Lexical Summary gag: Roof Original Word: גָּג Strong's Exhaustive Concordance roof of the house, house top of the house Probably by reduplication from ga'ah; a roof; by analogy, the top of an altar -- roof (of the house), (house) top (of the house). see HEBREW ga'ah NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originof uncertain derivation Definition a roof, a top NASB Translation housetop (1), housetops (7), roof (18), roofs (1), rooftops (1), top (2). Brown-Driver-Briggs גָּג noun masculine roof, top (Late Hebrew id.; Di compare Ethiopic  vinculum (ferreum), jugo simil. collare ferreum; √ dubious; Thes proposes גגג; perhaps גנג (= גנגן) cover Bö§ 292 Sta§ 189 a MV) — גָּג Joshua 2:6 9t. + 1 Samuel 9:26 Kt (Qr גָּ֫גָה), גָּ֫גָה Joshua 2:6; 1 Samuel 9:26 Qr (Kt גג); construct Judges 9:51 2t. + Ezekiel 40:13 (strike out Co see below); suffix גַּגֶּךָ֑ Deuteronomy 22:8, גַּגּוֺ Exodus 30:3 2t. + Ezekiel 40:13 (strike out Co see below); plural גַּגּוֺת Isaiah 37:27 5t.; suffix גַּגּוֺתֶיהָ Isaiah 15:3, גַּגּוֺתֵיהֶם Jeremiah 32:29, גַּגֹּתֵיהֶם Jeremiah 19:13; — 1 roof (of house) Deuteronomy 22:8; Joshua 2:6 (twice in verse); Joshua 2:8; Joshua 16:27; 1 Samuel 9:25,26; 2 Samuel 11:2 (twice in verse); 2 Samuel 16:22; 2 Kings 19:26 = Isaiah 37:27; Nehemiah 8:16; Psalm 102:8; Psalm 129:6; Proverbs 21:9; Proverbs 25:24; Isaiah 15:3; Isaiah 22:1; Jeremiah 48:38; as places of idolatrous worship (especially of heavenly bodies) Jeremiah 19:13; Jeremiah 32:29; Zephaniah 1:5; so הַגָּג עֲלִיַּת אָחָז 2 Kings 23:12, roof of tower Judges 9:51,51, over gate 2 Samuel 18:24, of chamber Ezekiel 40:13 (twice in verse) (but ᵐ5 Co קיר). 2 top of altar of incense, in tabernacle Exodus 30:3; Exodus 37:26 (both p). גַּד, גָּד, גִּדְּגָּד, גֻּדְגֹּדָה see below גדד. Topical Lexicon Definition and Range of Meaning The noun denotes the flat roof or housetop that crowned the typical Israelite dwelling, palace, tower, or city gate. Because most homes were single-story mud-brick structures, the roof functioned as an additional living area open to sky and breeze, accessible by an exterior staircase or ladder. Its varied uses give the word rich theological, ethical, and pastoral implications. Architectural and Domestic Uses 1 Samuel 9:25-26 pictures Saul lodging on Samuel’s roof, a place for conversation and rest in the evening cool. In Joshua 2:6 Rahab hides the spies under flax stalks drying on her roof, demonstrating that rooftops served as workspaces for agricultural processing. Nehemiah 8:16 reports that during the Feast of Booths the returned exiles built shelters “on their roofs,” turning private space into communal worship. David’s fateful stroll “on the roof of the palace” (2 Samuel 11:2) shows how the elevation provided a commanding view of the city; the episode warns of temptation that can spring from idle moments in places of privilege. The same rooftop later became a stage for Absalom’s public sin (2 Samuel 16:22), revealing how private space can be turned into brazen rebellion. Legal and Ethical Responsibilities The rooftop’s accessibility created potential danger, so Deuteronomy 22:8 legislates: “When you build a new house, you are to build a parapet around your roof so that you may not bring bloodshed on your house if someone falls from it.” This command roots social responsibility in love for neighbor; failure to secure the roof could bring covenantal guilt. Believers today still find in the parapet law a timeless principle of proactive care for life and safety. Military and Strategic Functions Flat roofs served as lookout posts. Watchmen stood “on the roof of the gate” (2 Samuel 18:24) to report battlefield news. In Judges 16:27 about three thousand Philistines crowded the temple roof to watch Samson, illustrating its use as a grandstand. Joshua 2:8 notes that Rahab came up to her roof before the men lay down, underscoring its role as a secure, elevated vantage. Worship—True and False Positive worship: Peter’s vision before the Gentile mission occurred “about the sixth hour on the roof” (Acts 10:9), linking the place with prayerful openness to God’s revelation. Idolatrous worship: Roofs also became high places for apostasy. Kings of Judah erected altars “on the roof, the upper chamber of Ahaz” (2 Kings 23:12). Prophets repeatedly condemn burning incense to “all the host of heaven” on housetops (Jeremiah 19:13; 32:29; Zephaniah 1:5). The location—closer to the sky—suited astral cults, but Scripture brands the practice as spiritual adultery, inviting judgment. Lamentation and Prophetic Imagery When national calamity loomed, the roof became a stage for grief. “They all wail, weeping bitterly; Walls of Moab lament” (Isaiah 15:3; cf. Jeremiah 48:38). Isaiah 22:1 rebukes frantic population surge onto rooftops at the mere rumor of siege, exposing misplaced confidence in human fortifications instead of the LORD. Wisdom and Poetic Motifs Proverbs twice warns, “Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife” (Proverbs 21:9; 25:24), using the roof’s outermost edge as a picture of chosen austerity over domestic strife. Psalm 129:6 compares Israel’s enemies to “grass on the rooftops, which withers before it can grow,” an image drawn from the thin soil layer that cannot sustain life (cf. 2 Kings 19:26). The metaphor underscores the fleeting success of the wicked. The Roof in Eschatological Teaching Jesus adopts the rooftop motif when urging urgency in the last days: “Let no one on the roof of his house go down to retrieve anything” (Matthew 24:17; Mark 13:15; Luke 17:31). The implication is clear: allegiance to Christ must outweigh attachment to possessions the moment judgment approaches. Continuity Across Testaments Though the Hebrew term changes to the Greek doma in the New Testament, the theological themes remain consistent—safety, proclamation, prayer, and impending judgment. What was spatially highest in ancient architecture becomes spiritually symbolic of what is publicly proclaimed: “What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the housetops” (Matthew 10:27). Pastoral and Ministry Applications 1. Protective Love: The parapet law challenges believers to safeguard others physically and spiritually, taking preventive action rather than reacting after harm has occurred. Representative Occurrences Deuteronomy 22:8; Joshua 2:6, 8; Judges 16:27; 1 Samuel 9:25-26; 2 Samuel 11:2; 2 Samuel 16:22; 2 Samuel 18:24; 1 Kings 8: Roof imagery implied; 2 Kings 23:12; Nehemiah 8:16; Psalm 129:6; Proverbs 21:9; Proverbs 25:24; Isaiah 15:3; Isaiah 22:1; Jeremiah 19:13; Jeremiah 32:29; Jeremiah 48:38; Zephaniah 1:5; Daniel 4:29. Forms and Transliterations גַּ֣ג גַּ֤ג גַּ֥ג גַּגֹּֽתֵיהֶם֙ גַּגּ֑וֹת גַּגּ֔וֹת גַּגּ֥וֹת גַּגּ֧וֹ גַּגּֽוֹתֵיהֶ֜ם גַּגּוֹ֙ גַּגּוֹתֶ֧יהָ גָּ֑ג גָּֽג׃ גג גג׃ גגו גגות גגותיה גגותיהם גגתיהם הַגַּגּ֖וֹת הַגָּ֑ג הַגָּ֑גָה הַגָּ֗ג הַגָּֽג׃ הַגָּג֩ הַגָּ֣גָה הגג הגג׃ הגגה הגגות לְגַגֶּ֑ךָ לְגַגּ֔וֹ לַגַּגּֽוֹת׃ לגגו לגגות׃ לגגך מִגַּ֤ג מגג gag gaḡ gāḡ gag·gō·ṯê·hem gag·gō·w·ṯe·hā gag·gō·w·ṯê·hem gag·gō·wṯ gag·gōw gagGo gagGot gaggōṯêhem gaggoTeiha gaggoteiHem gaggōw gaggōwṯ gaggōwṯehā gaggōwṯêhem gaggoyt hag·gā·ḡāh hag·gāḡ hag·gag·gō·wṯ hagGag haggāḡ hagGagah haggāḡāh haggagGot haggaggōwṯ lag·gag·gō·wṯ laggagGot laggaggōwṯ lə·ḡag·ge·ḵā lə·ḡag·gōw legagGecha ləḡaggeḵā legagGo ləḡaggōw mig·gaḡ migGag miggaḡLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Exodus 30:3 HEB: טָה֗וֹר אֶת־ גַּגּ֧וֹ וְאֶת־ קִירֹתָ֛יו NAS: gold, its top and its sides KJV: gold, the top thereof, and the sides INT: gold pure top sides all Exodus 37:26 Deuteronomy 22:8 Joshua 2:6 Joshua 2:6 Joshua 2:8 Judges 9:51 Judges 16:27 1 Samuel 9:25 1 Samuel 9:26 2 Samuel 11:2 2 Samuel 11:2 2 Samuel 16:22 2 Samuel 18:24 2 Kings 19:26 2 Kings 23:12 Nehemiah 8:16 Psalm 102:7 Psalm 129:6 Proverbs 21:9 Proverbs 25:24 Isaiah 15:3 Isaiah 22:1 Isaiah 37:27 Jeremiah 19:13 30 Occurrences |
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