Lexical Summary gabal: To bound, border, set bounds Original Word: גָּבַל Strong's Exhaustive Concordance be border, set bounds about A primitive root; properly, to twist as a rope; only (as a denominative from gbuwl) to bound (as by a line) -- be border, set (bounds about). see HEBREW gbuwl NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origindenominative verb from gebul Definition to bound, border NASB Translation border (1), borders (1), set (1), set bounds (2). Brown-Driver-Briggs גָּבַל verb denominative bound, border — Qal Perfect גָָּֽבְּלוּ Deuteronomy 19:14; Imperfect3masculine singular יִגְבּוֺל Joshua 18:20, 3feminine singular תִּגְבָּלֿ Zechariah 9:2; — bound, border, with accusative Joshua 18:20 (P); with בְּ border upon, adjoin Zechariah 9:2; transitive set bounds Deuteronomy 10:14 (with accusative of congnate meaning with verb). Hiph`il Perfect2masculine singular set bounds for, with accusative וְהִגְבַּלְתָּ֫ Exodus 19:12; Imperative id. הַגְבֵּל Exodus 19:23 (both J E), + Participle מַגְבִּיל Ezekiel 47:18 ᵐ5 ᵑ6 ᵑ9 Co. Topical Lexicon Contextual Meaning and Narrative Setting Across its five appearances, the verb conveys the deliberate act of marking off space. Whether the scene is a trembling Sinai or the threaded frontiers of Benjamin, the action always flows from a higher authority who defines where people may and may not go. Thus every instance carries a theological weight: boundaries exist because God Himself distinguishes, orders, and assigns. Mount Sinai: Protecting the Holy Presence In Exodus 19:12—“You are to set boundaries for the people all around, saying, ‘Beware that you do not go up the mountain or touch its edge. Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death’”—the boundary is a mercy as well as a warning. Israel learns that nearness to the Holy One is not casual; access must await mediation and atonement. When Moses repeats the command in Exodus 19:23, the people’s inability to cross the line underscores humanity’s need for an intercessor. The event prefigures the later priestly system and, ultimately, the mediating work of Jesus Christ, in whom believers now “have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place” (Hebrews 10:19). Land Inheritance and Social Justice Deuteronomy 19:14 legislates: “You must not move your neighbor’s boundary stone, set up by your predecessors in the inheritance that the LORD your God is giving you to possess.” Boundary stones preserve family inheritance and social stability. To tamper with them is to oppose the divine Giver who allotted each parcel. The verse became a cornerstone for Israel’s ethic of property rights, reminding the community that covetousness toward a neighbor’s field is, at heart, rebellion against God’s provision. Covenantal Geography of Benjamin Joshua 18:20 names the Jordan as the eastern limit of Benjamin’s territory. The verse does more than supply cartographic data; it testifies that the tribal boundaries spoken by the Lord through Moses (Numbers 26:52-56) were actually realized. Every border line affirms the faithfulness of God to bring His people into their promised rest. Prophetic Borders and Eschatological Hope Zechariah 9:2 notes “Hamath also, which borders on it, as well as Tyre and Sidon, though they are very shrewd.” Here the boundary of a Gentile city-state stands in a larger oracle of judgment and salvation. The God who fixed Israel’s frontiers also surveys international lines. He will humble proud Tyre (Zechariah 9:3-4) and yet later extend peace “from sea to sea” (Zechariah 9:10). Borders may define nations, but they do not restrain the Messiah’s universal reign. Spiritual and Pastoral Applications 1. Holiness calls for guarded space. Just as Sinai needed a fence, the believer must keep clear moral margins that honor God’s presence (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Intertextual Echoes Genesis begins with God separating light from darkness, land from sea—an act of boundary-making that frames the created order. Revelation ends with nations walking by the Lamb’s light inside a city whose gates never shut. From start to finish Scripture affirms that rightful borders bless, but final redemption transcends every earthly line. Summary The occurrences of גָּבַל trace a theological arc: God sets protective limits, assigns equitable inheritances, governs international frontiers, and promises a coming kingdom whose borders are peace itself. In honoring His boundaries now, the people of God foreshadow the ordered freedom of the age to come. Forms and Transliterations גָּבְל֖וּ גבלו הַגְבֵּ֥ל הגבל וְהִגְבַּלְתָּ֤ והגבלת יִגְבֹּל־ יגבל־ תִּגְבָּל־ תגבל־ gā·ḇə·lū gāḇəlū gaveLu haḡ·bêl hagBel haḡbêl tiḡ·bāl- tiḡbāl- tigbol vehigbalTa wə·hiḡ·bal·tā wəhiḡbaltā yiḡ·bōl- yigbol yiḡbōl-Links Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Exodus 19:12 HEB: וְהִגְבַּלְתָּ֤ אֶת־ הָעָם֙ NAS: You shall set bounds for the people KJV: And thou shalt set bounds unto the people INT: shall set the people all Exodus 19:23 Deuteronomy 19:14 Joshua 18:20 Zechariah 9:2 5 Occurrences |
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