Hebrew Explorer logo
Hebrew Explorer
The tool for deep Hebrew research into the biblical Scriptures

גָּלַל gâlal — to roll (literally or figuratively)

pronounced gaw-lal' · Strong's H1556 · 18 occurrences in the Hebrew Bible · 7 stems: Qal (Pa'al), Hitpolel, Niph'al, Hitpalpel, Pi'el, Po'al, Pilpel

Translated in the KJV as commit, remove, roll (away, down, together), run down, seek occasion, trust, wallow.

a primitive root; to roll (literally or figuratively).

gâlal in each stem

Qal (Pa'al) 10×

Simple · active — the plain action; the subject does it

Imperative 5Perfect (qatal) 2Sequential perfect (weqatal) 1Wayyiqtol 1Participle (active) 1

וְגָלֲל֤וּ Gen 29:3 Perfect (qatal), 3rd person common plural

And thither were all the flocks gathered: and they rolled the stone from the well’s mouth, and watered the sheep, and put the stone again upon the well’s mouth in his place. (KJV)

וְגָֽלֲלוּ֙ Gen 29:8 Sequential perfect (weqatal), 3rd person common plural

And they said, We cannot, until all the flocks be gathered together, and till they roll the stone from the well’s mouth; then we water the sheep. (KJV)

וַיָּ֤גֶל Gen 29:10 Wayyiqtol, 3rd person masculine singular

And it came to pass, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother’s brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother’s brother, that Jacob went near, and rolled the stone from the well’s mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother’s brother. (KJV)

Hitpolel

Intensive · reflexive — the action intensified, repeated or brought about; the subject does it to or for themselves

Infinitive construct 1Participle (active) 1

לְהִתְגֹּלֵ֤ל Gen 43:18 Infinitive construct

And the men were afraid, because they were brought into Joseph’s house; and they said, Because of the money that was returned in our sacks at the first time are we brought in; that he may seek occasion against us, and fall upon us, and take us for bondmen, and our asses. (KJV)

מִתְגֹּלֵ֥ל 2Sam 20:12 Participle (active), masculine singular

And Amasa wallowed in blood in the midst of the highway. And when the man saw that all the people stood still, he removed Amasa out of the highway into the field, and cast a cloth upon him, when he saw that every one that came by him stood still. (KJV)

Niph'al

Simple · passive — the plain action; the subject has it done to them

Sequential perfect (weqatal) 1Imperfect (yiqtol) 1

וְנָגֹ֥לּוּ Isa 34:4 Sequential perfect (weqatal), 3rd person common plural

And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree. (KJV)

וְיִגַּ֥ל Amos 5:24 Imperfect (yiqtol), 3rd person masculine singular

But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream. (KJV)

Hitpalpel

Intensive · reflexive — the action intensified, repeated or brought about; the subject does it to or for themselves

Perfect (qatal) 1

הִתְגַּלְגָּֽלוּ Job 30:14 Perfect (qatal), 3rd person common plural

They came upon me as a wide breaking in of waters: in the desolation they rolled themselves upon me. (KJV)

Pi'el

Intensive · active — the action intensified, repeated or brought about; the subject does it

Imperative 1

גַּ֣ל Ps 119:22 Imperative, 2nd person masculine singular

Remove from me reproach and contempt; for I have kept thy testimonies. (KJV)

Po'al

Intensive · passive — the action intensified, repeated or brought about; the subject has it done to them

Participle (passive) 1

מְגוֹלָלָ֣ה Isa 9:4 Participle (passive), feminine singular

For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian. (KJV)

Pilpel

Intensive · active — the action intensified, repeated or brought about; the subject does it

Sequential perfect (weqatal) 1

וְגִלְגַּלְתִּ֨יךָ֙ Jer 51:25 Sequential perfect (weqatal), 1st person common singular

Behold, I am against thee, O destroying mountain, saith the Lord, which destroyest all the earth: and I will stretch out mine hand upon thee, and roll thee down from the rocks, and will make thee a burnt mountain. (KJV)

What the stems mean

A Hebrew verb is its root letters set into a pattern. The pattern — the binyan — is the grammar's way of saying three things at once: whether the action is simple, intensive or causative, and whether its subject is active, passive or reflexive. That is why one Hebrew word can need six English ones. All seven binyanim, explained ›

Open in Hebrew Explorer with Verb Anatomy on →

In the app, tap any Hebrew verb while reading: its root, stem and form are named, the letters of the word itself are coloured to show which is which, and the stem's meaning is put in plain English. gâlal in the lexicon ›

Morphology from OpenScriptures MorphHB (CC BY 4.0); definitions from Strong's Hebrew Lexicon (public domain); text from the Westminster Leningrad Codex.

Open Hebrew Explorer — 30+ free study tools →