Original Word: גַּלְמוּד
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: galmuwd
Pronunciation: gal-MOOD
Phonetic Spelling: (gal-mood')
KJV: desolate, solitary
NASB: barren, gaunt
Word Origin: [probably by prolonged from H1563 (גָּלַם - folded it together)]

1. sterile (as wrapped up too hard)
2. (figuratively) desolate

desolate, solitary

Probably by prolonged from galam; sterile (as wrapped up too hard); figuratively, desolate -- desolate, solitary.

see HEBREW galam

Word Origin
probably from galam
Definition
hard, barren
NASB Translation
barren (3), gaunt (1).

גַּלְמוּד adjective hard, barren (Late Hebrew id. lonely NHWB; Arabic rock, stony (of land); Aramaic גַּלְמוּדָה compare Ba^{NB 208}) — ׳ג Job 3:7 2t. Job; feminine גַּלְמוּדָה Isaiah 49:21; — hard, barren, unproductive, mostly figurative: Job 15:34 of company of wicked men, where probably a substantive see De Di; Job 30:3 through want and famine (they are) stiff (lifeless; RV gaunt); of exiled Zion as bereaved and barren woman Isaiah 49:21; so of night of Job's birth Job 3:7.

Overview

Appearing only four times in the Hebrew Scriptures, גַּלְמוּד portrays an extreme condition of emptiness—whether of womb, land, or human community. The word marks a place or person as stripped of vitality and fruitfulness, a picture Scripture employs both to depict judgment and to heighten the wonder of divine restoration.

Scriptural Occurrences

• Job 3:7 – Job curses the night of his conception: “Indeed, may that night be barren; may no joyful voice come into it”.
• Job 15:34 – Eliphaz warns that “the company of the godless will be barren, and fire will consume the tents of bribery”.
• Job 30:3 – Job describes outcasts who “gnaw the dry land, in the gloom of destruction and desolation”, linking the term to a wasteland stripped of sustenance.
• Isaiah 49:21 – Zion, once desolate, marvels: “I was bereaved and barren… Indeed, I was left all alone, so where did they come from?”.

Semantic Range and Imagery

The contexts expand the word beyond physical infertility to embrace:

1. Barrenness of womb (Job 3:7; Isaiah 49:21).
2. Barrenness of land—parched, lifeless territory (Job 30:3).
3. Barrenness of enterprise—a community robbed of productivity (Job 15:34).

All four instances evoke a felt absence of blessing, underscoring the Old Testament conviction that true fruitfulness comes only from God.

Historical and Cultural Background

In the ancient Near East, fertility of land and family signified divine favor. Conversely, barrenness carried the stigma of curse (Deuteronomy 28:18). The poetry of Job and the prophecy of Isaiah make deliberate use of that cultural weight. Job’s anguish drives him to wish sterility on the very night that granted him life, while Eliphaz appropriates the image to argue (wrongly, in God’s final reckoning) that Job’s condition must mirror hidden wickedness. Isaiah, writing to an exiled and devastated Zion, employs the same term to reassure the nation that God will reverse her shame.

Theological Emphasis

1. Judgment on Wickedness – Job 15:34 assigns barrenness to “the company of the godless,” echoing the covenant pattern that sin forfeits fruitfulness.
2. Human Limitation – Job’s lament highlights the inability of human beings to control blessing or curse; only God holds the keys to life.
3. Redemptive Reversal – Isaiah 49:21 transforms the image. The once-desolate mother discovers unexpected children, showcasing God’s power to overrule history and bring abundance from emptiness—a foretaste of resurrection hope.

Prophetic Strand

Isaiah’s vision anticipates wider restoration themes: a barren woman rejoicing in many offspring (Isaiah 54:1) and deserts blossoming (Isaiah 35:1). The New Testament echoes this in the miracle births of John the Baptist and Jesus, and in the spiritual fruitfulness of the church drawn from all nations (Galatians 4:27).

Practical and Pastoral Applications

• Comfort for the Childless or Spiritually Dry – The term reminds sufferers that God sees seasons of emptiness and can fill them beyond expectation.
• Warning against Hollow Religion – Eliphaz’s misapplication cautions leaders not to equate suffering with guilt, while still affirming that persistent rebellion ultimately yields sterility.
• Encouragement for Mission – Isaiah’s picture of sudden offspring urges ministries to expect surprising growth, even when circumstances appear “galmud.”

Themes for Worship and Preaching

• From Barren to Blessed
• God’s Presence in the Wasteland
• Fruitfulness through Faith, Not Works

Connections with the New Testament

Jesus calls Himself the true vine, the source of fruit (John 15:1-8), fulfilling the Old Testament longing to escape barrenness. Paul uses the barren-but-rejoicing motif to describe Gentile inclusion (Galatians 4:27), showing that the spiritual principle behind גַּלְמוּד extends across covenants.

Summary

גַּלְמוּד encapsulates the stark reality of life devoid of God’s blessing. Yet every occurrence ultimately serves a redemptive agenda, whether by exposing hollow counsel (Job), depicting human misery that drives one to God, or announcing the astonishing fruitfulness granted by divine grace (Isaiah). The term therefore functions both as a sober warning and a radiant promise: the Lord who allows seasons of emptiness is the same Lord who fills them with life.

גַּ֫לְמ֥וּד גַּלְמ֑וּד גַלְמ֑וּד גלמוד וְגַלְמוּדָ֑ה וגלמודה gal·mūḏ ḡal·mūḏ galMud galmūḏ ḡalmūḏ vegalmuDah wə·ḡal·mū·ḏāh wəḡalmūḏāhInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts