Hebrew word · H1543

גֻּלָּה

gulot

bowl

A round bowl or basin: the oil bowl on top of Zechariah's lampstand (Zech 4:2–3), the bowl-shaped capitals of the temple pillars (1 Kgs 7:41), the 'golden bowl' of Eccl 12:6. With 'water', basins of water, meaning springs or pools gathering in hollows.

Appears 15 times in 9 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) bowl, spring, basin

1a) basin

1b) bowl

1b1) of a lamp

1b2) of bowl shaped portion of capitals of pillars of the temple

Also means: gol (גֹּל "bowl" H1531)

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 Joshua 15:19

Range of meaning

A round bowl or basin: the oil bowl on top of Zechariah's lampstand (Zech 4:2–3), the bowl-shaped capitals of the temple pillars (1 Kgs 7:41), the 'golden bowl' of Eccl 12:6. With 'water', basins of water, meaning springs or pools gathering in hollows.

Against the English

All the major English versions say 'springs'. That is a reasonable guess at what these water sources were, but it hides the picture of a 'basin' or 'bowl' and the possibility that 'Gullot' was what locals called the place.

Used elsewhere in the period

Only here and in the parallel Judges 1:15 is the word used of water sources. The Septuagint transliterates it as a place name, 'Golathmain' (from gullot mayim). Archaeologists who identify Debir with Khirbet Rabud, southwest of Hebron, point to an upper and a lower spring group in the valley to its north as a likely match. This identification is reasonable but not certain.

From the study of Zechariah 4:2

Range of meaning

A round bowl or basin. Elsewhere it is used for the bowl-shaped capitals on the temple pillars Jachin and Boaz (1 Kings 7:41–42), for springs or basins of water (Joshua 15:19; Judges 1:15), and for the 'golden bowl' of a hanging lamp in Ecclesiastes 12:6.

Against the English

KJV, BSB and WEB all say 'bowl.' The Septuagint's lampadion ('little lamp' or 'torch-holder') and the Vulgate's lampas ('lamp') read it as part of the lighting itself rather than a reservoir.

Used elsewhere in the period

Ecclesiastes 12:6 puts a golden gullah together with a silver cord, which suggests a hanging lamp-bowl. Lampstands with a cylindrical stand and a bowl on top are known from Iron Age sites in Palestine (discussed by Meyers & Meyers, North).

Where it appears

Joshua · 3

  1. Joshua 15:19 גֻּלֹּ֣ת גֻּלֹּ֣ת גֻּלֹּ֥ת springs of, springs

    “Give me a blessing,” she answered. “Since you have given me land in the Negev, give me springs of water as well.” So Caleb gave her both the upper and lower springs.

    Here: Elsewhere this word means a round bowl or basin. With 'water' it means water-basins: springs or pools collecting in hollows. It may also be the name of a known site.

Judges · 3

  1. Judges 1:15 גֻּלֹּ֣ת גֻּלֹּ֣ת גֻּלֹּ֥ת springs of, springs

    “Give me a blessing,” she answered. “Since you have given me land in the Negev, give me springs of water as well.” So Caleb gave her both the upper and lower springs.

1 Kings · 3

  1. 1 Kings 7:41 וְגֻלֹּ֧ת גֻּלֹּ֣ת and [the] bowls of, [the] bowls of

    the two pillars; the two bowl-shaped capitals atop the pillars; the two sets of network covering both bowls of the capitals atop the pillars;

  2. 1 Kings 7:42 גֻּלֹּ֣ת [the] bowls of

    the four hundred pomegranates for the two sets of network (two rows of pomegranates for each network covering both the bowl-shaped capitals atop the pillars);

2 Chronicles · 3

  1. 2 Chronicles 4:12 וְהַגֻּלּ֧וֹת גֻּלּ֣וֹת and the bowls, [the] bowls of

    the two pillars; the two bowl-shaped capitals atop the pillars; the two sets of network covering both bowls of the capitals atop the pillars;

  2. 2 Chronicles 4:13 גֻּלּ֣וֹת [the] bowls of

    the four hundred pomegranates for the two sets of network (two rows of pomegranates for each network covering both the bowl-shaped capitals atop the pillars);

Ecclesiastes · 1

  1. Ecclesiastes 12:6 גֻּלַּ֣ת [the] bowl of

    Remember Him before the silver cord is snapped and the golden bowl is crushed, before the pitcher is shattered at the spring and the wheel is broken at the well,

Zechariah · 2

  1. Zechariah 4:2 וְגֻלָּ֣הּ and a bowl

    “What do you see?” he asked. “I see a solid gold lampstand,” I replied, “with a bowl at the top and seven lamps on it, with seven spouts to the lamps.

    Here: A round basin, here sitting on top of the stand. Most take it as the oil reservoir. This feature is not part of the tabernacle lampstand in Exodus 25. The dot in the final letter suggests 'its bowl' (so WEB, YLT).

  2. Zechariah 4:3 הַגֻּלָּ֔ה the bowl

    There are also two olive trees beside it, one on the right side of the bowl and the other on its left.”

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