גּוֹלָה
𐤂𐤅𐤋𐤄
gôwlâh
H1473 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Exile; the state or condition of being removed or deported from one's homeland to a foreign land, especially in reference to collective groups such as the Israelite population during forced deportations. May also refer concretely to the community of people who have been exiled as a group (e.g., the exiles in Babylon). In some rare contexts, can denote the act or process of exile. The semantic range includes both the abstract sense of 'exile' or 'captivity' and the collective noun referring to the exiled population itself.
Semantic Range
exile (state or condition), exiled community, collective of exiles, deportation, act/process of being exiled
Root / Etymology
Derived from the Hebrew root גלה (g-l-h), which means 'to uncover, reveal, or remove.' The noun גּוֹלָה (gôlāh) is a feminine active participle form, developed in biblical usage to denote the condition or community of exile. The root meaning of 'uncover' or 'remove' shifts here to the specific sense of removal from native land.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In the Hebrew Bible, גּוֹלָה predominantly refers to the communities of Israelites (primarily Judahites) who were deported by the Neo-Assyrian and Neo-Babylonian empires, especially following the destruction and captivity of Samaria (722 BCE) and Jerusalem (586 BCE). The term appears mainly in exilic and post-exilic literature (e.g., Ezra, Nehemiah, Ezekiel), where it contrasts with שְׁבִי (shevi, 'captivity'), which often emphasizes the status or experience of being held captive, rather than the collective identity or experience of exile. The English word 'captivity' found in some translations may not fully convey the communal, identity-forming connotations of גּוֹלָה, which often denotes a distinct population group with shared experiences, customs, and identity outside their ancestral homeland. Over time, the term comes to be associated specifically with the communities of Israelites living in Babylon and later in the Persian Empire. It does not refer to forced labor in domestic settings, but rather to the status of a whole deported population. In later periods, the collective memory and identity of the גּוֹלָה remain significant for understanding the reintegration of exilic returnees with those who remained in the land.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
or (shortened) גֹּלָה; active participle feminine of גָּלָה; exile; concretely and collectively exiles; (carried away), captive(-ity), removing.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
גלה (g-l-h) — to uncover, to reveal, to remove
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H1474 | גּוֹלָן | Golan |
| H1525 | גִּילָה | he has laid bare |
| H1526 | גִּילֹנִי | the man from Giloh |
| H1540 | גָּלָה | I will lay bare |
| H1541 | גְּלָה | one who uncovers |
Word Forms
7 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1473-04 |
הַ/גּוֹלָ֔ה | hagolah | HTd/Ncfsa |
the exile | the exile-community | 25 |
H1473-01 |
בַּ/גּוֹלָֽה | bagolah | HRd/Ncfsa |
into-exile | in the exile | 7 |
H1473-02 |
גּוֹלָ֥ה | golah | HNcfsa |
of exile | exile-community | 7 |
H1473-06 |
מֵֽ/הַ/גּוֹלָ֔ה | mehagolah | HR/Td/Ncfsa |
from the exile | from the exile-community | 1 |
H1473-03 |
גּוֹלֶ֔ה | goleh | HVqrmsa |
exile | exiled one | 1 |
H1473-05 |
לַ/גֹּלָה֙ | lagolah | HRd/Ncfsa |
into exile | exile | 1 |
H1473-07 |
וּ/בַ/גּוֹלָ֖ה | uvagolah | HC/Rd/Ncfsa |
and into exile | and in the exile | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
43 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1473-03 |
2 Kings 24:14 | גּוֹלֶ֔ה | goleh | HVqrmsa |
exile | exiled one |
H1473-02 |
2 Kings 24:15 | גּוֹלָ֥ה | golah | HNcfsa |
exile | exile-community |
H1473-02 |
2 Kings 24:16 | גּוֹלָ֖ה | golah | HNcfsa |
captivity | exile-community |
H1473-04 |
Jeremiah 28:6 | הַ/גּוֹלָ֔ה | hagolah | HTd/Ncfsa |
the-exiles | the exile-community |
H1473-04 |
Jeremiah 29:1 | הַ/גּוֹלָ֗ה | hagolah | HTd/Ncfsa |
of the exile | the exile-community |
H1473-04 |
Jeremiah 29:4 | הַ֨/גּוֹלָ֔ה | hagolah | HTd/Ncfsa |
the exiles | the exile-community |
H1473-01 |
Jeremiah 29:16 | בַּ/גּוֹלָֽה | bagolah | HRd/Ncfsa |
into exile | in the exile |
H1473-04 |
Jeremiah 29:20 | הַ֨/גּוֹלָ֔ה | hagolah | HTd/Ncfsa |
the exile | the exile-community |
H1473-04 |
Jeremiah 29:31 | הַ/גּוֹלָה֙ | hagolah | HTd/Ncfsa |
the exile | the exile-community |
H1473-02 |
Jeremiah 46:19 | גוֹלָה֙ | golah | HNcfsa |
captivity | exile-community |