Hebrew word · H1544

גִּלּוּל

giluleihem

idol

A contemptuous word for idols or idol-images. It is never neutral. It occurs about 48 times in the Hebrew Bible, roughly 39 of them in Ezekiel, and Ezekiel plainly made it his own. Most scholars think it was coined to sound like gelalim, 'dung pellets' (cf. 1 Kings 14:10; Ezekiel 4:12, 15 for dung).

Appears 48 times in 45 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

idols

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 Ezekiel 20:39

Range of meaning

A contemptuous word for idols or idol-images. It is never neutral. It occurs about 48 times in the Hebrew Bible, roughly 39 of them in Ezekiel, and Ezekiel plainly made it his own. Most scholars think it was coined to sound like gelalim, 'dung pellets' (cf. 1 Kings 14:10; Ezekiel 4:12, 15 for dung). Others link it to galal, 'to roll', so 'blocks' or 'round lumps', or to a word for a carved stone. Whatever its exact origin, it insults the thing it names.

Against the English

Every major English version says 'idols', which is accurate but flat. The Jewish Publication Society's translation uses 'fetishes'. Some scholars paraphrase it as 'dung-gods' or 'dung-idols'. In English, 'idols' can sound like a respectable technical term in the study of religion. The Hebrew sounds closer to 'those turds'.

Used elsewhere in the period

It is first found in Leviticus 26:30 and Deuteronomy 29:17, both texts Ezekiel echoes heavily, and in the books of Kings. It is concentrated in Ezekiel (6:4–13; 14:3–7; 20:7–31; 23; 36–37). Ezekiel is a priest, and he pairs gillulim with the language of impurity (timme', 'defile'). The Septuagint often renders it eidōla ('images') or, as in this verse, epitēdeumata ('practices').

From the study of Ezekiel 14:7

Range of meaning

A word of contempt for the images and gods of other cults. It occurs about 48 times in the Hebrew Bible, and roughly 39 of those are in Ezekiel. Where it comes from is uncertain. It may come from the root g-l-l, 'to roll', giving 'round things, blocks, logs'. Many scholars also hear a deliberate echo of gel/gelel, 'dung' (Ezekiel 4:12, 15 uses that word for dung-cakes). Its vowels seem patterned on shiqqutsim, 'detestable things', the way a word can be bent to sound uglier.

Against the English

English 'idols' is neutral or even flattering today ('pop idol', 'my idol'). The Hebrew is closer to 'dung-gods' or 'filthy blocks', a sneer and not a description.

How it drifted

'Idol' came through Greek eidōlon, 'image, phantom', and has since been diluted into a word for celebrities and admired people. It has also been widened in religious use to mean anything a person prizes too highly.

Used elsewhere in the period

Leviticus 26:30 ('your corpses on the corpses of your gillulim') is likely the source Ezekiel draws on. The word is used of real cultic images in 1 Kings 15:12, 21:26 and 2 Kings 17:12, 21:11, 23:24. In Ezekiel it covers the image-cults seen in the Jerusalem temple (Ezek 8:10) and gods to whom children were sacrificed (Ezek 16:36; 20:31). The Greek translators of Ezekiel 14 seem to have interpreted the phrase toward 'thoughts/designs' set on the heart. That reading is noted with caution.

From the study of Ezekiel 14:6

Range of meaning

Idols: cult images and, by extension, the gods they stand for. Always plural and always contemptuous. Of about 48 uses in the Hebrew Bible, some 39 are in Ezekiel, so it is his signature word. The origin is debated. It may come from a root meaning "to roll", so "round lumps, blocks". It is commonly linked with gēl / gelel, "dung" (Ezek 4:12, 15; Zeph 1:17) and vowelled like šiqqûṣ, "detestable thing". That gives roughly "dung-things" or "turds".

Against the English

Every major English version has the neutral "idols". That is accurate about what the things are, but it loses the sneer. Ezekiel, a priest obsessed with purity, chose a word that ranks Israel's other gods with excrement, the thing most polluting to a priest.

How it drifted

No real shift in meaning. English simply has no ready word that is both a technical term for a cult image and a crude insult, so translators choose the neutral term.

Used elsewhere in the period

Concentrated in Ezekiel (6:4–13; 8:10; 14:3–7; 20; 22–23; 36–37) and in Deuteronomistic texts such as Lev 26:30, Deut 29:17 and 1 Kgs 15:12. HALOT and BDB both note the probable link with "dung" as a deliberate mocking vocalization. Some scholars think the connection is overstated (see debates).

Where it appears

Leviticus · 1

  1. Leviticus 26:30 גִּלּוּלֵיכֶ֑ם idols your

    I will destroy your high places, cut down your incense altars, and heap your lifeless bodies on the lifeless remains of your idols; and My soul will despise you.

    Here: A scornful word for idols that probably sounds like 'dung-pellets' or 'lumps'. It insults the gods as worthless, filthy things.

Deuteronomy · 1

  1. Deuteronomy 29:17 גִּלֻּלֵיהֶ֑ם idols their

    You saw the abominations and idols among them made of wood and stone, of silver and gold.

1 Kings · 2

  1. 1 Kings 15:12 הַגִּלֻּלִ֔ים the idols

    He banished the male shrine prostitutes from the land and removed all the idols that his fathers had made.

  2. 1 Kings 21:26 הַגִּלֻּלִ֑ים the idols

    He committed the most detestable acts by going after idols, just like the Amorites whom the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.)

    Here: A scornful word for idols that may be built on the root for 'dung' or 'roll'. Something like 'the idol-things' or 'the dung-gods'. It sneers at the objects as well as naming them.

2 Kings · 4

  1. 2 Kings 17:12 הַגִּלֻּלִ֑ים the idols

    They served idols, although the LORD had told them, “You shall not do this thing.”

  2. 2 Kings 21:11 בְּגִלּוּלָֽיו׃ פ with idols his

    “Since Manasseh king of Judah has committed all these abominations, acting more wickedly than the Amorites who preceded him, and with his idols has caused Judah to sin,

    Here: 'With his gillulim': a mocking word for idols, probably playing on a word for dung pellets (or else lumps of stone or wood). 'His' makes them Manasseh's own projects, the means by which he led the nation astray.

  3. 2 Kings 21:21 הַגִּלֻּלִים֙ the idols

    He walked in all the ways of his father, and he served and worshiped the idols his father had served.

  4. 2 Kings 23:24 הַגִּלֻּלִ֜ים the idols

    Furthermore, Josiah removed the mediums and spiritists, the household gods and idols, and all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem. He did this to carry out the words of the law written in the book that Hilkiah the priest had found in the house of the LORD.

Jeremiah · 1

  1. Jeremiah 50:2 גִּלּוּלֶֽיהָ׃ idols its

    “Announce and declare to the nations; lift up a banner and proclaim it; hold nothing back when you say, ‘Babylon is captured; Bel is put to shame; Marduk is shattered, her images are disgraced, her idols are broken in pieces.’

    Here: 'Her idols'. This is a scornful word that most scholars connect with gēl/gālāl, 'dung', roughly 'her dung-gods' or 'her dung-pellet idols'. It is the verse's last and harshest word.

Ezekiel · 39

  1. Ezekiel 6:4 גִּלּוּלֵיכֶֽם׃ idols your

    Your altars will be demolished and your incense altars will be smashed; and I will cast down your slain before your idols.

  2. Ezekiel 6:5 גִּלּֽוּלֵיהֶ֑ם idols their

    I will lay the corpses of the Israelites before their idols and scatter your bones around your altars.

  3. Ezekiel 6:6 גִּלּ֣וּלֵיכֶ֔ם idols your

    Wherever you live, the cities will be laid waste and the high places will be demolished, so that your altars will be laid waste and desecrated, your idols smashed and obliterated, your incense altars cut down, and your works blotted out.

    Here: Ezekiel's favourite word for idols, and an insult. It probably plays on the word for dung balls, roughly 'your dung-gods'. Calling the images this strips them of dignity.

  4. Ezekiel 6:9 גִּלּֽוּלֵיהֶ֑ם idols their

    Then in the nations to which they have been carried captive, your survivors will remember Me—how I have been grieved by their adulterous hearts that turned away from Me, and by their eyes that lusted after idols. So they will loathe themselves for the evil they have done and for all their abominations.

    Here: Ezekiel's favorite word for idols, and an insulting one. It is probably built on the word for dung pellets, or possibly on a word for shapeless blocks: 'their dung-gods'.

  5. Ezekiel 6:13 גִּלּ֣וּלֵיהֶ֔ם גִּלּוּלֵיהֶֽם׃ idols their

    Then you will know that I am the LORD, when their slain lie among their idols around their altars, on every high hill, on all the mountaintops, and under every green tree and leafy oak—the places where they offered fragrant incense to all their idols.

    Here: Ezekiel's favourite word of contempt for idols. It probably plays on the Hebrew for 'dung', so the sense is something like 'their dung-gods'.

  6. Ezekiel 8:10 גִּלּוּלֵ֖י [the] idols of

    So I went in and looked, and engraved all around the wall was every kind of crawling creature and detestable beast, along with all the idols of the house of Israel.

  7. Ezekiel 14:3 גִלּֽוּלֵיהֶם֙ idols their

    “Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces. Should I consult with them in any way?

    Here: 'Their idols' is Ezekiel's favourite insult for cult images and the gods behind them. It probably sounds like 'dung-pellets', so it is something like 'their dung-gods'. The word means real images and deities, not abstract desires.

  8. Ezekiel 14:4 גִּלּוּלָ֜יו גִּלּוּלָֽיו׃ idols his

    Therefore speak to them and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘When any Israelite sets up idols in his heart and puts a wicked stumbling block before his face, and then comes to the prophet, I the LORD will answer him according to his great idolatry,

  9. Ezekiel 14:5 בְּגִלּֽוּלֵיהֶ֖ם by idols their

    so that I may take hold of the hearts of the people of Israel. For because of their idols, they are all estranged from Me.’

  10. Ezekiel 14:6 גִּלּֽוּלֵיכֶ֑ם idols your

    Therefore tell the house of Israel that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Repent and turn away from your idols; turn your faces away from all your abominations.

    Here: "Your idols." Ezekiel's favourite word for them, and a scornful one, probably playing on a word for dung. The suffix "your" pins them on the hearers: these are your gods, not his.

  11. Ezekiel 14:7 גִּלּוּלָיו֙ idols his

    For when any Israelite or any foreigner dwelling in Israel separates himself from Me, sets up idols in his heart, and puts a wicked stumbling block before his face, and then comes to the prophet to inquire of Me, I the LORD will answer him Myself.

    Here: 'His idols'. This is Ezekiel's favourite insult-word for the images and gods of other cults, probably meant to sound like 'dung-things'. The 'his' shows they are his chosen loyalties.

  12. Ezekiel 16:36 גִּלּוּלֵ֣י [the] idols of

    This is what the Lord GOD says: Because you poured out your wealth and exposed your nakedness in your promiscuity with your lovers and with all your detestable idols, and because of the blood of your children which you gave to them,

  13. Ezekiel 18:6 גִּלּוּלֵ֖י [the] idols of

    He does not eat at the mountain or look to the idols of the house of Israel. He does not defile his neighbor’s wife or approach a woman during her period.

    Here: 'The idols of.' This is Ezekiel's favourite insult for cult images. It probably sounds like 'dung' (gel/galal), something like 'dung-gods' or 'dung-pellets'. The point is disgust as well as falsehood.

  14. Ezekiel 18:12 הַגִּלּוּלִים֙ the idols

    He oppresses the poor and needy; he commits robbery and does not restore a pledge. He lifts his eyes to idols; he commits abominations.

    Here: Ezekiel's favourite and deliberately insulting word for idols, probably playing on a word for dung: roughly 'the dung-gods'. 'The' points to the familiar idols his hearers knew.

  15. Ezekiel 18:15 גִּלּוּלֵ֖י [the] idols of

    He does not eat at the mountain or look to the idols of the house of Israel. He does not defile his neighbor’s wife.

  16. Ezekiel 20:7 וּבְגִלּוּלֵ֥י and by [the] idols of

    And I said to them: ‘Each of you must throw away the abominations before his eyes, and you must not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.’

    Here: This is Ezekiel's favourite word for idols, and it is a mocking one. It probably plays on the Hebrew word for dung. The 'with' marks the idols as the thing that makes a person unclean.

  17. Ezekiel 20:8 גִּלּוּלֵ֥י [the] idols of

    But they rebelled against Me and refused to listen. None of them cast away the abominations before their eyes, and they did not forsake the idols of Egypt. So I resolved to pour out My wrath upon them and vent My anger against them in the land of Egypt.

    Here: 'The idols of': Ezekiel's favourite word of contempt for idols. It probably sounded like 'dung-things' or 'lumps'.

  18. Ezekiel 20:16 גִלּוּלֵיהֶ֖ם idols their

    because they kept rejecting My ordinances, refusing to walk in My statutes, and profaning My Sabbaths; for their hearts continually went after their idols.

  19. Ezekiel 20:18 וּבְגִלּוּלֵיהֶ֖ם and by idols their

    In the wilderness I said to their children: ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers or keep their ordinances or defile yourselves with their idols.

    Here: Ezekiel's favourite insult for idols. It probably plays on a Hebrew word for dung, so something like 'their dung-idols.' The preposition here means 'by' or 'with': the idols are what makes a person unclean.

  20. Ezekiel 20:24 גִּלּוּלֵ֣י [the] idols of

    For they did not practice My ordinances, but they rejected My statutes and profaned My Sabbaths, fixing their eyes on the idols of their fathers.

    Here: 'The idol-things of': Ezekiel's favourite scornful word for idols. It probably sounds like 'dung-pellets' or 'clumps'. The rejected 'my statutes, my sabbaths' are set against this word.

  21. Ezekiel 20:31 גִּלּֽוּלֵיכֶם֙ idols your

    When you offer your gifts, sacrificing your sons in the fire, you continue to defile yourselves with all your idols to this day. So should I be consulted by you, O house of Israel? As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, I will not be consulted by you!

  22. Ezekiel 20:39 גִּלּוּלָיו֙ וּבְגִלּוּלֵיכֶֽם׃ idols his, and by idols your

    And as for you, O house of Israel, this is what the Lord GOD says: Go and serve your idols, every one of you. But afterward, you will surely listen to Me, and you will no longer defile My holy name with your gifts and idols.

    Here: 'His idols', put first in the sentence for emphasis. The word is a sneer that probably plays on 'dung'. Ezekiel's favourite word for idols drips with disgust.

  23. Ezekiel 22:3 גִלּוּלִ֛ים idols

    and tell her that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘O city who brings her own doom by shedding blood within her walls and making idols to defile herself,

  24. Ezekiel 22:4 וּבְגִלּוּלַ֤יִךְ and by idols your

    you are guilty of the blood you have shed, and you are defiled by the idols you have made. You have brought your days to a close and have come to the end of your years. Therefore I have made you a reproach to the nations and a mockery to all the lands.

  25. Ezekiel 23:7 גִּלּוּלֵיהֶ֖ם idols their

    She offered sexual favors to all the elite of Assyria. She defiled herself with all the idols of those for whom she lusted.

  26. Ezekiel 23:30 בְּגִלּוּלֵיהֶֽם׃ by idols their

    have brought these things upon you, because you have prostituted yourself with the nations and defiled yourself with their idols.

  27. Ezekiel 23:37 גִּלּֽוּלֵיהֶ֖ן idols their

    For they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands. They have committed adultery with their idols. They have even sacrificed their children, whom they bore to Me, in the fire as food for their idols.

    Here: "Their idols." This is Ezekiel's signature insult for cult images. It probably sounds like "dung" (gēl). The wife has left her husband for lumps of filth.

  28. Ezekiel 23:39 לְגִלּ֣וּלֵיהֶ֔ם to idols their

    On the very day they slaughtered their children for their idols, they entered My sanctuary to profane it. Yes, they did this inside My house.

  29. Ezekiel 23:49 גִלּוּלֵיכֶ֖ן idols your

    They will repay you for your indecency, and you will bear the consequences of your sins of idolatry. Then you will know that I am the Lord GOD.’”

  30. Ezekiel 30:13 גִלּוּלִ֜ים idols

    This is what the Lord GOD says: I will destroy the idols and put an end to the images in Memphis. There will no longer be a prince in Egypt, and I will instill fear in that land.

  31. Ezekiel 33:25 גִּלּוּלֵיכֶ֖ם idols your

    Therefore tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘You eat meat with the blood in it, lift up your eyes to your idols, and shed blood. Should you then possess the land?

    Here: Ezekiel's favourite slur for idols. It probably plays on a word for dung, something like "your dung-gods." The word "your" makes them the people's own homemade objects, set against "the Lord."

  32. Ezekiel 36:18 וּבְגִלּוּלֵיהֶ֖ם and by idols their

    So I poured out My wrath upon them because of the blood they had shed on the land, and because they had defiled it with their idols.

  33. Ezekiel 36:25 גִּלּ֥וּלֵיכֶ֖ם idols your

    I will also sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your impurities and all your idols.

    Here: "Your idols." This is Ezekiel's favourite insult for cult images, probably a pun on a word for dung ("your dung-gods"). Idols do not only sit beside the impurity. They are a source of it.

  34. Ezekiel 37:23 בְּגִלּֽוּלֵיהֶם֙ by idols their

    They will no longer defile themselves with their idols or detestable images, or with any of their transgressions. I will save them from all their apostasies by which they sinned, and I will cleanse them. Then they will be My people, and I will be their God.

    Here: 'With their idols.' This is Ezekiel's favourite contemptuous word for idols, and it may play on a word for dung. The idols are the source of the defilement.

  35. Ezekiel 44:10 גִּלּֽוּלֵיהֶ֑ם idols their

    Surely the Levites who wandered away from Me when Israel went astray, and who wandered away from Me after their idols, will bear the consequences of their iniquity.

    Here: 'Their idols'. This is Ezekiel's signature word of contempt for other gods' images. It probably plays on a word for dung pellets or shapeless lumps, so it means something like 'their filthy blocks'.

  36. Ezekiel 44:12 גִלּֽוּלֵיהֶ֔ם idols their

    Because they ministered before their idols and became a stumbling block of iniquity to the house of Israel, therefore I swore with an uplifted hand concerning them that they would bear the consequences of their iniquity, declares the Lord GOD.

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