Gilgal
/ˈɡɪlɡæl/noun
A biblical place name associated with several sites in ancient Israel, especially a camp of the Israelites after crossing the Jordan River.
Did you know?The best-known Gilgal was associated with twelve memorial stones, while the name’s repeated form may evoke a rotating wheel or circle in Hebrew.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*galgal-
“Wheel, circular object, or something rolling”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
גִּלְגָּל (gilgāl)
“Wheel, circle, or place-name traditionally connected with a circle of stones”
Iron Age
Hebrew
Gilgal
“A place name used for several locations in ancient Israel”
3rd Century BCE–1st Century CE
Greek
Γαλγαλα (Galgala)
“Transliterated biblical place name in Greek biblical tradition”
4th–5th Century CE
Latin
Galgal
“Transliterated place name in Latin biblical texts”
Modern English
English
Gilgal
“Biblical proper noun referring to one or more ancient sites in Israel”