345:, about 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) north of Bethel. It is significant that the Books of Kings treat it as a place of holiness, suggesting that stone circles still had a positive religious value at the time the source text of the passages in question was written, rather than having been condemned as heathen by religious reforms. Another opinion is that it is not different from the Book of Joshua, as it locates it near Bethel as does the
17:
130:
421:
mountains on the edge of the desert. Pottery discoveries date them to the early
Israelite period, with most remains from the 12th–11th centuries BCE. They are located on the lower slopes of a hill, have a footprint-shaped stone outline, and were used for occasional assembly rather than permanent
340:
Since "Gilgal" means a "circle of standing stones", it is quite plausible for there to have been more than one place named Gilgal, and although there are dissenting opinions, it is commonly held to be a different place from the one involved with Joshua; it has been identified with the village
422:
dwelling. These sites are hypothesized to be ritual sites where the early
Israelites celebrated holidays together, until worship was centralized. The footprint-shaped outline recalls ancient Egyptian symbolism in which a footprint symbolized ownership. The use of low slopes is in contrast to
357:
Gilgal is mentioned in God's rebuke of the
Israelites saying: "The Lord says, 'All their wickedness began at Gilgal; there I began to hate them. I will drive them from my land because of their evil actions. I will love them no more because all their leaders are
437:, who argues that "gilgal" as a type of settlement never appears in the Bible, and that all references to a place of that name are either corruptions (for example of "Galilee") or refer to a single unidentified cultic site east of Jericho.
304:
is on the circuit with Gilgal, and other assumed locations show Gilgal to be far further away than the other two locations), and it is significant that it is treated as a holy place by the biblical text, rather than as a heathen one.
369:
Hosea also mentions sacrifices in Gilgal: "If Gilead be given to iniquity becoming altogether vanity, in Gilgal they sacrifice unto bullocks; yea, their altars shall be as heaps in the furrows of the field."
500:, Israeli national holiday created to honor the Jewish people carrying the Ark of the Covenant crossing the Jordan River into the Land of Israel at Gilgal as recorded in the Book of Joshua in the Bible.
544:
460:
in 1870. In 1882, SWP noted: "The name suggests its identity with Gilgal, a town in the mountains near Bethel. This Gilgal (2 Kings ii. i) is mentioned as though
388:
Gilgalim. Red: archaeological discovery. Blue: Biblical mention, not discovered, location uncertain. Purple: discovered and identified with
Biblical site
397:
is thought by many modern archaeologists to refer to a type of structure, which may then receive additional names, for example "the gilgal by the
300:
Again it is possible for this to be yet another "circle of standing stones" (or the same one as mentioned in relation to Elijah and Elisha, as
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491:
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as a memorial to the miraculous stopping of the river when they crossed. Joshua then ordered the
Israelites who had been born during
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208:"In fact, the King of Goim was defeated in Gilgal of Jericho, that is, the name of his city was not Gilgal (Joshua 12:23)
1000:
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661:
471:(2,890), but the descent into the great valley, Wady el Jib, may account for the expression, 'went down to Bethel."
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Some scholars speculate that the circle of 12 stones was the (unnamed) religious sanctuary that was condemned in
694:
197:"The king of Goyim, of Gilgal" is listed as one of the 31 kings defeated by Joshua. His city is identified by
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1385:
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782:
509:
467:(verse 2), which does not agree exactly with the position of Jiljilia (2,441 feet above the sea), and of
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818:
978:
Biblical
Researches in Palestine, Mount Sinai and Arabia Petraea: A Journal of Travels in the year 1838
918:
337:, suggesting that the place was in the vicinity of Bethel, and far from Joshua's Gilgal near Jericho.
968:
445:
1410:
914:
The Survey of
Western Palestine: Memoirs of the Topography, Orography, Hydrography, and Archaeology
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1400:
145:" where the Israelites encamped immediately after crossing the Jordan River. There, they erected
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161:, then says that Joshua called the place Gilgal because, in his words, "today I have removed (
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289:), David traveled to Gilgal. From there he was escorted to Jerusalem by the tribes of
27:
This article is about the
Biblical place. For the kibbutz and Israeli settlement, see
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was anointed as king, and where he renewed Saul's kingship together with the people.
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255:'s annual circuit, and is the location where he offered sacrifices after
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963:(in French). Vol. 2: Samarie, pt. 2. Paris: L'Imprimerie Nationale.
939:: Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv University Publications Section.
211:"Gilgal" is mentioned as a location on the border between the tribes of
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896:
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Kotter, Wade R. (1990). "Gilgal (Place)". In David Noel
Freedman, ed.,
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Description Géographique
Historique et Archéologique de la Palestine
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875:(1922). "Excavations and Results at Tell el-Fûl (Gibeah of Saul)".
751:"Biblical Gilgal: A Common Place Name or a Cult Site near Jericho?"
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in pieces after Saul refused to obey God and utterly destroy the
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31:. For the ancient village and Neolithic archaeological site, see
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most likely means "circle of stones". Its name appears in
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The Annual of the American Schools of Oriental Research
133:
Proposed location of Biblical Gilgal in the West Bank
92:. Gilgal is mentioned 39 times, in particular in the
512:, Israeli settlement in the Jordan Valley, West Bank
409:) or "the gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho" (
317:, "Gilgal" is mentioned as the home of a company of
119:
857:1938:337; cited in Finkelstein et al, 1997, p. 557
426:, which placed sanctuaries "on every lofty hill" (
281:'s return to Jerusalem after the death of his son
793:Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 3, Appendix 2, p.
748:
413:). Gilgal structures have been found only in the
141:, Gilgal is a location "on the eastern border of
1377:
506:, Neolithic site in the Jordan Valley, West Bank
157:at this spot. The Bible refers to this place as
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329:came from Gilgal to Bethel, and then onward to
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871:
381:
1038:
989:
967:
996:Memoir to Accompany the Map of the Holy Land
88:), is the name of one or more places in the
1017:In the footsteps of ancient Israelite kings
919:Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund
787:
723:In the footsteps of ancient Israelite kings
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1031:
775:
543:Piccirillo, Michele (September 21, 1995).
542:
478:disagreed with this identification, while
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492:Ancient underground quarry, Jordan Valley
246:
235:11:29–30, Gilgal is a place across from
128:
15:
830:Conder and Kitchener, 1882, SWP II, p.
448:first drew the connection to Gilgal to
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1378:
953:
824:
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192:
104:(Joshua 4:19 – 5:12). The Hebrew term
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715:
251:A place named Gilgal was included in
165:) the shame of Egypt from upon you."
266:, Gilgal is where Samuel hewed King
474:In the 20th century, archaeologist
54:
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551:. Franciscan Archaeology Institute
14:
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120:Places named Gilgal in the Bible
20:Gilgal near the village of Yafit
1314:Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion
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545:"A Centenary to be celebrated"
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768:10.1080/03344355.2024.2327800
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66:Galgalatokai of the 12 Stones
684:Strong's Concordance: Gilgal
531:Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary
7:
736:"כל מקום שבו דרכה כף רגלנו"
510:Gilgal (Israeli settlement)
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440:
433:This theory is disputed by
382:Gilgal as a geographic term
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29:Gilgal (Israeli settlement)
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932:Highlands of many cultures
781:Robinson, 1841, vol 3, p.
100:camped after crossing the
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533:. Volume 2, p. 1022-1024.
96:, as the place where the
883:: iii+ix+xi+xiii+1–160.
81:Γαλγαλατοκαι Δωδεκαλίθων
981:. Vol. 3. Boston:
917:. Vol. 2. London:
805:van de Velde, 1858, p.
321:. The text states that
983:Crocker & Brewster
749:Nadav Na'aman (2024).
622:"ג'לג'וליה – עמוד ענן"
134:
21:
1331:The Sign and the Seal
1304:Cathedral of Chartres
1079:High Priest of Israel
991:Velde, van de, C.W.M.
247:In the Book of Samuel
132:
19:
1217:Biblical Mount Sinai
1019:, September 18, 2013
725:, September 18, 2013
309:In the Book of Kings
1406:Book of Deuteronomy
1386:Hebrew Bible places
1362:32.0330°N 35.4757°E
1358: /
1054:Ark of the Covenant
842:Albright, 1922, p.
593:Jewish Encyclopedia
424:Canaanite practice
415:Jordan River valley
347:Books of Chronicles
233:Book of Deuteronomy
193:Elsewhere in Joshua
817:Guérin, 1875, pp.
135:
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946:978-965-440-007-7
662:1 Samuel 15:32–33
407:Deuteronomy 11:30
60:), also known as
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1234:Jordan River
1015:Dror Eydar,
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86:Dōdekalithōn
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1365: /
1334:(1992 book)
1309:Tana Qirqos
1222:Mount Horeb
1212:Mount Sinai
1196:Aaron's rod
634:Joshua 15:7
411:Joshua 4:19
376:Hosea 12:11
333:and to the
287:2 Samuel 19
264:1 Samuel 15
155:circumcised
139:Joshua 4:19
110:Koine Greek
1380:Categories
1353:35°28′33″E
1350:32°01′59″N
1244:Tabernacle
1160:Mercy seat
1084:Israelites
955:Guérin, V.
647:chapters 7
555:18 January
517:References
428:2 Kings 17
399:terebinths
364:Hosea 9:15
358:rebels.'"(
279:King David
272:Amalekites
241:Mount Ebal
151:the Exodus
114:Madaba Map
98:Israelites
35:. For the
1274:Philistia
1269:Eben-Ezer
1205:Locations
1144:Menelik I
999:. Gotha:
973:Smith, E.
761:: 59–72.
450:Jiljilyya
393:The term
55:גִּלְגָּל
41:Gil-galad
1174:Contents
1119:Jeremiah
993:(1858).
975:(1841).
957:(1875).
937:Tel Aviv
911:(1882).
755:Tel Aviv
644:1 Samuel
581:Joshua 5
570:Joshua 4
504:Gilgal I
486:See also
441:Location
419:Samarian
372:Hosea 12
353:In Hosea
343:Jaljulia
319:prophets
295:Benjamin
217:Benjamin
203:Jaljulia
199:Eusebius
175::4 and
33:Gilgal I
1323:Related
1229:Jericho
1139:Solomon
1104:Oholiab
1094:Bezalel
1089:Levites
1074:Kohanim
897:3768487
712:, p.149
360:Hosea 9
331:Jericho
313:In the
283:Absalom
231:In the
219:, near
179::5 and
143:Jericho
112:on the
62:Galgala
1391:Samuel
1264:Gilgal
1259:Gibeah
1254:Shiloh
1165:Cherub
1129:Samuel
1124:Joshua
1109:Kehath
1062:People
1056:topics
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601:Gilgal
469:Beitin
465:Bethel
430::10).
395:gilgal
335:Jordan
327:Elisha
323:Elijah
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253:Samuel
163:galoti
153:to be
106:Gilgal
75:Γαλαγα
58:Gilgāl
51:Hebrew
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1191:Manna
1134:Uzzah
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893:JSTOR
462:above
403:Moreh
291:Judah
213:Judah
201:with
186::15.
181:Hosea
70:Greek
1396:Saul
941:ISBN
855:Abel
821:-168
649:and
557:2019
480:Abel
456:and
325:and
293:and
268:Agag
257:Saul
239:and
215:and
170:Amos
1153:Lid
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