Word Study for H1382 (גִּבְלִי)

Giblîy /ghib-lee'/ Ask about this word

Meaninga Gebalite, or inhabitant of Gebal

KJV usageGiblites, stone-squarer.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of Giblîy — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Hebrew word Giblîy, represented by H1382, identifies a Gebalite, or an inhabitant of the region of Gebal. It appears 2 times in 2 unique verses. The term functions both as a geographical designator for a people and their land, and as a title for skilled workers, specifically "stone-squarers."

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In its biblical appearances, H1382 is used in two distinct contexts. Geographically, it defines a territory as "the land of the Giblites," listed alongside Lebanon as part of the land that remained to be possessed by the Israelites Joshua 13:5. Vocationally, the Giblites are identified as the "stonesquarers" who worked with Solomon's and Hiram's builders. They were responsible for hewing the stones needed to build the house of the Lord 1 Kings 5:18.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words help clarify the context surrounding the Giblites' activities:

H1129 bânâh (to build): This primitive root means "to build (literally and figuratively)." It describes the ultimate purpose of the Giblites' work, as they prepared materials "to build" the house 1 Kings 5:18.
H68 'eben (a stone): The Giblites were renowned for working with this material. As stonesquarers, they prepared the "stones" for the temple's construction 1 Kings 5:18.
H776 'erets (land): This word, meaning "the earth (at large, or partitively a land)," is used to define the territory of the Giblites in the context of the land promised to Israel Joshua 13:5.
H6458 pâçal (to hew): This primitive root, meaning "to carve, whether wood or stone," describes the specific action performed by the builders and the Giblites to shape materials for the temple 1 Kings 5:18.

Theological Significance

While appearing infrequently, the use of H1382 carries significance by illustrating specific principles within the biblical narrative.

Contribution to Sacred Construction: The Giblites are presented as key contributors to the building of the temple. Their role as "stonesquarers" demonstrates that specialized craftsmanship was integral to the construction of God's holy house 1 Kings 5:18.
Defining the Promised Land: The mention of "the land of the Giblites" helps delineate the specific boundaries of the inheritance promised to Israel, emphasizing the scope and detail of God's covenant with His people Joshua 13:5.
Collaboration in God's Work: The text explicitly states that the Giblites worked alongside builders from other kingdoms, highlighting a cooperative effort between different peoples to accomplish a sacred task 1 Kings 5:18.

Summary

In summary, H1382 is a specific term for the people of Gebal that carries a dual meaning in scripture. It is used to mark a geographical region in the conquest narrative and to identify a group of highly skilled artisans who prepared the very stones for the Lord's temple. The word demonstrates how specific peoples and their unique skills were woven into the larger fabric of Israel's history and the fulfillment of God's plans.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Hebrew Old Testament, this word appears as a noun across 2 occurrences, inflected in 2 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form. Select any form to read what each part of its name means, and to filter the occurrence list to it.

גִּבְלִים
גִּבְלִי

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

Appears in 2 verses across 2 of the 39 books. Most frequent in Joshua and 1 Kings (1 verse each); never once in the other 37.

Joshua

1 Kings

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, by grammatical form, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.