Word Study for H1548 (גָּלַח)

gâlach /gaw-lakh'/ Ask about this word

Roota primitive root

Meaningproperly, to be bald, i.e. (causatively) to shave; figuratively to lay waste

KJV usagepoll, shave (off).

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of gâlach — 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 gâlach, represented by H1548, is a primitive root meaning to shave or poll. Its definition includes the concepts of being bald, causatively shaving, and figuratively to lay waste. It appears 23 times across 18 unique verses, illustrating its use in a variety of significant contexts from personal grooming to national judgment.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In the biblical narrative, H1548 is used to denote several important actions. It is a key component of ritual law, such as when a Nazarite completes his vow and must shave the head of his separation Numbers 6:18, or when a person undergoing ceremonial cleansing must shave off all his hair to be clean Leviticus 14:8. The act also serves as a profound insult and sign of humiliation, as when Hanun shaved off half the beards of David's servants 2 Samuel 10:4. Figuratively, it symbolizes divine judgment, as when the Lord proclaims he will shave the land with a hired razor, the king of Assyria Isaiah 7:20. Conversely, it can mark a simple change in status, as when Joseph shaved himself before appearing before Pharaoh Genesis 41:14.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words clarify the context and meaning of shaving:

H7144 qorchâh (baldness): This describes the state resulting from shaving the head. It is often associated with mourning Amos 8:10 and is explicitly forbidden for priests, who shall not make baldness upon their head Leviticus 21:5.
H4177 môwrâh (razor): This is the instrument used for shaving. Its absence is a sign of consecration for a Nazarite, as Samson notes that no razor had ever been on his head, and if he were shaven, his strength would leave Judges 16:17.
H8593 taʻar (razor, knife, scabbard): Another word for the tool used to shave. It is this type of razor that is used in the prophecy of judgment against Israel Isaiah 7:20.
H3697 kâçam (poll, shear): This term is used in direct contrast to shaving. Priests in Ezekiel's vision are instructed not to shave their heads H1548, but to only poll them Ezekiel 44:20.
H6213 ʻâsâh (do, make, trim, pare): This broad verb is used alongside shaving in the law concerning a captive woman, who must shave her head and pare her nails as part of her transition Deuteronomy 21:12.

Theological Significance

The cultural and theological weight of H1548 is significant, representing major life transitions and spiritual states.

Ritual Purity and Consecration: Shaving is central to the laws of the Nazarite and of cleansing. It can mark the successful completion of a vow Numbers 6:18 or the purification required after defilement Numbers 6:9. A shaven head signifies a return from a consecrated state or a move from unclean to clean Leviticus 14:9.
Humiliation and Judgment: To forcibly shave someone's beard was a deep sign of dishonor, as seen in the treatment of David's men 1 Chronicles 19:4. This is elevated to a theological metaphor for God's judgment, where a nation is laid bare and shamed by its enemies, who act as God's "razor" Isaiah 7:20.
Mourning and Grief: Shaving one's beard was an outward expression of intense sorrow Jeremiah 41:5. This practice was specifically forbidden for priests, setting them apart from common mourning customs Leviticus 21:5.
Change of Status: The act of shaving can mark a clear separation from a former life. Joseph shaves his prison growth before entering Pharaoh's court Genesis 41:14, and a captive woman shaves her head to mark her new life before marriage Deuteronomy 21:12.

Summary

In summary, H1548 is far more than a word for hair removal. It is a potent symbolic act in scripture, signifying profound changes in an individual's or a nation's status. From the sacred rituals of the Nazarite vow to the shaming of envoys, and from a sign of personal mourning to a metaphor for divine judgment, gâlach carries significant weight. It illustrates how a physical act can represent the deepest transitions of life: from consecrated to common, from unclean to pure, from honor to shame, and from one life stage to the next.

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 verb across 23 occurrences, inflected in 12 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form.

Piel Imperfect 3rd Singular Masculine 6×
Piel Consecutive Perfect 3rd Singular Masculine 4×
Piel Consecutive Imperfect 3rd Singular Masculine 3×
Piel Imperfect 3rd Plural Masculine 2×
Hithpael Consecutive Perfect 3rd Singular Masculine 1×
Hithpael Infinitive Construct 1×
Piel Consecutive Imperfect 3rd Singular Feminine 1×
Piel Consecutive Perfect 3rd Singular Feminine 1×
Piel Infinitive Construct 1×
Pual Participle Passive Plural Masculine Construct 1×
Pual Perfect 1st Singular common gender 1×
Pual Perfect 3rd Singular Masculine 1×

Singular: One.
Plural: More than one.
Masculine: Masculine grammatical gender.
Feminine: Feminine grammatical gender.
common gender: Either gender — the form does not distinguish.
1st: First person — the speaker ("I"/"we").
3rd: Third person — the one spoken about ("he"/"they").
Imperfect: Ongoing or repeated action in the past — "was doing".
Perfect: A completed act whose results continue.
Passive: The subject is acted upon.
Infinitive: The verb as a noun — "to do".
Participle: A verbal adjective — describes while carrying the verb's action.
Piel: The intensive stem — strengthened or emphatic action.
Pual: The passive of the intensive (Piel) stem.
Hithpael: Reflexive-intensive — the subject acts upon itself.
Consecutive Imperfect: Imperfect with vav — carries narrative forward ("and he…").
Consecutive Perfect: Perfect with vav — continues a sequence into the future.
Construct: Bound to a following noun — "the X of…".

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 18 verses across 10 of the 39 books. Most frequent in Leviticus (4 verses); never once in the other 29.

Genesis

Leviticus

Numbers

Deuteronomy

Judges

2 Samuel

1 Chronicles

Isaiah

Jeremiah

Ezekiel

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, 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.