Lexical Summary giyl: To rejoice, be glad, exult Original Word: גִּיל Strong's Exhaustive Concordance exceedingly, gladness, greatly, joy, rejoicing, sort From giyl; a revolution (of time, i.e. An age); also joy -- X exceedingly, gladness, X greatly, joy, rejoice(-ing), sort. see HEBREW giyl Brown-Driver-Briggs I. גִּיל noun [masculine] rejoicing — Job 3:22 6t., גִּו֯ל Proverbs 23:24; suffix גִּילִי Psalm 43:4; — rejoicing Psalm 65:13; Proverbs 23:24; "" שׂמחה Psalm 45:16; Isaiah 16:10; Jeremiah 48:33; Joel 1:16, שִׂמְחַת גִילִי Psalm 43:4, שׂמח אל גיל glad unto rejoicing Hosea 9:1; Job 3:22. II. [גִּיל] noun [masculine] circle, age, מן הילדים אשׁר כְּ גִלְכֶם of the youths which are of your age Daniel 1:10 (compare Arabic Topical Lexicon OverviewGil denotes a vigorous, overflowing gladness that breaks into audible or visible celebration. It is never casual; it is the kind of delight that insists on expression—dancing, shouting, song, or festal procession. In Scripture its presence signals divine blessing, its absence divine displeasure, and its perversion human sin and despair. Occurrences and Contexts 1. Job 3:22 – perverted rejoicing over anticipated death. Personal Worship Psalm 43:4 centers gil in direct communion with God: “Then I will go to the altar of God, to God, my greatest joy; and I will praise You with the harp, O God, my God.” Here joy is neither self-generated nor dependent on circumstance; it flows from God Himself and finds appropriate outlet in musical praise. The verse models authentic devotion: approach, acknowledgment, and artistic expression. Covenantal Celebration Psalm 45:15 portrays the bride “led in with joy and gladness” into the king’s palace. Gil marks covenantal union, prefiguring the marriage of the Lamb (Revelation 19:7). Likewise, Psalm 65:12 pictures creation’s hills “robed with joy,” underscoring that covenant blessing extends from humanity to the land (Genesis 1:28; Romans 8:19–21). Agrarian and National Festivity At vintage time vineyards echoed with jubilant cries. Isaiah 16:10 and Jeremiah 48:33 lament, “Joy and gladness are removed... no one treads the wine in the presses.” The silencing of gil is a barometer of divine wrath. Hosea 9:1 intensifies the warning: “Do not rejoice, O Israel, with exultation like the nations!” Israel’s unfaithfulness empties festival of legitimacy; celebration without covenant obedience becomes mockery. Prophetic Withdrawal Joel 1:16 asks, “Has not the food been cut off before our eyes, joy and gladness from the house of our God?” The removal of gil from worship precipitates national crisis. Prophets employ the term rhetorically, awakening consciences by highlighting the vacuum where exuberance once stood. Irony and Inversion Job 3:22 reverses gil into dark relief: sufferers “rejoice exceedingly... when they find the grave.” Daniel 1:10 shows a steward dreading the forfeiture of his own life; the word usually announcing gladness accompanies mortal fear. Such inversions expose the futility of joy severed from divine favor. Theological Significance 1. Joy as Gift: True gil is God-given, not self-manufactured (Psalm 4:7; Galatians 5:22). Christological Trajectory The bride’s procession of Psalm 45 anticipates Christ and His Church. Isaiah speaks of One anointed “with the oil of gladness” (Isaiah 61:1–3), fulfilled in Jesus’ inaugural sermon (Luke 4:18–19). New-covenant joy flows from union with the risen Lord: “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete” (John 15:11). Practical Ministry Implications • Worship Planning: Root corporate joy in redemptive truths, not mere atmosphere. Summary Gil embodies God-centered exultation. It flourishes where covenant faithfulness, divine blessing, and hopeful anticipation converge, and it withers where sin, judgment, or despair prevail. Scripture invites believers to seek the deeper fountain of joy in God Himself, celebrating His saving acts while longing for their consummation in the eternal kingdom. Forms and Transliterations גִ֑יל גִּ֫ילִ֥י גִּיל֙ גיל גילי וְ֝גִ֗יל וָגִ֑יל וָגִ֛יל וָגִֽיל׃ וָגִיל֙ וגיל וגיל׃ כְּגִֽילְכֶ֔ם כגילכם gî·lî Gil gîl ḡîl giLi gîlî kə·ḡî·lə·ḵem kegileChem kəḡîləḵem vaGil veGil wā·ḡîl wāḡîl wə·ḡîl wəḡîlLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Job 3:22 HEB: הַשְּׂמֵחִ֥ים אֱלֵי־ גִ֑יל יָ֝שִׂ֗ישׂוּ כִּ֣י KJV: Which rejoice exceedingly, [and] are glad, INT: cheer up about exceedingly exult when Psalm 43:4 Psalm 45:15 Psalm 65:12 Isaiah 16:10 Jeremiah 48:33 Daniel 1:10 Hosea 9:1 Joel 1:16 9 Occurrences |
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Samaritan גיל = Hebrew דור = γενεά, Talmud בן גילו one born at the same time, a contemporary).