Original Word: גֻּלָּה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: gullah
Pronunciation: goo-LAH
Phonetic Spelling: (gool-law')
KJV: bowl, pommel, spring
NASB: bowls, springs, bowl
Word Origin: [feminine from H1556 (גָּלַל - roll)]

1. a fountain, bowl or globe (all as round)

bowl, pommel, spring

Feminine from galal; a fountain, bowl or globe (all as round) -- bowl, pommel, spring.

see HEBREW galal

Word Origin
from galal
Definition
a basin, bowl
NASB Translation
bowl (3), bowls (6), springs (6).

גֻּלָּה noun feminine basin, bowl — ׳ג Zechariah 4:3 + Zechariah 4:2 compare below; construct גֻּלַּת Ecclesiastes 12:6; plural absolute גֻּלֹּת Joshua 15:19 (twice in verse) + 2t.; וֺֿת2Chronicles 4:12; construct גֻּלֹּת (וֺֿת) 1 Kings 7:41 (׳הַגּ Th, so "" 2 Chronicles 4:12 compare Be), 2 Chronicles 4:41 3t.; —

1 basin (pool, well ?) מַיִם ׳ג Joshua 15:19 = Judges 1:15; omit ׳מ Joshua 15:19 (twice in verse) = Judges 1:15 (twice in verse) (probably old

proper name, of a location, compare Di).

2 bowl,

a. of lamp, i.e. oil-receptacle Zechariah 4:3, also Zechariah 4:2, where ᵑ0 גֻּלָּהּ as if from [גֹּל]; read גֻּלָּה Brd Ges^{§ 91}. 1, R. 2; (> Hi-St Bö^{§ 734 b} De on Psalm 27:5 Sta^{§ 347 c}, who think גֻּלָּהּ = גֻּלָּתָהּ); — so also Ecclesiastes 12:6 גֻּלַּת הַזָּהָב

b. of bowl- or globe-shaped portion of capitals of the two pillars in temple 1 Kings 7:41 (twice in verse); 1 Kings 7:42 2Chronicles 4:12 (twice in verse); 2Chronicles 4:13.

Scope of Meaning

The noun designates something round enough to “contain” or “fountain,” and its uses fall naturally into two spheres—springs of water and round vessels associated with sacred architecture and prophetic vision.

Life-Giving Springs in the Negev (Joshua 15:19; Judges 1:15)

Achsah, newly married to Othniel, pleads with her father Caleb for more than arid land: “Give me also springs of water” (Joshua 15:19). Twice in the parallel accounts she receives “the upper springs and the lower springs.” The term identifies permanent fountains that would ensure fertility in the otherwise harsh southern hill country. In the conquest narrative the gift underlines God’s covenant faithfulness: the land He allots is not merely territory but an inheritance capable of sustaining His people. The episode models confident petition; Achsah asks and receives, mirroring the principle that the Lord “is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20).

Temple Bowls Crowning the Pillars (1 Kings 7:41–42; 2 Chronicles 4:12–13)

When Solomon erects the first temple, Hiram of Tyre casts two bronze pillars, Jachin and Boaz. Each pillar is topped by “two capitals…and the bowls of the capitals” (1 Kings 7:41). Here the word describes the rounded cup-like crest that sits beneath a latticework of chain and pomegranates. These bowls lift the eye upward and draw worshipers’ attention to the heavens, reminding Israel that “heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool” (Isaiah 66:1). Their perfect symmetry and ornate fruit imagery symbolize both stability (Jachin, “He will establish”) and abundance (Boaz, “In Him is strength”), visually preaching the security and fruitfulness that flow from covenant obedience.

Wisdom’s Meditation on Mortality (Ecclesiastes 12:6)

As Solomon concludes his exploration of life’s vanities, he writes: “before the silver cord is snapped and the golden bowl is crushed….” The bowl is an emblem of priceless but fragile life. Its shattering signals the irreversible approach of death. The sage’s picture exhorts readers to “remember your Creator in the days of your youth,” using the image of a vessel once filled with light but now broken as a sober warning against delaying repentance.

Prophetic Vision of Unceasing Supply (Zechariah 4:2–3)

In Zechariah’s night visions, the prophet sees “a solid gold lampstand with a bowl at the top.” Two olive trees flank the bowl, feeding it oil without human intervention. The scene frames the famous declaration: “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD of Hosts” (Zechariah 4:6). The bowl represents a divine reservoir—constant, sufficient, independent of human effort. For post-exilic Judah, struggling to rebuild, the message is unmistakable: God Himself will furnish the grace needed to complete His work.

Theological Trajectory

1. Provision. Whether natural fountains or engineered vessels, the term consistently marks God’s provision of essential resources—water for the land, oil for the lamp, beauty for the temple, and life itself.
2. Mediation. Each occurrence stands between a need and its satisfaction: dry land and springs, pillars and their crowning glory, lampstand and its oil, mortal life and its Creator.
3. Anticipation. The golden bowl of Zechariah anticipates the Spirit’s outpouring at Pentecost, where divine supply moves from symbol to reality.

Ministry Implications

• Encourage believers to ask boldly for spiritual “springs,” trusting the Father who delights to give good gifts.
• Highlight that enduring ministry is sustained not by human strength but by the continual flow of the Spirit, as depicted in Zechariah’s bowl.
• Use Ecclesiastes 12:6 to counsel urgency in repentance and wholehearted devotion before life’s vessel is broken.
• In worship planning, allow the temple imagery to shape aesthetics that point congregants beyond the sanctuary to the glory of the heavenly throne room.

Summary

Across law, history, wisdom, and prophecy, the word paints a unified portrait of God’s generous, life-sustaining, and Spirit-empowered provision—an unbroken thread that ties Israel’s physical inheritance to the believer’s spiritual inheritance in Christ.

גֻּלַּ֣ת גֻּלֹּ֣ת גֻּלֹּ֥ת גֻּלּ֣וֹת גלות גלת הַגֻּלָּ֔ה הגלה וְגֻלָּ֣הּ וְגֻלֹּ֧ת וְהַגֻּלּ֧וֹת וגלה וגלת והגלות gul·laṯ gul·lō·wṯ gul·lōṯ gulLat gullaṯ gulLot gullōṯ gullōwṯ hag·gul·lāh haggulLah haggullāh vegulLah vegulLot vehaggulLot wə·ḡul·lāh wə·ḡul·lōṯ wə·hag·gul·lō·wṯ wəḡullāh wəḡullōṯ wəhaggullōwṯInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts