Hebrew word · H1582

גְּמַלִּי

gemali

Gemalli

A personal name found only here. Its meaning is uncertain. The main options are a link with gāmāl "camel" ("my camel," or a word for a camel-owner or camel-driver), or the verb gāmal "to deal fully with, repay, wean," giving something like "my recompense."

Appears once in the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

A man living at the time of Egypt and Wilderness, only mentioned at Num.13.12;

father of: Ammiel (H5988)

§ Gemalli = "camel driver"

the father of Ammiel, the Danite spy

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 Numbers 13:12

Range of meaning

A personal name found only here. Its meaning is uncertain. The main options are a link with gāmāl "camel" ("my camel," or a word for a camel-owner or camel-driver), or the verb gāmal "to deal fully with, repay, wean," giving something like "my recompense."

Against the English

Transliterated everywhere, which is the right thing to do given the uncertainty.

Used elsewhere in the period

BDB lists it under the camel group with a question mark. Names based on animals are common in Israel (Deborah "bee," Rachel "ewe," Caleb probably "dog"). The Septuagint has Gamali and the Vulgate Gemalli.

Where it appears

Numbers · 1

  1. Numbers 13:12 גְּמַלִּֽי׃ Gemalli

    from the tribe of Dan, Ammiel son of Gemalli;

    Here: Ammiel's father. He is mentioned only here. The meaning of the name is uncertain. It probably connects with gāmāl, "camel" ("my camel" or "camel-man"), or possibly with the root g-m-l, "to repay, deal fully with".

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