גְלִילָה
ge.li.lah
border
Lexicon Entry
Lexicon data from STEPBible TIPNR, Tyndale House, Cambridge. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
What Original Readers Understood
Supported# Gelilah (גְלִילָה): A Hebrew Term for Border The Hebrew word *gelilah* refers to a border or boundary. With only five occurrences in the biblical text, this is a relatively rare term in Hebrew scripture. Its limited frequency suggests it served a specific function in describing geographical or territorial demarcations rather than being a common everyday word. The rarity of *gelilah* in the biblical record makes it a specialized vocabulary choice. When biblical writers needed to denote a border, they had various options available, yet *gelilah* appears in only five instances. This selective usage indicates the word likely carried particular weight or precision when employed, though the specific contexts of those five occurrences would be necessary to determine whether it referred to political boundaries, geographical features, or other types of demarcations. Without access to the specific biblical passages where *gelilah* appears, analysis is limited to noting that this term represents one of several Hebrew words available for expressing the concept of borders. Its scarcity in the biblical corpus distinguishes it from more frequently used alternatives, marking it as a less typical but intentional choice for communicating boundary-related concepts in ancient Hebrew texts.
Source data & methodology
Occurrences in Scripture
5 total occurrences across the text
Then he said to me, “These waters flow out toward the eastern region, and will go down into the Arabah. Then they will go toward the sea; and flow into the sea which will be made to flow out; and the waters will be healed.
Joel 3:4“Yes, and what are you to me, Tyre, and Sidon, and all the regions of Philistia? Will you repay me? And if you repay me, I will swiftly and speedily return your repayment on your own head.
Joshua 13:2“This is the land that still remains: all the regions of the Philistines, and all the Geshurites;
Joshua 22:10When they came to the region near the Jordan, that is in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an altar there by the Jordan, a great altar to look at.
Joshua 22:11The children of Israel heard this, “Behold, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh have built an altar along the border of the land of Canaan, in the region around the Jordan, on the side that belongs to the children of Israel.”