גִּבְלִי (giv.li)
giv.li
Gebalite
N:N--LGQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- N:N--LG
Word Overview
The term givli identifies a person from Gebal, a city known in later history as Byblos on the Phoenician coast. The word functions as a gentilic adjective, meaning it describes someone by their place of origin rather than by an action or quality. Its root connects directly to the name of the city itself, which carries the sense of a boundary or limit.
In Scripture, this label appears only once, in Joshua 13:5. There, it is part of a geographical list describing the territory that Israel had not yet fully conquered. The text places the Giblites alongside other groups in the mountainous regions of Lebanon, marking them as inhabitants of a specific borderland.
The name Gebal itself suggests a frontier. This fits the historical reality of the city, which sat at the edge of the known world for many ancient Israelites. By using this single reference, the biblical writer acknowledges the presence of these people in the northern limits of the promised land without elaborating on their culture or religion.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The term Gebalite points to people living in Gebal, a coastal city known today as Byblos. In Joshua 13:5, this group is listed among those inhabiting the northern borders of the land Israel was entering. This single mention reminds us that God’s promises extend to complex geographical realities and diverse populations.
For your faith, this highlights that God’s plan includes every corner of the earth, even those distant or unfamiliar to ancient Israel. It invites trust in His sovereignty over all nations and territories, reassuring us that no place is outside His care or knowledge.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- the/ Gebalite[s]1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- הַ/גִּבְלִ֗י1×
Key Verses
-
Joshua 13:5
and the land of the Gebalites, and all Lebanon, toward the sunrise, from Baal Gad under Mount Hermon to the entrance of Hamath;
This verse identifies the Gebalites as inhabitants of the northern borderland, marking the extent of the territory yet to be fully possessed by Israel.