Lexical Summary
gillayon: Tablet, scroll, writing surface
Original Word:גִּלָּיוֹן
Part of Speech:Noun Masculine
Transliteration:gillayown
Pronunciation:gil-lah-yone
Phonetic Spelling:(ghil-law-yone')
KJV: glass, roll
NASB:hand mirrors, tablet
Word Origin:[fromH1540 (גָּלָה - uncover)]
1. a tablet for writing (as bare)
2. by analogy, a mirror (as a plate)
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
glass, roll
Or gilyown {ghil-yone'}; fromgalah; a tablet for writing (as bare); by analogy, a mirror (as a plate) -- glass, roll.
see HEBREWgalah
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
galahDefinitiona table, tablet
NASB Translationhand mirrors (1), tablet (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
(Talmud , the empty margin of page or roll, see Lag
GN 1881, 403, compare BN 199) —
take thee a great tablet and write upon itIsaiah 8:1; plural
tablets of polished metal, mirrorsIsaiah 3:23 Ges Che Di De; but
transparent garments, gauzes, Ew (compare Arabic
fine garment).
Topical Lexicon
Semantic Range and Physical FormThe Hebrew noun גִּלָּיוֹן describes a smooth, polished surface prepared for writing or reflection. In the Ancient Near East this could be a thin board coated with plaster for ink, a sheet of parchment, or a burnished metal mirror. The shared idea is an even, gleaming plane designed either to receive an inscription or to cast an image.
Occurrences in Scripture
1.Isaiah 3:23 – translated “mirrors.”
2.Isaiah 8:1 – rendered “large scroll” (or “tablet”).
Isaiah 3:23 – Mirrored Vanity and Divine Reproof
InIsaiah 3 the prophet catalogs the ornate accessories of proud daughters of Zion. The mirror (gillayon) symbolizes a culture preoccupied with self-admiration. By listing the object just before announcing judgment, the Spirit exposes the futility of external beauty when the heart is estranged from God. The polished plate that once reflected a face will soon reflect desolation; thus gillayon becomes an emblem of misplaced trust in outward appearance (compareProverbs 31:30).
Isaiah 8:1 – Prophetic Scroll and Covenant Accountability
“Then the Lord said to me, ‘Take a large scroll and write on it with an ordinary pen: Maher-shalal-hash-baz.’” (Isaiah 8:1). Here the gillayon is a public document. Its size (“large”) and ordinary stylus stress clarity and accessibility; the prediction of swift judgment had to be plainly visible so no one could later claim ignorance (seeHabakkuk 2:2). The object therefore functions as a witness between God and the nation, confirming that the prophetic word is not esoteric but understandable and binding.
Historical Background
Archaeology has uncovered plastered writing boards and burnished bronze mirrors from first-millennium B.C. Palestine. Both were prized household items. Mirrors were luxury imports or high-status possessions; writing tablets served legal, commercial, and prophetic purposes. Isaiah employs contemporary objects familiar to his audience to anchor spiritual truth in daily life.
Theological Themes
1. Revelation versus Reflection – Gillayon either receives divine words or reflects human faces. The contrast urges readers to let Scripture shape identity rather than vanity shape destiny (James 1:23-25).
2. Public Accountability – The written gillayon inIsaiah 8 makes God’s word verifiable history, reinforcing the doctrine that prophecy is objective and testable (Deuteronomy 18:22).
3. Judgment and Grace – While both passages warn of impending discipline, the preservation of the written prophecy also secures hope; once judgment is fulfilled, the same written record validates future promises (Isaiah 55:11).
Ministry Applications
• Encourage transparent proclamation: like Isaiah’s large scroll, biblical teaching should be plain, legible, and open to scrutiny.
• Guard against image-driven spirituality: mirrors remind believers to measure worth by Christ’s righteousness rather than cultural aesthetics.
• Preserve written testimony: journaling answered prayers, church minutes, and doctrinal statements follows the prophetic pattern of maintaining a tangible witness to God’s works.
Gillayon thus bridges vanity and verity—calling God’s people to exchange self-reflection for divine revelation and to inscribe His word on every available surface of life.
Forms and Transliterations
גִּלָּי֣וֹן גליון וְהַגִּלְיֹנִים֙ והגלינים gil·lā·yō·wn gillaYon gillāyōwn vehaggilyoNim wə·hag·gil·yō·nîm wəhaggilyōnîm
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