Original Word: גְּלָה
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: glah
Pronunciation: geh-LAH
Phonetic Spelling: (ghel-aw')
KJV: bring over, carry away, reveal
NASB: reveals, deported, revealed, reveal, revealer
Word Origin: [corresponding to H1540 (גָּלָה - uncover)]

1. to denude (especially in a disgraceful sense)
2. (by implication) to exile (captives being usually stripped)
3. (figuratively) to reveal

bring over, carry away, reveal

(Aramaic) or glat (Aramaic) {ghel-aw'}; corresponding to galah -- bring over, carry away, reveal.

see HEBREW galah

Word Origin
(Aramaic) corresponding to galah
Definition
to reveal
NASB Translation
deported (2), reveal (1), revealed (2), revealer (1), reveals (3).

Scope of the Term

Strong’s Hebrew 1541 (גְּלָה) appears nine times in the Aramaic sections of Ezra and Daniel. In Ezra it speaks of forced “removal” or “deportation”; in Daniel it speaks of God “revealing” what is hidden. The same verb therefore binds together two great themes of the exile era—judgment that uproots and grace that uncovers mystery.

Historical Setting

Ezra records correspondence between Persian officials and Jerusalem’s returning remnant. Daniel recounts the experiences of exiles who served in Babylon before the Persian conquest. Both books are framed by international upheaval, and both insist that the Most High overrules emperors. גְּלָה highlights this sovereignty: God can remove peoples from their land and He can remove the veil from secret things.

Ezra: Deportation and Divine Discipline

• Ezra 4:10 associates גְּלָה with Osnappar’s (Ashurbanipal’s) resettlement policy: conquered nations are “deported and settled” in Samaria.
• Ezra 5:12 recalls Judah’s own fate: “He…deported the people to Babylon.” Exile is presented as covenant discipline (compare Leviticus 26:33), yet even this act readies the stage for restoration foretold by the prophets.

The term in Ezra therefore underscores the seriousness of sin and the righteousness of God’s judgments. It reminds post-exilic readers that return to the land is possible only because the same God who banished them also stirred Cyrus to permit their homecoming.

Daniel: Revelation of Mysteries

Seven occurrences in Daniel 2 form a tightly-woven unit that celebrates the Lord as the One who “reveals mysteries”:

• Daniel 2:19—“The mystery was revealed to Daniel in a night vision, and he blessed the God of heaven.”
• Daniel 2:22—“He reveals the deep and hidden things; He knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with Him.”
• Daniel 2:28—“There is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the latter days.”
• Daniel 2:30—Daniel insists that the unveiling was not due to his own wisdom “but so that the interpretation might be made known to the king.”
• Daniel 2:47—An astonished Nebuchadnezzar confesses: “Truly your God is the God of gods and Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries.”

Here גְּלָה magnifies three truths:

1. Revelation is initiated by God alone; human sagacity fails (Daniel 2:27).
2. Revelation is purposeful: to inform royal policy (immediate context) and to unveil the sweep of redemptive history (statue dream).
3. Revelation is evangelistic: a pagan monarch glorifies the God of Israel.

Theology of Exile and Revelation

That the same verb can describe both uprooting and unveiling is no accident. Exile removes false security; revelation supplies true hope. God strips and He illumines. For the faithful remnant this twin action produces humility and confidence: humility, because sin has consequences; confidence, because secrets belong to the Lord who shares them with His servants (compare Deuteronomy 29:29; Amos 3:7).

Christological and Eschatological Foreshadows

Daniel 2 points beyond Babylon to a kingdom “that will never be destroyed” (Daniel 2:44). The progressive unveiling of that kingdom culminates in Jesus Christ, the One in whom “all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden” (Colossians 2:3). The verb’s revelatory sense anticipates the New Testament theme of the mystery “now revealed and made known to all nations” (Romans 16:25-26).

Pastoral and Ministry Implications

1. Prayerful Dependence: Daniel sought mercy “from the God of heaven concerning this mystery” (Daniel 2:18). Ministries that face inscrutable challenges must begin on their knees.
2. Humble Stewardship: Daniel disclaimed personal merit (Daniel 2:30). Preachers and teachers must handle divine insight as stewards, not originators.
3. Missional Expectation: God’s self-disclosure is meant to reach rulers and nations. Modern disciples living as “sojourners and exiles” (1 Peter 2:11) are called to the same outward gaze.
4. Hope in Judgment: Even when God removes (Ezra), He reveals (Daniel). Discipline is never His last word; revelation leads to restoration.

Summary

גְּלָה in Ezra and Daniel captures the movement from exile to enlightenment. It testifies that the Lord who justly scatters also graciously speaks, turning the darkness of displacement into the dawn of unveiled hope.

גֱּלִ֣י גֲלִ֑י גָּלֵ֣א גָּלֵ֥א גלא גלי הַגְלִ֥י הַגְלִי֙ הגלי וְגָלֵ֣ה וְגָלֵ֧א וגלא וגלה לְמִגְלֵ֖א למגלא gā·lê ḡă·lî gaLe gālê gaLi ḡălî gĕ·lî geLi gĕlî haḡ·lî hagLi haḡlî lə·miḡ·lê lemigLe ləmiḡlê vegaLe vegaLeh wə·ḡā·lê wə·ḡā·lêh wəḡālê wəḡālêhInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts