Galeed
/ˈɡeɪliːd/noun
A biblical place-name for the stone cairn erected by Jacob and Laban as a witness to their covenant.
Did you know?Genesis 31:47 preserves two names for the same cairn: Jacob called it Galeed in Hebrew, while Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha in Aramaic—both meaning “heap of witness.”
Etymological Timeline
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
גַּלְעֵד (Galʿēd)
““Heap of witness,” formed from gal, “heap or cairn,” and ʿēd, “witness.””
Biblical period
Hebrew
Galeed
“The name Jacob gave to the cairn marking his covenant with Laban in Genesis 31:47–48.”
3rd–2nd Century BCE
Greek
Γαλαάδ (Galaad)
“The Septuagint’s Greek rendering of the Hebrew place-name.”
Late Antiquity
Latin
Galaad
“The Latin biblical form transmitted through the Vulgate tradition.”
16th Century
English
Galeed
“The English biblical spelling used for the covenant monument in Genesis.”
Modern English
English
Galeed
“A biblical proper noun referring to Jacob and Laban’s memorial cairn and covenant witness.”
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