Hebrew word · H1551

גָּלִיל

gelil

Galilee

From galal, 'to roll'. It means a ring or cylinder (Esth 1:6, Song 5:14 'rods/rings'), and of land a 'circuit, district'. The Bible uses 'ha-galil' ('the district') for the hill country north of the Jezreel Valley (Josh 20:7; 1 Kgs 9:11; 2 Kgs 15:29), and this became the proper name Galilee.

Appears 6 times in 6 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. · Updated October 30, 2026

What it means

§ Galilee = "circuit, district"

a territory in Naphtali largely occupied by heathen; a circuit of towns around Kedesh-Naphtali, in which were situated the 20 towns given by Solomon to Hiram king of Tyre as payment for his work in conveying timber from Lebanon to Jerusalem

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 Isaiah 9:1

Range of meaning: From galal, 'to roll'. It means a ring or cylinder (Esth 1:6, Song 5:14 'rods/rings'), and of land a 'circuit, district'. The Bible uses 'ha-galil' ('the district') for the hill country north of the Jezreel Valley (Josh 20:7; 1 Kgs 9:11; 2 Kgs 15:29), and this became the proper name Galilee.
Against the English: Every major version transliterates it as 'Galilee'. That is right as a name, but it hides the descriptive force: 'the Ring/District of the nations'.
How it drifted: Because of the Gospels, 'Galilee' is a fixed place name to modern readers. In Isaiah's day the word still carried its plain meaning, a district, and 'of the nations' described it.
Used elsewhere in the period: 1 Kings 9:11–13 records Solomon giving Hiram of Tyre twenty towns 'in the land of Galil', a sign that this was frontier territory bordering the Phoenicians. 2 Kings 15:29 lists 'Galilee, all the land of Naphtali' among Tiglath-pileser's conquests, with deportation of its people. 1 Maccabees 5:15 later speaks of 'all Galilee of the foreigners (allophylōn)'.

From the study of Joshua 21:32

Range of meaning: A 'circle' or 'ring' (Esth 1:6, of rings for hangings). By extension it means a district or circuit. With the article, haggālîl, it became the name of the northern hill region. Isa 8:23 (9:1 English) calls it gelil haggoyim, 'the district of the nations'.
Against the English: 'Galilee' brings to mind the Galilee of the Gospels, a Jewish region full of villages under Herod Antipas. In Joshua the word names a rugged northern district of Naphtali, without the later borders or associations.
Used elsewhere in the period: Josh 20:7; 21:32; 1 Kgs 9:11; 2 Kgs 15:29 (Tiglath-pileser III takes 'Kedesh … and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali'); 1 Chr 6:76; Isa 8:23.

From the study of 2 Kings 15:29

Range of meaning: From the root 'to roll, go round': 'circle, ring, district'. As a place name, 'the Galil' is the northern hill country, often in the phrase 'Galil of the nations' (Isaiah 8:23 [9:1 in English]) or 'the land of the Galil' (1 Kings 9:11). The same word in the plural, geliloth, can mean 'districts' or 'regions' (Joshua 22:10–11).
Against the English: English 'Galilee' calls up the Galilee of Jesus' ministry, a recognized district of Jewish towns around the lake. In 2 Kings the word is a looser regional name for Israel's northern frontier, a 'district' on the edge of Phoenician and Aramean lands.
How it drifted: The Gospels have given the name later borders and later associations, and English readers carry those back.
Used elsewhere in the period: Joshua 20:7 and 21:32 ('Kedesh in Galilee'); 1 Kings 9:11 (Solomon gives Hiram towns 'in the land of Galilee'); Isaiah 8:23 links 'the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali' with 'Galilee of the nations', which is widely read as a direct reflection on this very campaign. Matthew 4:15–16 quotes that Isaiah passage.

Where it appears

Joshua · 2

Joshua 20:7 בַּגָּלִיל֙ in <the> Galilee

So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.

Here: Literally 'in the Circle/District'. It carries the article ('the'), showing it was still partly a description of a region rather than a fixed proper name. This is the first time the word appears in the Bible as a place.
Joshua 21:32 בַּגָּלִ֤יל in <the> Galilee

And from the tribe of Naphtali they were given Kedesh in Galilee (a city of refuge for the manslayer), Hammoth-dor, and Kartan—three cities, together with their pasturelands.

Here: Literally 'in the circle' or 'in the district'. With the article it is a regional name: 'the Galil', the northern hill country. Here it tells this Kedesh apart from other places called Kedesh.

1 Kings · 1

1 Kings 9:11 הַגָּלִֽיל׃ <the> Galilee

King Solomon gave twenty towns in the land of Galilee to Hiram king of Tyre, who had supplied him with cedar and cypress logs and gold for his every desire.

2 Kings · 1

2 Kings 15:29 הַגָּלִ֔ילָה <the> Galilee towards

In the days of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came and captured Ijon, Abel-beth-maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, including all the land of Naphtali, and he took the people as captives to Assyria.

Here: Literally 'the circle' or 'the district', the northern hill country west of the Jordan. The ending -â is unusual here (see textual notes). It is a regional label, not yet the well-defined province of the Gospels.

1 Chronicles · 1

1 Chronicles 6:76 בַּגָּלִיל֙ in <the> Galilee

And from the tribe of Naphtali they were given Kedesh in Galilee, Hammon, and Kiriathaim, together with their pasturelands.

Isaiah · 1

Isaiah 9:1 גְּלִ֖יל Galilee of

Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those in distress. In the past He humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future He will honor the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations:

Here: Originally a common noun meaning a 'ring' or 'circuit' of land. 'Galil of the nations' is 'the district of the peoples', and this phrase became the source of the region's name 'Galilee'.

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