גְּבוּלָה (ge.vu.lah)
ge.vu.lah
border
H:N-FQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 10 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-F
Definition
Definition
Brown-Driver-Briggs
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word gevu-lah reminds us that God is a God of order and provision. In the Old Testament, He carefully defined the borders of Israel’s inheritance, ensuring every tribe had a secure place to call home. This physical boundary was more than a line on a map; it represented God’s specific care for His people, marking out their portion with precision and intent.
We often feel unsettled when our own boundaries are blurred or violated. Yet this word points to a deeper truth: the Creator set the boundaries of the nations and the earth itself (Psalms 74:17). Your life, too, is held within His sovereign design. When others try to remove these landmarks, as Job describes, it reflects human arrogance rather than God’s final say.
Finding peace comes from trusting that your place in God’s family is secure. You do not need to fight for your identity or your portion. He has marked your territory with grace, offering you a stable foundation amidst the shifting sands of life. Rest in the certainty that He knows exactly where you belong.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 10 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- to/ borders/ its4×
- [the] boundaries of2×
- with/ territories1×
- territory/ its1×
- boundaries of1×
- boundaries1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- לִ/גְבֽוּלֹתֶ֛י/הָ1×
- לִ/גְבֽוּלֹתֶ֑י/הָ1×
- לִ/גְבֻלֹתֶֽי/הָ\׃1×
- לִ/גְבֻלֹתֶ֖י/הָ1×
- גְּבוּלֹ֣ת1×
- גְּבוּל֣וֹת1×
- גְּבֻלֹ֣ת1×
- גְּבֻלָתֽ/וֹ\׃1×
- גְּבֻל֥וֹת1×
- בִּ/גְבֻלֹ֔ת1×
Key Verses
-
Numbers 34:2
“Command the children of Israel, and tell them, ‘When you come into the land of Canaan (this is the land that shall fall to you for an inheritance, even the land of Canaan according to its borders),
This verse establishes the divine mandate to define the land's limits, showing that borders are integral to receiving God's inheritance.
-
Psalms 74:17
You have set all the boundaries of the earth. You have made summer and winter.
Here the term expands beyond Israel to show God’s universal sovereignty over all earthly boundaries and seasons.
-
Job 24:2
There are people who remove the landmarks. They violently take away flocks, and feed them.
This occurrence highlights the moral weight of borders, as removing landmarks is portrayed as a violent act of injustice.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does gevu-lah mean in the Bible?
Why are borders important in Scripture?
How is gevu-lah different from other words for land?
Every Occurrence (10 verses across 6 books)
Numbers 3 verses
Moses gave to them, even to the children of Gad, and to the children of Reuben, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh the…
Numbers 34:2“Command the children of Israel, and tell them, ‘When you come into the land of Canaan (this is the land that shall…
Numbers 34:12The border shall go down to the Jordan, and end at the Salt Sea. This shall be your land according to its borders…