Hebrew word · H1474

גּוֹלָן

golan

Golan

A place name of uncertain meaning. Guesses such as 'circle', 'enclosure' or 'exile' are speculative. It was a city in Bashan, assigned to the Gershonite Levites (Josh 21:27; 1 Chr 6:71).

Appears 4 times in 4 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

§ Golan = "their captivity: their rejoicing"

a town of Manasseh in the heights of Bashan east of the Jordan; a city of refuge

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Deuteronomy 4:43

Range of meaning

A place name of uncertain meaning. Guesses such as 'circle', 'enclosure' or 'exile' are speculative. It was a city in Bashan, assigned to the Gershonite Levites (Josh 21:27; 1 Chr 6:71).

Against the English

Transliterated 'Golan'. Modern readers will think of the Golan Heights. The name is the same, but the biblical city is generally placed east of the modern Heights, perhaps at Sahem el-Jolan east of the Ruqqad stream.

How it drifted

The modern 'Golan' comes through Josephus's district name 'Gaulanitis', which grew wider than the original city's area.

Used elsewhere in the period

Josephus mentions Gaulanitis and a town Gaulana (e.g. Jewish War 4.1.1). The Septuagint has 'Gaulōn'.

Where it appears

Deuteronomy · 1

  1. Deuteronomy 4:43 גּוֹלָ֥ן Golan

    Bezer in the wilderness on the plateau belonging to the Reubenites, Ramoth in Gilead belonging to the Gadites, or Golan in Bashan belonging to the Manassites.

    Here: The northernmost city of refuge. The name's meaning is uncertain. It later gave its name to the district Josephus calls Gaulanitis, which is the source of the modern name 'Golan'.

Joshua · 2

  1. Joshua 20:8 גּוֹלָ֥ן Golan

    And beyond the Jordan, east of Jericho, they designated Bezer on the wilderness plateau from the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead from the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan from the tribe of Manasseh.

    Here: The northernmost city of the three. Its exact site is uncertain. It later gave its name to the district of Gaulanitis and to today's Golan Heights.

  2. Joshua 21:27 גּוֹלָ֤ן Golan

    This is what the Levite clans of the Gershonites were given: From the half-tribe of Manasseh they were given Golan in Bashan, a city of refuge for the manslayer, and Beeshterah—two cities, together with their pasturelands.

    Here: The northernmost refuge city east of the Jordan (Deut 4:43; Josh 20:8). The Greek-Roman district of Gaulanitis and today's Golan Heights take their name from it. Its exact site is uncertain.

1 Chronicles · 1

  1. 1 Chronicles 6:71 גּוֹלָ֥ן Golan

    The Gershomites received the following: From the clan of the half-tribe of Manasseh they were given Golan in Bashan and also Ashtaroth, together with their pasturelands.

    Here: A town in Bashan and one of the three cities of refuge east of the Jordan (Deut 4:43; Josh 20:8). It later gave its name to the district of Gaulanitis, and from there to the modern 'Golan'.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.