GILGAL gĭl’ găl (גִּלְגָּ֔ל, [only Joshua 5:9 and 12:23 omit the article], LXX Γάλγαλα, meaning the circle). The name of several towns of uncertain location, the most important was Joshua’s encampment near the Jordan which later became a religious center.

1. The Gilgals of the Bible. To fit all the references to Gilgal in the Bible into one locale is impossible; from two to six separate cities bearing the same name have been suggested. The fact that Gilgal is a common and easily explained name makes a multiplicity of the same name more likely. The word prob. has reference to a circle of stones, although no etymology is given. There is a play on the word whose root is the same as the verb “roll” (Josh 5:9). Usually the name is preceded by a definite article, as were many names that were evidently made from common nouns.

a. The Gilgal near Jericho. This is the Gilgal most frequently mentioned. After the Israelites under Joshua crossed the Jordan, they camped at Gilgal (Josh 4:19). There they built a monument of twelve stones, but the Scripture does not indicate whether or not they were arranged in a circle. Also, at Gilgal, the rite of circumcision was performed (5:8) and the Passover celebrated (5:10). From this site, the Israelites set out to march around Jericho for seven days. Apparently, Gilgal was their base camp as they made attacks on the hill country, for Joshua was found at Gilgal by the Gibeonites after Ai was destroyed and after he had built an altar on Mt. Ebal (8:30; 9:6). From Gilgal, the Israelites left to defend Gibeon and returned to Gilgal victorious (10:15, 43). This is prob. the same Gilgal referred to in Judges 2:1 and 3:19. After Joshua had completed most of the conquest (Josh 18:1), the central sanctuary, including the Ark of the covenant, was transferred to Shiloh. Gilgal must have continued as a prominent city, however, because it was one of three cities on Samuel’s circuit (1 Sam 7:16). Also, there Saul was made king (11:14, 15). Saul used Gilgal as a base of operations against the Amalekites, and at Gilgal he sought to placate Samuel after he had disobeyed by salvaging some cattle for booty and permitting the enemy king to live. Samuel uttered the famous maxim, “To obey is better than sacrifice...” (15:22) and subsequently “hewed Agag in pieces before the Lord” (v. 33).

The Gilgal near Jericho is generally accepted as the place against which the prophets Hosea and Amos preached. Hosea 9:15 states, “Every evil of theirs is in Gilgal; there I began to hate them.” Later Hosea indicated that it was a place of sacrifice (Hos 12:11). Both Hosea and Amos connect Gilgal closely with Bethel, assuming that “Beth-aven” (4:15) is a sarcastic alteration of the real name (Amos 4:4; 5:5). On the other hand, because of Gilgal’s close connection with Bethel, many scholars think that the Gilgal mentioned in Hosea and Amos is different from the Gilgal near Jericho. Perhaps it should be connected with the one of 2 Kings 2:1 (see below under par. “b.”), which most consider a separate town bearing the same name.

b. The Gilgal of Elijah and Elisha. This town seems more distinct from the one near the Jordan. The narrative of 2 Kings 2:1-4 indicates the route of the two prophets as “from Gilgal” (v. 1) “down to Bethel” (v. 2), and “to Jericho” (v. 4). Although the matter of “down to Bethel” can be explained as being the chronicler’s perspective, such a route would indicate that Bethel was between Gilgal and Jericho, which would exclude the Gilgal near the Jordan. Since this reference connects Gilgal so closely with Bethel, perhaps the modern town of Jiljiliah, seven m. N of Bethel, is the site. At this Gilgal, Elisha threw herbs in the pot of death and made the stew harmless. There are no immediate contextual hints concerning the location of this town.

c. The Gilgal in Galilee. “The king of Goiim in Galilee” is on a list of conquered monarchs (Josh 12:23). This reflects the LXX (Γεῖ τῆς Γαλιλαίας). The KJV trs. the MT more accurately, “the king of the nations of Gilgal.” No certain identification of this Gilgal is known, but because the other places before and after it in the list are in the N, most historians suggest that it is located between the Mediterranean and Galilee, N of Samaria.

d. On the boundary of Judah. Among the features of the boundaries of Judah (Josh 15) is a Gilgal “which is opposite the ascent of Adummim, which is on the south side of the valley” (v. 7). Because of the context, this cannot be either the Gilgal near Jericho or any of the others suggested above. In the determination of Benjamin’s territory, which bordered on the N of Judah, is a Geliloth “which is opposite the ascent of Adummim” (Josh 18:17). The two major Gr. MSS support alternatives of this form (Josh 18:17). The names mean essentially the same thing, but Geliloth is a fem. pl. form.

e. Near Mt. Ebal. Another Gilgal is referred to in Deuteronomy 11:30. Reading the v. by itself presents no problem in associating it with the Gilgal by Jericho, but the preceding v. indicates that it is near Mts. Ebal and Gerizim.

2. Archeology and Gilgal. James Muilenburg has done extensive research on the location of Gilgal. His answer to the Gilgal by Jericho is the modern Khirbet el-Mefjir, located a little over one m. NE of Tell es-Sultan, or OT Jericho. This site is not without problems or competitors. A major problem is that, until recently, there was no evidence that it was a very old site. Furthermore, the remains of the sumptuous Ummayyad palace of the caliph Hisham (a.d. 724-732) are there. The strongest alternative site for Gilgal is Khirbet en-Nitleh, three m. SE of Jericho. Many Byzantine ruins cover Khirbet en-Nitleh, and this has led many to assume it is Gilgal. Apart from the Bible references to Gilgal noted above, Josephus is the best and oldest witness. He locates Gilgal fifty stadia from the ford of the Jordan (accepted by nearly all as being at al-Maghtas) and ten stadia from Jericho (Jos. Antiq. V. vi. 4). If both Muilenburg and Josephus have the same Jericho and the same ford in mind, then Gilgal can only be Khirbet el-Mefjir, because en-Nitleh is too close to the river. Muilenburg found pottery of the Iron Age in a sounding of Khirbet el-Mefjir, which sets its occupation back at least to 1000 b.c. and dispels the major source of criticism.

The discussion so far deals just with Gilgal near Jericho. The one or more Gilgals of the Bible may be connected with the modern towns of Jiljiliah, seven m. N of Bethel (2 Kings 4:38); Jidjulah, four m. N of Antipatris (Josh 12:23); and Juleijil, two and one-half m. SE of Nablus (Deut 11:30).

Bibliography F. M. Abel, Géographie de la Palestine, II, (1938), 337ff.; J. Muilenburg, “The Site of Ancient Gilgal,” BASOR, 145 (Dec. 1955) 11-27.