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H1019 · Hebrew · Old Testament
בֵּית הַגִּלְגָּל
Beth-ha-Gilgal
Noun, proper place name
House of Gilgal; Gilgal Settlement

Definition

The Hebrew Beth-ha-Gilgal (Strong's H1019) refers to a settlement associated with Gilgal, appearing in Nehemiah's account of the dedication of Jerusalem's rebuilt walls. Levitical singers gathered from Beth-Gilgal to participate in the great procession of thanksgiving after the wall's completion. The name connects this community to the historic site of Gilgal — Israel's first encampment in Canaan.

Usage & Theological Significance

The appearance of Beth-Gilgal in Nehemiah 12 places it within one of Scripture's great celebration scenes. After the trauma of exile and the grueling labor of rebuilding, Jerusalem's walls were dedicated with singing, thanksgiving, and the sounds of cymbals, harps, and lyres. The Levitical singers traveled from outlying settlements like Beth-Gilgal — showing that worship was not merely a local affair but a gathering of the whole community. The passage models how covenant renewal calls the entire people to joyful, corporate worship.

Key Bible Verses

Nehemiah 12:29 And from the house of Gilgal and from the fields of Geba and Azmaveth, for the singers had built for themselves villages around Jerusalem.
Nehemiah 12:27 And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites in all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication with gladness.
Joshua 4:19 The people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and they encamped at Gilgal on the east border of Jericho.
1 Samuel 11:15 So all the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king before the LORD in Gilgal.
Psalm 122:1 I was glad when they said to me, 'Let us go to the house of the LORD!'

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