Word Study for H1576 (גְּמוּל)

gᵉmûwl /ghem-ool'/ Ask about this word

Meaningtreatment, i.e. an act (of good or ill); by implication, service or requital

KJV usagebenefit, desert, deserving, that which he hath given, recompense, reward.

Idioms & phrasesphrase as hast served

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of gᵉmûwl — 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 gᵉmûwl, represented by H1576, is a term signifying treatment or requital. It appears 19 times across 17 unique verses in the Bible. Derived from the root word gâmal, it carries a dual meaning that encompasses an act of good or ill and is translated as recompense, reward, benefit, or desert.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In biblical usage, H1576 is applied to both divine blessings and divine judgment. In a positive sense, the Psalmist urges the soul to "forget not all his benefits" Psalms 103:2, referring to God's gracious acts. Similarly, an act of kindness to the poor is described as something for which the LORD will repay, referred to as "that which he hath given" Proverbs 19:17. Conversely, the word establishes a principle of just requital, as seen in Obadiah 1:15, which warns, "thy reward shall return upon thine own head." This concept is directly linked to God's justice, who comes with "vengeance... with a recompence" to deliver His people Isaiah 35:4.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words help clarify the concept of recompense:

H1580 gâmal: This is the primitive root, meaning "to treat a person (well or ill), i.e. benefit or requite." It is used in Psalms 103:10 to state that God has not rewarded His people according to their iniquities.
H1578 gᵉmûwlâh: The feminine form of H1576 with the same meaning of "recompense" or "deed." It appears in Isaiah 59:18, where God repays His enemies according to their deeds.
H7999 shâlam: This verb means to "repay," "recompense," or "restore." It frequently describes the act of giving a recompense, such as in Isaiah 59:18, where God promises he "will repay recompence" to his enemies.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of H1576 is centered on the principle of divine justice and consequence.

Principle of Reciprocity: The word establishes that actions result in a corresponding outcome. For instance, "the recompence of a man's hands shall be rendered unto him" Proverbs 12:14, a principle that applies to both the wicked Isaiah 3:11 and the just.
God as a Just Judge: The term underscores God's role in administering perfect justice. He is called upon to "render to them their desert" according to their deeds Psalms 28:4 and to give "a reward to the proud" Psalms 94:2.
Divine Benevolence: Beyond strict requital for evil, H1576 is used for God's favor. Hezekiah was held accountable for not responding appropriately to the benefit done to him 2 Chronicles 32:25, and God's blessings are counted as benefits to be remembered Psalms 103:2.

Summary

In summary, H1576 is more than a simple term for payment; it is a core biblical concept of consequence. It operates on both human and divine levels, linking a person's actions directly to their outcome, whether it is a "deserving" for wickedness or a "benefit" from God. The word illustrates the dual nature of God's interaction with humanity, showing Him as a God of perfect justice who renders recompense and a God of grace who bestows rewards.

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 19 occurrences, inflected in 3 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.

גְמוּל
גְּמוּל
גְּמוּלָי

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 17 verses across 9 of the 39 books. Most frequent in Psalms and Isaiah (4 verses each); never once in the other 30.

Judges

2 Chronicles

Psalms

Proverbs

Isaiah

Jeremiah

Lamentations

Joel

Obadiah

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.