גִּלְבֹּעַ
𐤂𐤋𐤁𐤏
Gileboa
H1533 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Gilboa is a geographical name, primarily referring to a mountainous ridge or hill country in northern ancient Israel, east of the Jezreel Valley. The term functions as a proper place name rather than a common noun. The semantic range is limited to this specific geographical feature, though poetic references highlight its association with significant events.
Semantic Range
geographical name for a mountain ridge in northern ancient Israel; site of Israelite defeat in the time of Saul; poetic reference in lament
Root / Etymology
The etymology of גִּלְבֹּעַ (Gilboa) is uncertain. While some have attempted to connect it to roots גַּל ('wave, mound, heap') and בָּעָה ('to gush forth, bubble up'), modern scholarship generally regards the etymology as opaque. The name may be preserved from a pre-Israelite substrate and not transparently derived from known Hebrew roots.
Historical & Contextual Notes
Gilboa is the name of the mountainous region where King Saul and his sons fell in battle against the Philistines (1 Samuel 31; 2 Samuel 1). The poetic lament over Saul in 2 Samuel 1:21 invokes Gilboa, cursing its fields. The word is not used outside its toponymic function. In later Greco-Roman and rabbinic literature, the association of the mountain with defeat and death continues, reflecting the enduring cultural memory attached to the site. English translations sometimes refer to it as the 'mountain(s) of Gilboa,' but the term is always a proper noun. There is no evidence in biblical Hebrew for it meaning 'fountain of ebullition' or any descriptive topographical feature; such etymological glosses are speculative.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from גַּל and בָּעָה; fountain of ebullition; Gilboa, a mountain of Palestine; Gilboa.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
uncertain (uncertain) — opaque toponym; possibly mound, bubbling (speculative and unconfirmed)
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H1085 | בִּלְדַּד | Bildad |
| H1095 | בֵּלְטְשַׁאצַּר | Belteshatsar |
| H1114 | בִּלְשָׁן | Bilshan |
| H1150 | בִּנְעָא | Bin'a |
| H116 | אֱדַיִן | and then |
Word Forms
4 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1533-03 |
הַ/גִּלְבֹּֽעַ | hagileboa | HTd/Np |
Gilboa | the Gilboa | 3 |
H1533-02 |
גִּלְבֹּֽעַ | gileboa | HNp |
Gilboa | Gilboa | 2 |
H1533-01 |
בַּ/גִּלְבֹּֽעַ | bagileboa | HRd/Np |
at Gilboa | in Gilboa | 2 |
H1533-04 |
בַ/גִּלְבֹּ֗עַ | vagileboa | HRd/Np |
of Gilboa | in Gilboa | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
8 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1533-01 |
1 Samuel 28:4 | בַּ/גִּלְבֹּֽעַ | bagileboa | HRd/Np |
at Gilboa | in Gilboa |
H1533-03 |
1 Samuel 31:1 | הַ/גִּלְבֹּֽעַ | hagileboa | HTd/Np |
of-Gilboa | the Gilboa |
H1533-03 |
1 Samuel 31:8 | הַ/גִּלְבֹּֽעַ | hagileboa | HTd/Np |
Gilboa | the Gilboa |
H1533-03 |
2 Samuel 1:6 | הַ/גִּלְבֹּ֔עַ | hagileboa | HTd/Np |
Gilboa | the Gilboa |
H1533-04 |
2 Samuel 1:21 | בַ/גִּלְבֹּ֗עַ | vagileboa | HRd/Np |
of Gilboa | in Gilboa |
H1533-01 |
2 Samuel 21:12 | בַּ/גִּלְבֹּֽעַ | bagileboa | HRd/Np |
on Gilboa | in Gilboa |
H1533-02 |
1 Chronicles 10:1 | גִּלְבֹּֽעַ | gileboa | HNp |
Gilboa | Gilboa |
H1533-02 |
1 Chronicles 10:8 | גִּלְבֹּֽעַ | gileboa | HNp |
Gilboa | Gilboa |