Original Word: מְגִלָּה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: mgillah
Pronunciation: meh-gil-LAH
Phonetic Spelling: (meg-il-law')
KJV: roll, volume
NASB: scroll
Word Origin: [from H1556 (גָּלַל - roll)]

1. a roll

roll, volume

From galal; a roll -- roll, volume.

see HEBREW galal

Word Origin
from galal
Definition
a scroll
NASB Translation
scroll (18), scroll* (3).

מְגִלָּה noun feminine roll (writing, book; late) — ׳מ Jeremiah 36:28 16t.; construct מְגִלַּתֿ Psalm 40:8 3t.; — roll of writing, book מְגִלַּתסֵֿפֶר Jeremiah 36:2,4; Ezekiel 2:9; Psalm 40:8; ׳מ alone Jeremiah 36:6,14 (twice in verse); Jeremiah 36:20,21,23,25,27,28 (twice in verse); Jeremiah 36:29,32; Ezekiel 3:1,2,3; Ze Ezekiel 5:1,2.

מְגִלָּה noun feminine (book-)roll (ᵑ7 Biblical Hebrew); — Ezra 6:2.

Overview

מְגִלָּה (megillah) denotes a scroll or rolled writing material. In the canon of Scripture it functions as the primary medium for recording, preserving, and transmitting the word of God. Twenty-one Old Testament occurrences cluster around four theological moments: Davidic worship (Psalm 40), prophetic proclamation and preservation (Jeremiah 36), visionary commissioning (Ezekiel 2–3), and eschatological judgment (Zechariah 5).

Occurrences

Psalm 40:7; Jeremiah 36:2, 4, 6, 14 (twice), 20, 21, 23, 25, 27, 28 (twice), 29, 32; Ezekiel 2:9; Ezekiel 3:1-3; Zechariah 5:1-2. Every reference carries one of two ideas: (1) a literal document containing inspired words, or (2) a symbolic scroll employed in prophetic vision.

Material Culture of the Scroll

Scrolls were fashioned from papyrus or prepared animal skins sewn into sheets and wound around sticks. Their portability aided public reading (Jeremiah 36:10) and private study (Psalm 40:7). The format demanded sequential, linear exposure, reinforcing progressive revelation.

Functions in Redemptive History

1. The Scroll as Covenant Record (Psalm 40:7)

“Then I said, ‘Here I am, I have come— it is written about me in the scroll.’” The Psalmist locates his obedience within an already-written divine agenda. Hebrews 10:5-10 applies this verse to Jesus Christ, equating the “scroll” with the totality of Messianic prophecy and underscoring the unity of both Testaments.

2. The Scroll of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 36)

Jeremiah dictates, Baruch writes, and Jehoiakim burns. The episode demonstrates:
• Inspiration: “all the words that I have spoken to you” (Jeremiah 36:2).
• Illumination: public reading on a fast day (Jeremiah 36:6, 10).
• Preservation: after destruction, “Jeremiah took another scroll…and he wrote on it all the words of the first scroll” (Jeremiah 36:28, 32).

Human hostility cannot nullify divine revelation; rather, attempts to silence it intensify judgment (Jeremiah 36:30-31).

3. The Ingested Scroll (Ezekiel 2:9–3:3)

Ezekiel sees “a scroll of a book,” filled “with words of lamentation, mourning, and woe.” He is commanded, “Eat this scroll… and go, speak to the house of Israel” (Ezekiel 3:1). Internalization precedes proclamation; the prophet’s message becomes part of his very being. The sweet taste “like honey” evokes Psalm 19:10 and anticipates Revelation 10:9-10.

4. The Flying Scroll (Zechariah 5:1-4)

A massive airborne scroll (about 9 × 4.5 meters) carries the covenant curses across the land, purging thieves and perjurers. The vision universalizes the reach of God’s law, foreshadowing final judgment when the written standard becomes the operative criterion (Romans 2:12).

Theological Significance

• Authority: Each scroll is the tangible embodiment of God’s speech. Burning or ignoring it invites judgment; receiving and consuming it produces obedience and life.
• Continuity: From David through the post-exilic prophets, megillah links diverse eras under one revelatory continuum.
• Incarnation of the Word: Psalm 40:7 finds its fullest expression in Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh, who fulfills what is “written in the scroll.”
• Prophetic Paradigm: Jeremiah’s dictation, Ezekiel’s consumption, and Zechariah’s vision model the prophet’s threefold task—hear, internalize, declare.

Ministry Applications

1. Public Reading of Scripture: Jeremiah 36 validates corporate proclamation. Churches emulate this by reading entire passages aloud.
2. Scripture Memorization and Internalization: Ezekiel 3 encourages believers to “eat” the word, letting it shape affections and actions.
3. Preservation and Transmission: Scribes carefully copied the scroll anew after Jehoiakim’s destruction; modern ministries support translation, printing, and digital preservation with similar zeal.
4. Moral Accountability: Zechariah’s flying scroll warns that God’s written standard still patrols human conduct; preaching must retain both promise and warning.

Conclusion

Megillah is more than an ancient writing medium; it is an instrument through which God reveals, preserves, and enforces His truth. Whether lying open before a king, ingested by a prophet, or flying across the heavens, the scroll testifies that “the word of our God stands forever” (Isaiah 40:8).

בִּמְגִלַּת־ בַמְּגִלָּ֣ה במגלה במגלת־ הַמְּגִלָּ֑ה הַמְּגִלָּ֔ה הַמְּגִלָּ֗ה הַמְּגִלָּ֣ה הַמְּגִלָּ֤ה הַמְּגִלָּ֥ה הַמְּגִלָּה֙ המגלה מְגִלַּת־ מְגִלָּ֣ה מְגִלָּ֥ה מגלה מגלת־ ḇam·mə·ḡil·lāh ḇamməḡillāh bim·ḡil·laṯ- bimgillat bimḡillaṯ- ham·mə·ḡil·lāh hammegilLah hamməḡillāh mə·ḡil·lāh mə·ḡil·laṯ- megilLah məḡillāh megillat məḡillaṯ- vammegilLahInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts