בֵּית גָּמוּל
Beth-Gamul, a place East of the Jordan
Definition
Beth-Gamul is a proper noun referring to a specific town or settlement located east of the Jordan River in the region of Moab. It is mentioned only once in the Bible in the context of Jeremiah's oracle of judgment against Moab (Jeremiah 48:23). As a place name, its meaning is derived from its Hebrew components, signifying 'house of the weaned' or 'house of recompense.' In the prophetic list of Jeremiah 48, it appears among other Moabite cities destined for destruction, indicating it was a recognized settlement within that nation's territory.
Biblical Usage
This word is used only once in the Old Testament, in Jeremiah 48:23. It appears in a list of Moabite cities within a prophetic oracle of judgment. Its usage is purely geographical, serving to specify one of the locations that would face divine punishment. There are no patterns of usage across different books or contexts, as it is a single-occurrence proper noun.
Etymology
The name Beth-Gamul is a compound of two Hebrew elements: 'Beth' (בַּיִת, H1004), meaning 'house' or 'household,' and 'Gamul,' derived from the passive participle of the root גמל (gml, H1576), meaning 'to wean' or 'to deal out, to recompense.' Thus, the name can be interpreted as 'house of the weaned' or, potentially drawing on the secondary meaning of the root, 'house of recompense.' It follows a common Hebrew pattern for place names beginning with 'Beth' (e.g., Beth-el, Beth-lehem).
Semantic Range
While Beth-Gamul itself is a minor geographical reference, its inclusion in Jeremiah 48 carries theological weight. It exemplifies the comprehensiveness and specificity of God's judgment. No city, however obscure, is overlooked when divine justice is executed against a proud and idolatrous nation like Moab. Understanding its name ('house of recompense') may also subtly underscore the theme of divine retribution present in the prophecy. Its mention enriches the reading by highlighting that biblical prophecies often address real, historical places, grounding God's word in tangible geography.
As a Moabite town, Beth-Gamul was part of the culture and polity east of the Jordan River, often in conflict with Israel. Its name suggests it may have been a familial or clan settlement, a common practice where locations were named after founders or significant events (like weaning). The precise location is uncertain to modern archaeology, but its listing among other known Moabite cities confirms it was part of the regional landscape understood by Jeremiah's original audience.
No direct synonyms exist as it is a unique proper noun. Other Moabite city names in the same context (Jeremiah 48) like Dibon (H1769) or Nebo (H5015) are related geographically but not linguistically.
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
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