Lexical Summary golah: Exile, Captivity Original Word: גּוֹלָה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance carried away, captivity, removing Or (shortened) golah {go-law'}; active participle feminine of galah; exile; concretely and collectively exiles -- (carried away), captive(-ity), removing. see HEBREW galah NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfem. part. of galah Definition exiles, exile NASB Translation captives (1), exile (19), exiled* (1), exiles (16), exiles* (5). Brown-Driver-Briggs גּוֺלָה42 noun feminine exiles, exile — (compare Arabic ![]() ![]() 1 collective exiles, Esther 2:6; Jeremiah 29:1; Ezekiel 1:1; Ezekiel 3:11,15; Ezekiel 11:24,25; Nahum 3:10; כלהֿגולה Jeremiah 28:6; Jeremiah 29:4,20,31, קהל הגולה Ezra 10:8. 2 abstract, exile, Ezra 6:21; Ezra 9:4; Ezra 10:6; Zechariah 6:10; הלך בגולה go into exile Jeremiah 48:11; Jeremiah 49:3; Ezekiel 12:11; Ezekiel 25:3; Amos 1:15; ׳יצא בג Jeremiah 29:16; Jeremiah 48:7; Zechariah 14:2; הוליך גולה carry into exile 2 Kings 24:15, ׳הביא ג 2 Kings 24:16, ׳הוציא ג Ezekiel 12:4, ׳העלה ג Ezra 1:11; כלי גולה equipment for exile Jeremiah 46:19; Ezekiel 12:3,4,7; עד הגלה until the exile 1 Chronicles 5:22; בני הגולה exiles Ezra 4:1; Ezra 6:19,20; Ezra 8:35; Ezra 10:7,16; שׁבי הגולה capitivity of the exile Ezra 2:1; Nehemiah 7:6. Topical Lexicon Overview The noun גּוֹלָה most commonly designates the body of Israelites who were deported from their homeland and lived in foreign lands under Assyrian, Babylonian, and later Persian rule. It can also denote the condition of captivity itself. Across roughly forty-four Old Testament occurrences, the term always keeps the dual focus of people and place: a displaced covenant community and the foreign soil that marks their discipline and testing. Usage across Scripture • Historical Books: 2 Kings 24–25 repeatedly reports that King Nebuchadnezzar “carried all Jerusalem into exile” (2 Kings 24:14) and later “took into exile the rest of the people who were left in the city” (2 Kings 25:11). Historical Context 1. Assyrian Deportations (722 BC onward) removed large segments of the northern tribes, creating an early golah that never returned in mass. Theological Significance Judgment and Mercy: The exile demonstrates covenant discipline for persistent idolatry (2 Kings 17:7–23) yet simultaneously highlights God’s unwavering commitment to His promises. Restoration prophecies (Jeremiah 29:10; Ezekiel 11:17) underscore mercy that triumphs over judgment. Remnant Doctrine: The golah preserves a purified remnant through which the Messianic line and the Scriptures themselves are safeguarded. Missionary Dimension: Living “among the nations” placed Israel’s faith in the international arena (compare Daniel 3 and 6), previewing the global scope of the Gospel. Representative References • 2 Kings 24:16 – “All the men of valor… the king of Babylon brought them into exile to Babylon.” Worship and Identity in the Golah Deportation dismantled temple-based worship, pressing the exiles toward prayer, fasting, and Scripture study (Daniel 6:10; Ezra 7:10). Upon return, rebuilding the altar and temple (Ezra 3–6) became the tangible sign of renewed covenant fidelity. The reading of the Law in Nehemiah 8 anchored communal identity, while strict measures against intermarriage (Ezra 9–10) protected holiness. Practical Ministry Implications 1. Enduring Discipline: Exile illustrates that divine correction, though painful, aims at restoration (Hebrews 12:11 echoes the principle). Eschatological Perspective Prophets merge the historical return with ultimate restoration. Ezekiel 37 joins the return imagery to resurrection life, and Isaiah 49 casts the Servant’s mission in worldwide regathering terms, fulfilled in Jesus Christ gathering both Jew and Gentile (John 10:16). Christological Foreshadowing The physical return from exile prefigures the greater redemption accomplished by Christ, who proclaims “freedom for the captives” (Luke 4:18). Just as Persia’s decree opened the way back to Zion, the cross opens the way into the heavenly Jerusalem. Related Terms and Concepts Captivity, Diaspora, Remnant, Restoration, Return, Sojourner. Key Figures of the Golah Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, Ezekiel, Esther, Mordecai, Zerubbabel, Ezra, Nehemiah—each embodies aspects of faithful living, leadership, and renewal within or after the exile. Summary גּוֹלָה gathers within one word the pain of judgment, the hope of restoration, and the enduring faithfulness of God to His covenant people. Its storyline moves from expulsion to return, from despair to joy, pointing ultimately to the greater deliverance accomplished in Jesus Christ and anticipating the full ingathering of God’s people into His everlasting kingdom. Forms and Transliterations בַּגּוֹלָ֑ה בַּגּוֹלָ֔ה בַּגּוֹלָ֣ה בַּגּוֹלָ֥ה בַּגּוֹלָֽה׃ בגולה בגולה׃ גֹּלָ֣ה ׀ גּוֹלֶ֔ה גּוֹלָ֖ה גּוֹלָ֥ה גּוֹלָֽה׃ גוֹלָ֔ה גוֹלָ֛ה גוֹלָה֙ גולה גולה׃ גלה הַ֨גּוֹלָ֔ה הַגֹּלָֽה׃ הַגֹּלָה֙ הַגּוֹלָ֑ה הַגּוֹלָ֔ה הַגּוֹלָ֖ה הַגּוֹלָ֗ה הַגּוֹלָ֜ה הַגּוֹלָֽה׃ הַגּוֹלָה֒ הַגּוֹלָה֙ הגולה הגולה׃ הגלה הגלה׃ וּבַגּוֹלָ֖ה ובגולה לַגֹּלָה֙ לגלה מֵֽהַגּוֹלָ֔ה מהגולה bag·gō·w·lāh baggoLah baggōwlāh gō·lāh gō·w·lāh ḡō·w·lāh gō·w·leh goLah gōlāh goLeh gōwlāh ḡōwlāh gōwleh hag·gō·lāh hag·gō·w·lāh haggoLah haggōlāh haggōwlāh lag·gō·lāh laggoLah laggōlāh mê·hag·gō·w·lāh mehaggoLah mêhaggōwlāh ū·ḇag·gō·w·lāh ūḇaggōwlāh uvaggoLahLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance 2 Kings 24:14 HEB: ק) אֲלָפִים֙ גּוֹלֶ֔ה וְכָל־ הֶחָרָ֖שׁ INT: ten thousand captive and all the craftsmen 2 Kings 24:15 2 Kings 24:16 1 Chronicles 5:22 Ezra 1:11 Ezra 2:1 Ezra 4:1 Ezra 6:19 Ezra 6:20 Ezra 6:21 Ezra 8:35 Ezra 9:4 Ezra 10:6 Ezra 10:7 Ezra 10:8 Ezra 10:16 Nehemiah 7:6 Esther 2:6 Isaiah 49:21 Jeremiah 28:6 Jeremiah 29:1 Jeremiah 29:4 Jeremiah 29:16 Jeremiah 29:20 Jeremiah 29:31 44 Occurrences |