the wilderness years were circumcised, and Israel kept Passover on the fourteenth day of the month (Joshua 5:9–10). “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you,” the LORD proclaimed, forging a new beginning that paralleled the deliverance from Egypt and anticipated the greater redemption to come.
3. Manna Ceases. “The manna stopped the day after they ate the produce of the land” (Joshua 5:12). Gilgal thus marked Israel’s transition from wilderness provision to inheritance living.
Military Staging Ground
Gilgal served as Joshua’s headquarters throughout the southern and northern campaigns (Joshua 10:6–10; 10:15; 14:6). From this secure base, quick night marches originated, decisive battles were pursued, and commanders returned to report. The pattern reveals the wisdom of establishing a spiritual and strategic center before engaging enemy strongholds.
Gilgal in Israel’s Monarchy
Samuel judged Israel in a circuit that included Gilgal (1 Samuel 7:16). Here he summoned Saul for the king’s public confirmation (1 Samuel 11:14–15) and later confronted him over unlawful sacrifice and incomplete obedience (1 Samuel 13:8–14; 15:12–23). Saul’s failure at Gilgal underscored that victory obtained through covenant obedience at the same site in Joshua’s day could be forfeited by covenant violation. Following Absalom’s rebellion, Gilgal also welcomed David back across the Jordan (2 Samuel 19:15).
School of the Prophets
After the division of the kingdom, Gilgal near Bethel became a residence for the sons of the prophets. Elijah and Elisha set out “from Gilgal” before Elijah’s translation (2 Kings 2:1–2). Later, during famine, Elisha returned to the same community and purified a deadly stew (2 Kings 4:38–41). Gilgal therefore nurtured prophetic ministry, reminding the remnant that the LORD’s word abides amid national turmoil.
Site of Prophetic Rebuke
Centuries of compromise transformed Gilgal from a sanctuary of obedience into a center of ritual without repentance.
• Hosea: “All their evil is at Gilgal; there I came to hate them” (Hosea 9:15).
• Amos: “Come to Bethel and transgress, to Gilgal and multiply transgression” (Amos 4:4).
Despite fervent ceremonies, the people clung to idolatry. The prophets’ choice of Gilgal as an example intensified the indictment; if even the place where God once “rolled away reproach” could harbor sin, no sacred tradition could shield unrepentant hearts.
Remembering and Forgetting
Micah urged the nation, “Remember your journey from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the righteous acts of the LORD” (Micah 6:5). The command assumes that spiritual amnesia, not lack of evidence, breeds rebellion. Gilgal’s stones still stood; the problem lay in neglected memory.
Christological Reflections
Joshua—whose name shares the same Hebrew root as Jesus—led Israel through the Jordan into covenant renewal at Gilgal. The rolling away of reproach and the cessation of manna foreshadow Christ’s finished work, after which believers feed on the produce of an accomplished redemption. As Paul writes, “In Him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of your sinful nature… having been buried with Him in baptism” (Colossians 2:11–12). Gilgal prefigures the believer’s own crossing from death to life, the heart-circumcision wrought by the Spirit, and the memorial witness borne before the nations.
Pastoral and Practical Applications
• Establish memorials: Cultivate intentional reminders of God’s faithfulness.
• Practice covenant obedience: Victory gained must be guarded by ongoing submission, as Saul’s downfall warns.
• Resist empty ritual: Gilgal’s later history proves that sacred spaces and impressive liturgies cannot substitute for repentance and faith.
• Invest in discipleship hubs: The prophetic community at Gilgal models strategic centers for training servants of the word.
• Anticipate greater fulfillment: Every historical Gilgal points forward to Christ, who alone removes reproach and secures promised rest.
Select Old Testament References
Deuteronomy 11:30;Joshua 4:19–24; 5:2–12; 9:6; 10:6–15; 14:6; 15:7; 18:17;Judges 2:1; 3:19;1 Samuel 7:16; 10:8; 11:14–15; 13:4–15; 15:12–23;2 Samuel 19:15;2 Kings 2:1–2; 4:38;Nehemiah 12:29;Hosea 4:15; 9:15; 12:11;Amos 4:4; 5:5;Micah 6:5.
Forms and Transliterations
בַּגִּלְגָּ֑ל בַּגִּלְגָּ֔ל בַּגִּלְגָּ֖ל בַּגִּלְגָּֽל׃ בַּגִּלְגָּל֙ בַגִּלְגָּ֔ל בגלגל בגלגל׃ גִּלְגָּ֔ל גלגל הַגִּלְגָּ֑ל הַגִּלְגָּ֔ל הַגִּלְגָּ֔לָה הַגִּלְגָּ֖ל הַגִּלְגָּ֗ל הַגִּלְגָּ֗לָה הַגִּלְגָּ֙לָה֙ הַגִּלְגָּ֣לָה הַגִּלְגָּֽלָה׃ הַגִּלְגָּֽל׃ הַגִּלְגָּל֒ הַגִּלְגָּל֙ הגלגל הגלגל׃ הגלגלה הגלגלה׃ וְהַגִּלְגָּ֖ל וְהַגִּלְגָּל֙ והגלגל לְגִלְגָּ֖ל לגלגל bag·gil·gāl ḇag·gil·gāl baggilGal baggilgāl ḇaggilgāl gil·gāl gilGal gilgāl hag·gil·gā·lāh hag·gil·gāl haggilGal haggilgāl haggilGalah haggilgālāh lə·ḡil·gāl legilGal ləḡilgāl vaggilGal vehaggilGal wə·hag·gil·gāl wəhaggilgāl
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