6. The son of Jaroah, and father of Michael, of the tribe of Gad (1 Chron. v, 14). B.C. considerably ante 781.
Gil'eadite (Hebrew prop. Giladi% "^'^"^j'.^ ; Sept. Va\aaei or Va\aaviTi\Q : but often the same as Gilead simply), a descendant of one of the men, or an inhabi- tant of the region called Gilead (Numb, xxvi, 29; Judg. X, 3; xi,l,40; xii, 7; 2 Sam. xvii, 27 ; xix,31; 1 Kings ii, 7 ; 2 Kings xv, 25; Ezra ii, 61; Neh. vii, 63), or perhaps rather a branch of the tribe of Manas- seh, descended from Gilead. There appears to have been an old standing feud between them and the Ephraimitcs, who taunted them with being deserters. See Judg. xii, 4, which may be ren<lered, "And the men of Gilead smote Ephraim, because they said. Run- agates of Ephraim are ye (Gilead is between Ephraim and Manasseh)." — Smith, s. v.
GILGAL
870
GILGAL
Giles, St. (Lat. yEgiMus ; Fr. Gillcs ; Span. Gih\ patron saint of woodlands, also of Edinburgh. The Koniaii Catholic Church has set apart Sept. 1 for the coniniomoration of a saint of this name, though it is doulitfiil whether such a person ever lived. The ha- giographers descriije two such persons: the first an Athenian of the 6th century, who wrought various mir- acles, and finally took up his abode in a cave near the mouth of the Khonc, living upon the milk of a hind, and upon herbs and fruits. The king's hunters once wounded the hind, and the arrow also passed through the hand of St. Giles (whose attribute, in legendary art. is a wounded hind). He died in his cave, and tho noble monastery of St. Giles was erected near the spot. The other claimant to the name of St. Giles was abbot of a monasterj' near Aries in the Gth centurj'. The first legend, as the more striking and poetical one, is naturally the most popular. St. Giles has been espe- cially venerated in England and Scotland. In spite of the Reformation, the name of this legendary saint is still retained in the English calendar. — A. Butler, Lives of Saints, Sept. 1 ; Mrs. Jamieson, Legends of the Monastic Orders, p. 28.
Gil'gal (Heb. GilgaV, ^J^?, a wheel, as in Isa. xxviii, 28; according to Josh, v, 9, a i-olling away; with the article a prop, name, Sept. tci Vu\-ya\a, but ToXyoX V. r. r«\ya/\ in Deut. xi, 20 and Josh, xiv, C), the n<ame of at least two places in Palestine.
1. Tho site of the first camp of the Israelites on the west of the Jordan, the place at which they passed the first night after crossing the river, and where the twelve stones were set up which had been taken from the bed of the stream (Josh, iv, 19, 20; comp. 3) [see
Druidical Circle of (memorial) Stones.
Stone] ; where also they kept their first passover in the land of Canaan (v, 10). It was in the " end of the east of Jericho" ('"< tTI^T^ ^^p^ ; A. V. "in the east border of Jericho"), apparently on a hillock or rising ground (v, 3 ; compare 9) in the Arboth-Jericho (A.Y. "the ])lains"), that is, the hot, depressed dis- trict of the Giior which lay between the town and the Jordan (v, 10). Here the Israelites who had been born on the march through the wilderness were circum- cised, an occurrence from which the sacred historian derives the name : " ' This da}' I have rolled away (gaUo'thi) the reproach of Egypt from ofFyou. ' There- fore the name of the place is called Gilgal to this daj'." The meaning does not seem to be that a new name was given, but rather that a new meaning and signif- icance were attached to tlie old name. The word Gil- gal moans a " circle," and also a "rolling awaj'." A .similar plaj' upon a word was noticed in the case of Gii.KAD; and Bethel is an example of an old name having attached to it a new significance (Gen. xxviii, 19 ; XXXV, I,")). By Josejihus (Ant. v, 1, 11) it is said to signify "freedom" (tAfcftoioi'). It would appear that (jiilgal was the name of tho pLice l)of()re tho Exo- dus, for JIosos describes the Canaanitos as dwelling "over against Gilgal" (Deut. xi, SO). X''" difficulties connected with this passage have already been ex- Ijlaincd under Ebal. Keil supposes that this Gil-
gal was near Shechem {Comm. on Josh. p. 219, 2."2). The camp thus established at Gilgal remained there during the early part of the conquest (Josh, ix, G; x, C, 7, 9,15, 43); and we may probably infer 'from one narrative that Joshua retired thither at the conclusion of his labors (xiv, G ; comp. 15). Saul, when driven from the highlands by the Philistines, collected his feeble force at the site of the old camp (1 Sam. xiii, 4, 7). The tabernacle appears to have remained there at least until its removal to Shiloh (Judg. xviii, 1). It was one of the [ilaces to which Samuel regularly re- sorted, where he administered justice (1 Sam. vii, 16), and where burnt-oft'erings and peace-ofterings were accustomed to be ofi'ercd "before Jehovah" (x, 8; xi, 15 ; xiii, 8, 9-12 ; xv, 21) ; and on one occasion a sac- rifice of a more terrible description than either (xv, 33). The air of the narrative all through leads to the conclusion that at the time of these occurrences it was the chief sanctuary of the central portion of the nation (see X, 8; xi, 14;'xv, 12, 21). But there is no sign of its being a town ; no mention of building, or of its being allotted to the priests or Levites, as was the case with other sacred towns. Bethel, Shechem, etc. In the history of David's return to Jerusalem (2 Sam. xix), the men of Judah came down to Gilgal to meet the king to conduct him over Jordan, as if it was close to the river (xix, 15), and David arrived there imme- diately on crossing the stream after his parting with Barzillai the Gileadite (xix, 40). After the erection of the Temple, Gilgal appears to have been utterly neglected. Perhaps, when Jericho was rebuilt, the tra- ditional sanctity of Gilgal was transferred to it, and there a school of the prophets was established and re- mained until a late period (2 Kings ii, o). See Jeri- cho. How Gilgal became appropriated to a false wor- ship we are not told, but certainly, as far as the ob- scure allusions of Husea and Amos can be unde; stood (provided that thej' refer to this Gilgal), it was so ap- propriated by the kingdom of Israel in the middle pe- riotl of its existence (Hos. iv, 15 ; ix, 15 ; xii, 11 ; Amos iv, 4 ; V, 5). These idolatrous practices are specially mentioned by Epiphanius and others (Roland, PaUest. p. 782 sq.). The utter desolation of its site, and the whole surrounding region, shows how fearfully the prophecies have been fulfilled.