Gilgal

Gilgal(Hebrew:גִּלְגָּלGilgāl), also known asGalgalaorGalgalatokai of the 12 Stones(Greek:ΓαλαγαorΓαλγαλατοκαι Δωδεκαλίθων,Dōdekalithōn), is the name of one or more places in theHebrew Bible.Gilgal is mentioned 39 times, in particular in theBook of Joshua,as the place where theIsraelitescamped after crossing theJordan River(Joshua 4:19 – 5:12). The Hebrew termGilgalmost likely means "circle of stones".Its name appears inKoine Greekon theMadaba Map.

Gilgal near the village of Yafit

This article is about the Biblical place. For the kibbutz and Israeli settlement, seeGilgal (Israeli settlement).For the ancient village and Neolithic archaeological site, seeGilgal I.For theJ. R. R. Tolkiencharacter, seeGil-galad.

Places named Gilgal in the Bible

In Joshua 4–5

Proposed location of Biblical Gilgal in the West Bank

According toJoshua 4:19,Gilgal is a location "on the eastern border ofJericho"where the Israelites encamped immediately after crossing the Jordan River. There, they erectedtwelve stonesas a memorial to the miraculous stopping of the river when they crossed.Joshua then ordered the Israelites who had been born duringthe Exodusto becircumcisedat this spot. The Bible refers to this place asGivat 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. "

Some scholars speculate that the circle of 12 stones was the (unnamed) religious sanctuary that was condemned inAmos4:4 and5:5 andHosea4:15.

Elsewhere in Joshua

"The king of Goyim, of Gilgal" is listed as one of the 31 kings defeated by Joshua.His city is identified byEusebiuswithJaljulia.

"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 ofJudahandBenjamin,nearMa'ale Adumim.

In Deuteronomy

In theBook of Deuteronomy11:29–30, Gilgal is a place across fromMount GerizimandMount Ebal.

In the Book of Samuel

A place named Gilgal was included inSamuel's annual circuit, and is the location where he offered sacrifices afterSaulwas anointed as king, and where he renewed Saul's kingship together with the people.

In1 Samuel 15,Gilgal is where Samuel hewed KingAgagin pieces after Saul refused to obey God and utterly destroy theAmalekites.

OnKing David's return to Jerusalem after the death of his sonAbsalom(2 Samuel 19), David traveled to Gilgal. From there he was escorted to Jerusalem by the tribes ofJudahandBenjamin.

Again it is possible for this to be yet another "circle of standing stones"(or the same one as mentioned in relation to Elijah and Elisha, asBethelis 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 theBooks of Kings,"Gilgal" is mentioned as the home of a company ofprophets.The text states thatElijahandElishacame from Gilgal to Bethel, and then onward toJerichoand to theJordan,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 villageJaljulia,about 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) 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 theBooks of Chronicles.

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,Hosea 9:15).

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,Hosea 12:11).

Gilgal as a geographic term

The termgilgalis thought by many modern archaeologists to refer to a type of structure, which may then receive additional names, for example "the gilgal by theterebinthsofMoreh"(Deuteronomy 11:30) or "the gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho" (Joshua 4:19). Gilgal structures have been found only in theJordan River valley,and in theSamarianmountains 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 toCanaanite practice,which placed sanctuaries "on every lofty hill" (2 Kings 17:10).

This theory is disputed byNadav 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.

Location

Edward Robinsonfirst drew the connection to Gilgal toJiljilyyain 1838,as didvan de VeldeandVictor Guérinin 1870.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 thoughaboveBethel(verse 2), which does not agree exactly with the position of Jiljilia (2,441 feet above the sea), and ofBeitin(2,890), but the descent into the great valley, Wady el Jib, may account for the expression, 'went down to Bethel. "

In the 20th century, archaeologistW.F. Albrightdisagreed with this identification,whileAbelagreed with it.

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

Bibliography

• Albright, W.F.(1922). "Excavations and Results at Tell el-Fûl (Gibeah of Saul)".The Annual of the American Schools of Oriental Research.4:iii+ix+xi+xiii+1–160.doi:10.2307/3768487.JSTOR3768487.
• Conder, C.R.;Kitchener, H.H.(1882).The Survey of Western Palestine: Memoirs of the Topography, Orography, Hydrography, and Archaeology.Vol. 2. London:Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund.
• Finkelstein, I.;Lederman, Zvi, eds. (1997).Highlands of many cultures.Tel Aviv:Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv University Publications Section.ISBN978-965-440-007-7.
• Guérin, V.(1875).Description Géographique Historique et Archéologique de la Palestine(in French). Vol. 2: Samarie, pt. 2. Paris: L'Imprimerie Nationale.
• Robinson, E.;Smith, E.(1841).Biblical Researches in Palestine, Mount Sinai and Arabia Petraea: A Journal of Travels in the year 1838.Vol. 3. Boston:Crocker & Brewster.
• Velde, van de, C.W.M.(1858).Memoir to Accompany the Map of the Holy Land.Gotha:Justus Perthes.

External links

• Dror Eydar,In the footsteps of ancient Israelite kings,September 18, 2013