Lexical Summary
gebulah: Boundary, border, territory
Original Word: גְּבוּלָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: gbuwlah
Pronunciation: ghev-oo-LAH
Phonetic Spelling: (gheb-oo-law')
KJV: border, bound, coast, landmark place
NASB: borders, boundaries, area, landmarks, territories
Word Origin: [feminine of H1366 (גְּבוּל גֶּבוּל - border)]
1. a boundary, region
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
border, bound, coast, landmark
Or (shortened) gbulah {gheb-oo-law'}; feminine of gbuwl; a boundary, region -- border, bound, coast, landmark. Place.
see HEBREW gbuwl
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfem. of
gebulDefinitionborder, boundary
NASB Translationarea (1), borders (4), boundaries (3), landmarks (1), territories (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
[] — suffix
Isaiah 28:25;
Plural absolute
Numbers 32:33,
Job 24:2; construct
Psalm 74:17,
Isaiah 10:18,
Deuteronomy 32:8; suffix
Joshua 18:20;
Joshua 19:49,
Numbers 34:2,12; —
border, boundary of the earth (poetry)
Psalm 74:17; of peoples
Isaiah 10:13;
Deuteronomy 32:8 (poem); of land of Canaan
Numbers 34:2,12 (P)
Joshua 19:49 (JE); of a tribe
Joshua 18:20 (P); of territory about cities
Numbers 32:33 (P?); of piece of ground
Job 24:2; of barley-field
Isaiah 28:25.
Topical Lexicon
Conceptגְּבוּלָה denotes a fixed territorial limit—an enclosing line established by God or acknowledged by people. The term embraces literal land borders, allotted inheritances, field edges, and, by extension, national or cosmic demarcations.
Boundaries of the Promised Land
In the conquest narratives גְּבוּלָה underscores the certainty of Israel’s inheritance. Numbers 34:2 records, “When you enter Canaan, the land that will fall to you as an inheritance is to have these boundaries…,” and verse 12 concludes, “This will be your land, with its boundaries on every side.” By enumerating specific rivers, seas, and mountain ranges, Scripture affirms that the land grant was neither symbolic nor elastic; the tribal portions (Joshua 18:20; 19:49) rested on divine decree, not human negotiation.
Divine Allocation of Nations
Deuteronomy 32:8 situates גְּבוּלָה in the larger providential order: “When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance…He set the boundaries of the peoples.” National frontiers, therefore, are part of a pre-existing sovereign design. Human rulers merely administer territory that heaven has already measured out.
Ethical Safeguard
Job indicts social injustice by describing men who “move boundary stones” (Job 24:2). Altering גְּבוּלָה defrauds neighbors and violates covenant law (compare Deuteronomy 19:14). Respect for borders becomes a test of righteousness; tampering with them invites divine reproof.
Cosmic Order
Psalm 74:17 expands the concept from geography to creation itself: “You set all the boundaries of the earth; You made summer and winter.” Seasonal cycles and global limits exist because the Creator marked their גְּבוּלָה. The verse roots natural stability in God’s unchanging authority.
Prideful Transgression
Assyria’s boast, “I removed the boundaries of nations” (Isaiah 10:13), illustrates the arrogance of imperial power. Isaiah exposes the futility of overstepping divinely set limits; the empire that erases others’ גְּבוּלָה will find its own cut short by divine judgment.
Agrarian Precision
Isaiah 28:25 uses the term for careful farming practice: “He plants wheat in rows, barley in plots, and rye within its border.” Field boundaries foster order, productivity, and stewardship. The prophet likens God’s disciplined dealings with His people to the farmer’s respect for each crop’s allotted space.
Ministry Implications
• Stewardship: Land, ministries, and giftings possess God-given parameters. Faithful service means working within one’s appointed sphere (compare 2 Corinthians 10:13 for the New Covenant echo).
• Justice: Upholding contracts, property lines, and institutional charters reflects obedience to God’s moral ordering.
• Humility: Nations and leaders must recognize that geopolitical limits come from God; attempts to redraw them for self-exaltation invite discipline.
• Worship: Acknowledging the Maker who “set all the boundaries of the earth” fuels reverence and trust amid global upheaval.
Summary
גְּבוּלָה embodies the truth that the universe is not random but bordered by divine intent. Whether in Israel’s tribal map, the nations’ frontiers, a farmer’s furrow, or the turning of seasons, the same Creator marks, protects, and—when necessary—reasserts His boundaries. Reverence for those limits aligns believers with God’s orderly rule and safeguards justice in human community.
Forms and Transliterations
בִּגְבֻלֹ֔ת בגבלת גְּבֻל֥וֹת גְּבֻלָתֽוֹ׃ גְּבֻלֹ֣ת גְּבוּל֣וֹת גְּבוּלֹ֣ת גבולות גבולת גבלות גבלת גבלתו׃ לִגְבֻלֹתֶ֖יהָ לִגְבֻלֹתֶֽיהָ׃ לִגְבֽוּלֹתֶ֑יהָ לִגְבֽוּלֹתֶ֛יהָ לגבולתיה לגבלתיה לגבלתיה׃ biḡ·ḇu·lōṯ biḡḇulōṯ bigvuLot gə·ḇu·lā·ṯōw gə·ḇu·lō·wṯ gə·ḇū·lō·wṯ gə·ḇu·lōṯ gə·ḇū·lōṯ gəḇulāṯōw gəḇulōṯ gəḇūlōṯ gəḇulōwṯ gəḇūlōwṯ gevulaTo gevuLot liḡ·ḇu·lō·ṯe·hā liḡ·ḇū·lō·ṯe·hā liḡḇulōṯehā liḡḇūlōṯehā ligvuloTeiha
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