Lexical Summary
gulgoleth: Skull, head, poll
Original Word:גֻּלְגֹּלֶת
Part of Speech:Noun Feminine
Transliteration:gulgoleth
Pronunciation:gul-go'-leth
Phonetic Spelling:(gul-go'-leth)
KJV: head, every man, poll, skull
NASB:head, apiece, census, skull
Word Origin:[by reduplication fromH1556 (גָּלַל - roll)]
1. a skull (as round)
2. (by implication) a head (in enumeration of persons)
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
head, every man, poll, skull
By reduplication fromgalal; a skull (as round); by implication, a head (in enumeration of persons) -- head, every man, poll, skull.
see HEBREWgalal
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
galalDefinitiona skull, head, poll (of persons)
NASB Translationapiece (2), census (2), head (11), skull (2).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
(person) (on formation compare Ba
NB 205; Aramaic ) — absolute
2 Kings 9:35 3t.; suffix
Judges 9:53;
1 Chronicles 10:10; plural suffix
Numbers 1:2 5t.; —
skull, as broken by a stoneJudges 9:53; as severed from body2 Kings 9:35;1 Chronicles 10:10.
head, poll (in counting, taxing, etc.; only P and late)Exodus 16:16an omer for every man; compareExodus 38:26;Numbers 1:2,18,20,22;Numbers 3:47;1 Chronicles 23:3,24.
Topical Lexicon
Meaning and ScopeGulgólet denotes the physical skull or, by extension, an individual person (“per head”). The term moves fluidly between literal anatomy and the idea of personal identity and accountability.
Usage in Provision and Daily Sustenance
Exodus 16:16 introduces the word in the context of manna: “You may take an omer for each person you have in your tent.” Divine provision is measured out personally; grace is neither collectivized nor anonymous.
Role in Census and Ransom Legislation
The census passages (Exodus 38:26;Numbers 1:2, 18, 20, 22;Numbers 3:47) count Israel “by each person,” coupling enumeration with equal ransom: “a beka per man” (Exodus 38:26). Every skull required the same atonement, foreshadowing the universal ransom Christ would pay for sin.
Military and Administrative Accounting
In1 Chronicles 23:3, 24 the Levites are “listed individually by name.” Ministry was structured around knowing each head, a pattern that commends personal shepherding in the church today.
Symbol of Mortality, Judgment, and Warfare
The word darkens inJudges 9:53 (“cracking his skull”),2 Kings 9:35 (“nothing but the skull”), and1 Chronicles 10:10 (Saul’s head in Dagon’s temple). Exposed skulls become testimonies to human frailty and divine judgment upon rebellion.
Foreshadowing Golgotha
The Aramaic cognate emerges in “Golgotha, which means Place of the Skull” (Matthew 27:33). The Old Testament’s individual ransoms and grim skull scenes converge at the cross, where the true ransom is paid “once for all” (Hebrews 10:10).
Ministry Implications
• Individual worth—God counts people one by one; pastoral care follows suit.
• Equal ransom—salvation rests on Christ alone, eliminating social or economic distinctions.
• Mortality and judgment—faithful preaching warns of death and points to the only sufficient atonement.
• Christ-centered hope—every earlier gulgólet points toward the Head of the church who triumphed at the Place of the Skull.
Forms and Transliterations
גֻּלְגָּלְתּ֥וֹ גֻּלְגָּלְתּֽוֹ׃ גלגלתו גלגלתו׃ הַגֻּלְגֹּ֛לֶת הגלגלת לְגֻלְגְּלֹתָ֔ם לְגֻלְגְּלֹתָֽם׃ לְגֻלְגְּלֹתָם֙ לַגֻּלְגֹּ֑לֶת לַגֻּלְגֹּ֔לֶת לַגֻּלְגֹּ֗לֶת לגלגלת לגלגלתם לגלגלתם׃ gul·gā·lə·tōw gulgālətōw gulgalTo hag·gul·gō·leṯ haggulGolet haggulgōleṯ lag·gul·gō·leṯ laggulGolet laggulgōleṯ lə·ḡul·gə·lō·ṯām legulgeloTam ləḡulgəlōṯām
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