גָּמָל

Genesis 12:16 וּגְמַלִּֽים׃ and camels

He treated Abram well on her account, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, menservants and maidservants, and camels.

Genesis 24:10 גְמַלִּ֜ים מִגְּמַלֵּ֤י camels, from [the] camels of

Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed with all manner of good things from his master in hand. And he set out for Nahor’s hometown in Aram-naharaim.

Genesis 24:11 הַגְּמַלִּ֛ים the camels

As evening approached, he made the camels kneel down near the well outside the town at the time when the women went out to draw water.

Genesis 24:14 גְּמַלֶּ֖יךָ camels your

Now may it happen that the girl to whom I say, ‘Please let down your jar that I may drink,’ and who responds, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels as well’—let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. By this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master.”

Genesis 24:19 לִגְמַלֶּ֙יךָ֙ for camels your

After she had given him a drink, she said, “I will also draw water for your camels, until they have had enough to drink.”

Genesis 24:20 גְּמַלָּֽיו׃ camels his

And she quickly emptied her jar into the trough and ran back to the well to draw water, until she had drawn water for all his camels.

Genesis 24:22 הַגְּמַלִּים֙ the camels

And after the camels had finished drinking, he took out a gold ring weighing a beka, and two gold bracelets for her wrists weighing ten shekels.

Here: The ten camels of verse 10, valuable animals and a visible sign of Abraham's wealth. They were also the reason for Rebekah's long labour, since a thirsty camel can take in many gallons.

Genesis 24:30 הַגְּמַלִּ֖ים the camels

As soon as he saw the ring, and the bracelets on his sister’s wrists, and heard Rebekah’s words, “The man said this to me,” he went and found the man standing by the camels near the spring.

Here: The ten laden camels (v. 10). They were a show of Abraham's wealth too, and Laban was just as quick to notice them (v. 31).

Genesis 24:31 לַגְּמַלִּֽים׃ for the camels

“Come, you who are blessed by the LORD,” said Laban. “Why are you standing out here? I have prepared the house and a place for the camels.”

Genesis 24:32 הַגְּמַלִּ֑ים לַגְּמַלִּ֔ים the camels, to the camels

So the man came to the house, and the camels were unloaded. Straw and feed were brought to the camels, and water to wash his feet and the feet of his companions.

Here: 'The camels', the ten camels loaded with Abraham's goods (v. 10). They are the visible sign of the master's wealth, and they have already been at the centre of Rebekah's test (vv. 14, 19–20).

Genesis 24:35 וּגְמַלִּ֖ים and camels

“The LORD has greatly blessed my master, and he has become rich. He has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, menservants and maidservants, camels and donkeys.

Here: Prestige animals for long-distance travel and trade. The ten camels the servant brought (24:10) stood outside as living proof of what he was saying.

Genesis 24:44 לִגְמַלֶּ֖יךָ for camels your

and she replies, ‘Drink, and I will draw water for your camels as well,’ may she be the woman the LORD has appointed for my master’s son.

Genesis 24:46 גְּמַלֶּ֖יךָ הַגְּמַלִּ֖ים camels your, the camels

She quickly lowered her jar from her shoulder and said, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels as well.’ So I drank, and she also watered the camels.

Here: 'Your camels.' The caravan had ten of them (v.10). The word is placed before its verb for emphasis: 'and your camels too I will water.'

Genesis 24:61 הַגְּמַלִּ֔ים the camels

Then Rebekah and her servant girls got ready, mounted the camels, and followed the man. So the servant took Rebekah and left.

Here: "The camels": with the definite article, these are the ten camels the servant brought from Abraham's household (24:10), now carrying the bride and her party back.

Genesis 24:63 גְמַלִּ֖ים camels

Early in the evening, Isaac went out to the field to meditate, and looking up, he saw the camels approaching.

Genesis 24:64 הַגָּמָֽל׃ the camel

And when Rebekah looked up and saw Isaac, she got down from her camel

Genesis 30:43 וּגְמַלִּ֖ים and camels

Thus Jacob became exceedingly prosperous. He owned large flocks, maidservants and menservants, and camels and donkeys.

Here: Costly long-distance transport and a mark of high standing. These camels will soon carry Jacob's family away from Laban (31:17).

Genesis 31:17 הַגְּמַלִּֽים׃ <the> camels

Then Jacob got up and put his children and his wives on camels,

Genesis 31:34 הַגָּמָ֖ל the camel

Now Rachel had taken Laban’s household idols, put them in the saddlebag of her camel, and was sitting on them. And Laban searched everything in the tent but found nothing.

Genesis 32:7 וְהַגְּמַלִּ֖ים and the camels

In great fear and distress, Jacob divided his people into two camps, as well as the flocks and herds and camels.

Here: Camels, the mark of a rich household and the animals for long-distance travel. Unlike the earlier items, this one has no object marker in front of it, a small and common variation in Hebrew lists.

Genesis 32:15 גְּמַלִּ֧ים camels

30 milk camels with their young, 40 cows, 10 bulls, 20 female donkeys, and 10 male donkeys.

Genesis 37:25 וּגְמַלֵּיהֶ֣ם and camels their

And as they sat down to eat a meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were carrying spices, balm, and myrrh on their way down to Egypt.

Here: 'And their camels.' Pack animals for long-distance trade. Mentioning them marks this as a long-haul commercial caravan.

Exodus 9:3 בַּגְּמַלִּ֔ים on the camels

then the hand of the LORD will bring a severe plague on your livestock in the field—on your horses, donkeys, camels, herds, and flocks.

Leviticus 11:4 הַ֠גָּמָל the camel

But of those that only chew the cud or only have a divided hoof, you are not to eat the following: The camel, though it chews the cud, does not have a divided hoof; it is unclean for you.

Deuteronomy 14:7 הַ֠גָּמָל the camel

But of those that chew the cud or have a completely divided hoof, you are not to eat the following: the camel, the rabbit, or the rock badger. Although they chew the cud, they do not have a divided hoof. They are unclean for you,

Judges 6:5 וְלִגְמַלֵּיהֶ֖ם and to camels their

For the Midianites came with their livestock and their tents like a great swarm of locusts. They and their camels were innumerable, and they entered the land to ravage it.

Here: 'And to their camels.' Singled out from the rest of the livestock because camels are what made this kind of long-range incursion so frightening.

Judges 7:12 וְלִגְמַלֵּיהֶם֙ and [belonged] to camels their

Now the Midianites, Amalekites, and all the other people of the east had settled in the valley like a swarm of locusts, and their camels were as countless as the sand on the seashore.

Here: 'And their camels had…': the Hebrew uses 'to' to show belonging. Camels gave these raiders range and speed that settled farmers could not match.

Judges 8:21 גְמַלֵּיהֶֽם׃ camels their

Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Get up and kill us yourself, for as the man is, so is his strength.” So Gideon got up and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and he took the crescent ornaments from the necks of their camels.

Judges 8:26 גְמַלֵּיהֶֽם׃ camels their

The weight of the gold earrings he had requested was 1,700 shekels, in addition to the crescent ornaments, the pendants, the purple garments of the kings of Midian, and the chains from the necks of their camels.

1 Samuel 15:3 מִגָּמָ֖ל from a camel

Now go and attack the Amalekites and devote to destruction all that belongs to them. Do not spare them, but put to death men and women, children and infants, oxen and sheep, camels and donkeys.’”

Here: The prized wealth of desert-ranging peoples. Amalekite and Midianite raiders were known for their camels (Judg 6:5; 1 Sam 30:17).

1 Samuel 27:9 וּגְמַלִּים֙ and camels

Whenever David attacked a territory, he did not leave a man or woman alive, but he took the flocks and herds, the donkeys, camels, and clothing. Then he would return to Achish,

1 Samuel 30:17 הַגְּמַלִּ֖ים the camels

And David struck them down from twilight until the evening of the next day. Not a man escaped, except four hundred young men who fled, riding off on camels.

1 Kings 10:2 גְּ֠מַלִּים camels

She arrived in Jerusalem with a very large caravan—with camels bearing spices, gold in great abundance, and precious stones. And she came to Solomon and spoke to him all that was on her mind.

Here: "Camels." Long-distance pack camels were the vehicles of the Arabian incense trade. To an Israelite they meant goods from the far desert south.

2 Kings 8:9 גָּמָ֑ל camel[s]

So Hazael went to meet Elisha, taking with him a gift of forty camel loads of every good thing from Damascus. And he went in and stood before him and said, “Your son Ben-hadad king of Aram has sent me to ask, ‘Will I recover from this illness?’”

1 Chronicles 5:21 גְּֽמַלֵּיהֶ֞ם camels their

They seized the livestock of the Hagrites—50,000 camels, 250,000 sheep, and 2,000 donkeys. They also took 100,000 captives,

1 Chronicles 12:40 וּבַגְּמַלִּ֣ים and on <the> camels

And their neighbors from as far away as Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali came bringing food on donkeys, camels, mules, and oxen—abundant supplies of flour, fig cakes and raisin cakes, wine and oil, oxen and sheep. Indeed, there was joy in Israel.

1 Chronicles 27:30 הַ֨גְּמַלִּ֔ים the camels

Obil the Ishmaelite was in charge of the camels. Jehdeiah the Meronothite was in charge of the donkeys.

2 Chronicles 9:1 וּ֠גְמַלִּים and camels

Now when the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon, she came to test him with difficult questions. She arrived in Jerusalem with a very large caravan—with camels bearing spices, gold in abundance, and precious stones. And she came to Solomon and spoke with him about all that was on her mind.

Here: The animals of the long-distance Arabian trade routes. Camels mark her as an Arabian caravan power, not a seafaring or river kingdom.

2 Chronicles 14:15 וּגְמַלִּ֔ים and camels

They also attacked the tents of the herdsmen and carried off many sheep and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem.

Ezra 2:67 גְּמַ֨לֵּיהֶ֔ם camels their

435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.

Nehemiah 7:69 גְּמַלִּ֕ים camels

435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.

Here: The heading of the first entry. These are pack and riding camels, the costly animals for long desert travel. That only a few hundred are listed shows how few wealthy households took part.

Job 1:3 גְמַלִּ֗ים camels

and he owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and a very large number of servants. Job was the greatest man of all the people of the East.

Here: Camels were the costly wealth of the desert-edge peoples east of Israel. They were used for caravan trade and long-distance travel. Owning 3,000 marks Job as a great figure of the eastern steppe, not a typical Israelite farmer.

Job 1:17 הַגְּמַלִּים֙ the camels

While he was still speaking, another messenger came and reported: “The Chaldeans formed three bands, raided the camels, and took them away. They put the servants to the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you!”

Job 42:12 גְּמַלִּ֔ים camels

So the LORD blessed Job’s latter days more than his first. He owned 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys.

Here: Camels were caravan and desert animals, a mark of the great men of 'the people of the east' (1:3). They point to long-distance trade and a desert-edge setting.

Isaiah 21:7 גָּמָ֑ל a camel

When he sees chariots with teams of horsemen, riders on donkeys, riders on camels, he must be alert, fully alert.”

Isaiah 30:6 גְּמַלִּים֙ camels

This is the burden against the beasts of the Negev: Through a land of hardship and distress, of lioness and lion, of viper and flying serpent, they carry their wealth on the backs of donkeys and their treasures on the humps of camels, to a people of no profit to them.

Here: Camels were the long-distance desert carriers, essential for crossing the Sinai. The donkeys and camels show a large, costly caravan.

Isaiah 60:6 גְּמַלִּ֜ים camels

Caravans of camels will cover your land, young camels of Midian and Ephah, and all from Sheba will come, bearing gold and frankincense and proclaiming the praises of the LORD.

Here: The pack animal of the long-distance desert trade. Camels mean caravans from Arabia, which is what links this verse to the overland trade routes.

Jeremiah 49:29 וּגְמַלֵּיהֶ֖ם and camels their

They will take their tents and flocks, their tent curtains and all their goods. They will take their camels for themselves. They will shout to them: ‘Terror is on every side!’

Jeremiah 49:32 גְמַלֵּיהֶ֜ם camels their

Their camels will become plunder, and their large herds will be spoil. I will scatter to the wind in every direction those who shave their temples; I will bring calamity on them from all sides,” declares the LORD.

Ezekiel 25:5 גְמַלִּ֔ים camels

I will make Rabbah a pasture for camels, and Ammon a resting place for sheep. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’

Zechariah 14:15 הַגָּמָ֣ל the camel

And a similar plague will strike the horses and mules, camels and donkeys, and all the animals in those camps.