View source for Gilgal

[[File:Gilgal from Bible.jpg|thumb|Gilgal near the [[Israeli settlements in the west bank|Israeli settlement]] of [[Yafit]]]]

{{Short description|Biblical place}}
{{About|the Biblical place|the kibbutz and Israeli settlement|Gilgal (Israeli settlement)|the ancient village and Neolithic archaeological site|Gilgal I|the [[J. R. R. Tolkien]] character|Gil-galad}}
'''Gilgal''' ({{langx|he|גִּלְגָּל}} ''Gilgāl''), also known as '''Galgala''' or '''Galgalatokai of the 12 Stones''' ({{langx|grc|Γαλαγα}} or {{lang|grc|Γαλγαλατοκαι Δωδεκαλίθων}}, ''Dōdekalithōn''), is the name of one or more places in the [[Hebrew Bible]]. Gilgal is mentioned 39 times, in particular in the [[Book of Joshua]], as the place where the [[Israelites]] camped after crossing the [[Jordan River]] (Joshua 4:19 – 5:12). <ref>[https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/2024-05-30/ty-article/the-mystery-of-biblical-gilgal-is-it-one-place-or-are-there-many/0000018f-c8b3-d4da-a58f-fffbc85f0000 The mystery of biblical Gilgal]</ref>

The Hebrew term ''Gilgal'' most likely means "circle of stones".<ref>Kotter, Wade R. (1990). "Gilgal (Place)". In David Noel Freedman, ed., ''Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary''. Volume 2, p. 1022-1024.</ref> Its name appears in [[Koine Greek]] on the [[Madaba Map]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Piccirillo |first1=Michele |title=A Centenary to be celebrated |url=https://archive.org/stream/JordanTimes1995JordanEnglish/Sep%2021%201995%2C%20Jordan%20Times%2C%20%236026%2C%20Jordan%20%28en%29#page/n14/mode/1up |access-date=18 January 2019|work=Jordan Times |agency=[[Franciscan Archaeological Institute]] |date=September 21, 1995}}</ref>

==Places named Gilgal in the Bible==
===In Joshua 4–5===
[[File:Gilgal .jpg|thumb|Proposed location of Biblical Gilgal in the West Bank]]
According to [[Joshua 4:19]], Gilgal is a location "on the eastern border of [[Jericho]]" where the Israelites encamped immediately after crossing the Jordan River. There, they erected [[twelve stones]] as a memorial to the miraculous stopping of the river when they crossed.<ref>[[Joshua 4]]</ref> Joshua then ordered the Israelites who had been born during [[the Exodus]] to be [[circumcision|circumcised]] at this spot. The Bible refers to this place as ''Givat Ha'aralot'', then says that Joshua called the place Gilgal because, in his words, "today I have removed (''galoti'') the shame of Egypt from upon you."<ref>[[Joshua 5]]:9</ref>

Some scholars speculate that the circle of 12 stones was the (unnamed) religious sanctuary that was condemned in [[Book of Amos|Amos]] [[Amos 4|4]]:4 and  [[Amos 5|5]]:5 and [[Book of Hosea|Hosea]] [[Hosea 4|4]]:15.<ref>[[Jewish Encyclopedia]], ''Book of Joshua''; ''Gilgal''</ref>

===Elsewhere in Joshua===
"The king of Goyim, of Gilgal" is listed as one of the 31 kings defeated by Joshua.<ref>Joshua 12:23</ref> His city is identified by [[Eusebius]] with [[Jaljulia]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://amudanan.co.il/w/P139694|title = ג'לג'וליה – עמוד ענן}}</ref>

"In fact, the King of Goim was defeated in Gilgal of Jericho, that is, the name of his city was not Gilgal (Joshua 12:23)

"Gilgal" is mentioned as a location on the border between the tribes of [[Tribe of Judah|Judah]] and [[Benjamin]], near [[Ma'ale Adumim]].<ref>Joshua 15:7</ref>

===In Deuteronomy===
In the [[Book of Deuteronomy]] 11:29–30, Gilgal is a place across from [[Mount Gerizim]] and [[Mount Ebal]].

===In the Book of Samuel===
A place named Gilgal was included in [[Samuel]]'s annual circuit, and is the location where he offered sacrifices after [[Saul]] was anointed as king, and where he renewed Saul's kingship together with the people.<ref>[[Books of Samuel|1 Samuel]] [[1 Samuel 7|chapters 7]] and [[1 Samuel 11|11]]</ref>

In [[1 Samuel 15]], Gilgal is where Samuel hewed King [[Agag]] in pieces after Saul refused to obey God and utterly destroy the [[Amalek#Amalekites in the Hebrew Bible|Amalekites]].<ref>{{bibleverse|1 Samuel|15:32–33|9}}</ref>

On [[King David]]'s return to Jerusalem after the death of his son [[Absalom]] ([[2 Samuel 19]]), David traveled to Gilgal. From there he was escorted to Jerusalem by the tribes of [[Tribe of Judah|Judah]] and [[Tribe of Benjamin|Benjamin]].<ref>{{bibleverse|2 Samuel|19:15|9}}</ref>

Again it is possible for this to be yet another "circle of standing stones" <ref>[http://biblehub.com/hebrew/1537.htm Strong's Concordance: Gilgal]</ref> (or the same one as mentioned in relation to Elijah and Elisha, as [[Bethel]] is on the circuit with Gilgal, and other assumed locations show Gilgal to be far further away than the other two locations), and it is significant that it is treated as a holy place by the biblical text, rather than as a heathen one.

===In the Book of Kings===
In the [[Books of Kings]], "Gilgal" is mentioned as the home of a company of [[prophet#Judaism|prophet]]s. The text states that [[Elijah]] and [[Elisha]] came from Gilgal to Bethel, and then onward to [[Jericho]] and to the [[Jordan River|Jordan]],<ref>{{bibleverse|2|Kings| 2:1–6|NKJV}}</ref> suggesting that the place was in the vicinity of Bethel, and far from Joshua's Gilgal near Jericho.

Since "Gilgal" means a "circle of standing stones", it is quite plausible for there to have been more than one place named Gilgal, and although there are dissenting opinions, it is commonly held to be a different place from the one involved with Joshua; it has been identified with the village [[Jaljulia]], about {{convert|11|km}} north of Bethel. It is significant that the Books of Kings treat it as a place of holiness, suggesting that stone circles still had a positive religious value at the time the source text of the passages in question was written, rather than having been condemned as heathen by religious reforms. Another opinion is that it is not different from the Book of Joshua, as it locates it near Bethel as does the [[Books of Chronicles]].{{Citation needed|date=January 2013}}

===In Hosea===
Gilgal is mentioned in God's rebuke of the Israelites saying: "The Lord says, 'All their wickedness began at Gilgal; there I began to hate them. I will drive them from my land because of their evil actions. I will love them no more because all their leaders are rebels.'"([[Hosea 9]], {{Bibleverse|Hosea|9:15|HE}}).

Hosea also mentions sacrifices in Gilgal: "If Gilead be given to iniquity becoming altogether vanity, in Gilgal they sacrifice unto bullocks; yea, their altars shall be as heaps in the furrows of the field." ([[Hosea 12]], {{Bibleverse|Hosea|12:11|HE}}).

==Gilgal as a geographic term==
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The term ''gilgal'' is thought by many modern archaeologists to refer to a type of structure, which may then receive additional names, for example "the gilgal by the [[terebinth]]s of [[Givat HaMoreh|Moreh]]" ({{Bibleverse|Deuteronomy|11:30|HE}}) or "the gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho" ({{Bibleverse|Joshua|4:19|HE}}). Gilgal structures have been found only in the [[Jordan Valley|Jordan River valley]], and in the [[Samaria]]n mountains on the edge of the desert. Pottery discoveries date them to the early Israelite period, with most remains from the 12th–11th centuries BCE. They are located on the lower slopes of a hill, have a footprint-shaped stone outline, and were used for occasional assembly rather than permanent dwelling. These sites are hypothesized to be ritual sites where the early Israelites celebrated holidays together, until worship was centralized. The footprint-shaped outline recalls ancient Egyptian symbolism in which a footprint symbolized ownership. The use of low slopes is in contrast to [[Canaanite religion|Canaanite  practice]], which placed sanctuaries "on every lofty hill" ([[2 Kings 17]]:10).<ref name="eydar">Dror Eydar, [http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=12089 In the footsteps of ancient Israelite kings], September 18, 2013</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.news1.co.il/Archive/0024-D-61229-00.html|title=כל מקום שבו דרכה כף רגלנו}}</ref>

This theory is disputed by [[Nadav Na'aman]], who argues that "gilgal" as a type of settlement never appears in the Bible, and that all references to a place of that name are either corruptions (for example of "Galilee") or refer to a single unidentified cultic site east of Jericho.<ref name="o207"/>

=== Gilgal/Golgol in the Hula Valley ===
A [[Late Roman Empire|Late Roman]] boundary stone discovered at [[Abil al-Qamh|Abil al-Qamḥ]] (biblical [[Abel-beth-maachah|Abel Beth Maacah]]) mentions the toponym ''Golgol'' (Γολγολ), derived from the Semitic root GLGL/''Gilgal''. While earlier researchers tentatively identified this site with [[Tell el-Ajjul]], recent linguistic and cartographic analysis has proposed a revised location at [[Al-Zuq al-Fawqani|al-Zūq al-Fauqānī]], based on the Arabic micro-toponym ''Juneijil'' (جنيجل). This interpretation highlights how elements of ancient toponymy have survived in localized [[Palestinian Arabic]] place names, particularly through phonological shifts over time.<ref>Marom, Roy. 2025. "A Toponymic Reassessment of the Abil al-Qamḥ Diocletianic Boundary Stone: Identifying Golgol at al-Zūq al-Fauqānī." ''Jerusalem Journal of Archaeology'' 8: 51–59. https://jjar.huji.ac.il/article/1_00008_3</ref>

==Location==
[[Edward Robinson (scholar)|Edward Robinson]] first drew the connection to Gilgal to [[Jiljilyya]] in 1838,<ref name=Robinson82>Robinson, 1841, vol 3, p. [https://archive.org/stream/biblicalresearch03robiuoft#page/n99/mode/1up 82]</ref><ref name=Robinson125>Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 3, Appendix 2, p.  [https://archive.org/stream/biblicalresearch03robiuoft#page/125/mode/1up 125]</ref> as did [[Charles William Meredith van de Velde|van de Velde]]<ref>van de Velde, 1858, p. [https://archive.org/stream/memoirtoaccompa00veldgoog#page/n325/mode/1up  316]</ref> and [[Victor Guérin]] in 1870.<ref name=Guerin>Guérin, 1875, pp. [https://archive.org/stream/descriptiongogr04gugoog#page/n192/mode/1up 167]-168</ref> In 1882, SWP noted: "The name suggests its identity with Gilgal, a town in the mountains near Bethel. This Gilgal (2 Kings ii. i) is mentioned as though ''above'' [[Bethel]] (verse 2), which does not agree exactly with the position of Jiljilia (2,441 feet above the sea), and of [[Beitin]] (2,890), but the descent into the great
valley, Wady el Jib, may account for the expression, 'went down to Bethel."<ref name=SWP290>Conder and Kitchener, 1882, SWP II, p. [https://archive.org/stream/surveyofwesternp02conduoft#page/290/mode/1up 290]</ref>

In the 20th century, archaeologist [[William F. Albright|W.F. Albright]] disagreed with this identification,<ref>Albright, 1922, p. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/3768487 116]</ref> while [[Félix-Marie Abel|Abel]] agreed with it.<ref>[[Félix-Marie Abel|Abel]] 1938:337; cited in Finkelstein et al, 1997, p. 557</ref>

=== Khirbet en-Nitle ===
According to Yoel Elitzur (2019), "the main Gilgal in the Bible" is located between Jericho and the Jordan river, and corresponds to the settlement of Khirbet en-Nitle.<ref>[https://www.openbible.info/geo/modern/m956ef3/khirbet-en-nitleh Khirbet en Nitleh] - openbible.info</ref> This Gilgal is mentioned 11 times in the book of Joshua, and most of the narratives in the Early Prophets happening in 'Gilgal' correspond to this location. In particular, 2 Sam 19:16 refers to this Gilgal while describing the events in the life of David, who passed near this location while returning after the death of Absalom from [[Mahanaim]] to Jerusalem.<ref name="j655">{{cite journal | author=ELITZUR, Yoel | title=The Meaning of 'Gilgal' | journal=Revue Biblique | issue=3 | date=2019 | issn=2466-8583 | doi=10.2143/RBI.126.3.3286845 | url=https://www.academia.edu/43663947/ | pages=321–343}}</ref>

Nadav Na'aman also refers to the same area near Jericho, and argues that the original Gilgal was located there, although he is not certain about the exact location of the site.<ref name="o207">{{cite journal | last=Naʾaman | first=Nadav | title=Biblical Gilgal: A Common Place Name or a Cult Site near Jericho? | journal=Tel Aviv | volume=51 | issue=1 | date=2024-01-02 | issn=0334-4355 | doi=10.1080/03344355.2024.2327800 | doi-access=free | pages=59–72 | url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/03344355.2024.2327800?needAccess=true | access-date=2025-06-10}}</ref>

The excavations at the site were conducted in 1950 by an American expedition led by Prof. J. L. Kelso.<ref>Kelso, J. L., Baramki, D. C. (1955), [https://fada.birzeit.edu/handle/20.500.11889/5550?mode=simple Excavations at New Testament Jericho and Khirbet en-Nitla.] New Haven, CT: AASOR.</ref>

==See also==
*[[Ancient underground quarry, Jordan Valley]], possibly associated by the Byzantines with Gilgal and the "twelve stones"
*[[Yom HaAliyah]], Israeli national holiday created to honor the Jewish people carrying the Ark of the Covenant crossing the Jordan River into the Land of Israel at Gilgal as recorded in the Book of Joshua in the Bible.
*[[Gilgal I]], Neolithic site in the Jordan Valley, West Bank
*[[Gilgal (Israeli settlement)]], Israeli settlement in the Jordan Valley, West Bank

==References==
{{Reflist}}
==Bibliography==
{{refbegin}}
*{{cite journal | author = Albright, W.F.| author-link=William F. Albright| title = Excavations and Results at Tell el-Fûl (Gibeah of Saul)  | journal = The Annual of the American Schools of Oriental Research| volume = 4 | pages = iii+ix+xi+xiii+1–160| year = 1922| jstor=3768487| doi=10.2307/3768487}}
*{{cite book|last1=Conder|first1=C.R.|author-link1=Claude Reignier Conder|last2=Kitchener|first2=H.H.|author-link2=Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener|year=1882|url=https://archive.org/details/surveyofwesternp02conduoft|title=The Survey of Western Palestine: Memoirs of the Topography, Orography, Hydrography, and Archaeology|location=London|publisher=[[Palestine Exploration Fund|Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund]]|volume=2}}  
*{{cite book|editor1=Finkelstein, I. | editor1-link= Israel Finkelstein|editor2=Lederman, Zvi|year=1997|title=Highlands of many cultures |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hA59tgAACAAJ |location=[[Tel Aviv]]|publisher= Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv University Publications Section| isbn = 978-965-440-007-7}}
*{{cite book|last=Guérin|first=V.|author-link=Victor Guérin|title=Description Géographique Historique et Archéologique de la Palestine|url=https://archive.org/details/descriptiongogr04gugoog|volume=2: Samarie, pt. 2|year=1875|publisher= L'Imprimerie Nationale|location=Paris|language=fr}} 
* Kelso, J. L., Baramki, D. C. (1955), [https://fada.birzeit.edu/handle/20.500.11889/5550?mode=simple Excavations at New Testament Jericho and Khirbet en-Nitla.] New Haven, CT: AASOR.
*{{cite book|last1=Robinson|first1=E.|author-link1=Edward Robinson (scholar)|last2=Smith|first2=E.|author-link2=Eli Smith|year=1841|url=https://archive.org/details/biblicalresearch03robiuoft |title=Biblical Researches in Palestine, Mount Sinai and Arabia Petraea: A Journal of Travels in the year 1838|  location=Boston|publisher=[[Crocker & Brewster]]|volume=3}} 
*{{cite book|last=Velde, van de |first=C.W.M.|author-link=Charles William Meredith van de Velde|year=1858|url=https://archive.org/details/memoirtoaccompa00veldgoog|title=Memoir to Accompany the Map of the Holy Land |location=Gotha|publisher=[[Justus Perthes (publishing company)|Justus Perthes]]}} 
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{EB1911 Poster|Gilgal}}
* Dror Eydar, [http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=12089 In the footsteps of ancient Israelite kings], September 18, 2013

{{Ark of the Covenant}}

{{coord|32.0330|N|35.4757|E|source:wikidata|display=title}}

[[Category:Hebrew Bible places]]
[[Category:Samuel]]
[[Category:Saul]]
[[Category:Book of Joshua]]
[[Category:Book of Deuteronomy]]
[[Category:Books of Samuel]]
[[Category:Books of Kings]]
[[Category:Book of Hosea]]