גְּבוּל240 H1366
Border, boundary line; by extension, the territory enclosed within borders; rarely, the physical edge or rim of an object.
A foundational geographic term in the Hebrew Bible, this word appears most often in the boundary descriptions of Joshua 15-19 and Numbers 34, tracing the precise lines where one tribal allotment meets another. It can refer either to the boundary line itself ('the border went out toward...') or to the territory enclosed within such lines ('your territory'). Spanish distinguishes these neatly: frontera for the line versus territorio for the area. A special ethical sense emerges in Proverbs and Deuteronomy, where moving a neighbor's boundary stone is condemned (Deut 19:14; Prov 22:28). In Ezekiel's temple vision, the word denotes the physical ledge or rim of the altar.
Senses
1. border, boundary (geographic line) — The primary sense (188x): a geographic boundary line marking the edge of a territory. Dominates in the formulaic survey descriptions of Numbers 34 and Joshua 13-19, with characteristic verbs like יָצָא ('went out') and עָלָה ('went up'). Spanish frontera, French frontière, and German Grenze all select 'boundary line' vocabulary. Genesis 10:19 uses it for the Canaanite border, and Numbers 20:23 for the border of Edom — establishing it as the standard cartographic term. 188×
AR["الْ-حُدودُ", "الْ-حُدودِ", "الْحَدُّ", "الْحَدِّ"]·ben["সীমা", "সীমানাটি", "সীমানার", "সীমার"]·DE["der-Grenze"]·EN["the-border"]·FR["la-frontière", "le-frontière"]·heb["ה-גבול", "ה-גבל"]·HI["सीमा", "सीमा-की", "सीमा-के"]·ID["perbatasan", "wilayah"]·IT["il-confine"]·jav["tapel-wates"]·KO["그-경계", "그-경계가", "그-경계의"]·PT["a-fronteira"]·RU["граница", "границы"]·ES["el-límite", "la-frontera"]·SW["mpaka", "mpaka-huo"]·TR["-sınır", "-sınırın", "sınır", "sınırın"]·urd["حد", "حد-کا", "سرحد", "سرحد-کے"]
2. territory, region (enclosed area) — Territory or region enclosed within borders (45x), emphasizing the area rather than the line. Possessive constructions like 'your territory' (Exod 10:4, 14) and 'territory of Israel' shift the focus from edge to interior. Spanish territorio and German Gebiet clearly distinguish this from the 'line' sense. When locusts enter 'your territory' (Exod 10:4) or leaven is removed from 'your territory' (Exod 13:7), the entire enclosed space is meant. 45×
AR["تُخومَكَ", "تُخومَهُمْ", "تُخومُهُمْ", "تُخومِ", "تُخومِهِمْ", "تُخُومَ", "تُخُومِ", "تُخُومِكَ", "حُدودِ", "حُدُودِ"]·ben["তাদের-সীমা", "তাদের-সীমানা", "তাদের-সীমানার", "তোমার-সীমানা", "তোমার-সীমানায়", "তোমার-সীমানায়।", "সমস্ত", "সীমা", "সীমানা", "সীমানায়"]·DE["Gebiet-von", "Grenze", "dein-Gebiet", "territory-von"]·EN["territory-of", "their-border", "their-territory", "your-territory"]·FR["[גבול]", "frontière", "territoire-de", "territory-de", "ton-territoire"]·heb["גְּבוּל", "גבוּלם", "גבול", "גבולך"]·HI["गवूल", "तेरी-सीमा", "सीमा", "सीमा-अपनी-से।", "सीमा-अपनी।", "सीमा-उनकी", "सीमा-तेरी", "सीमा-तेरी-में", "सीमाओं-तेरी", "सेएम-मेइन"]·ID["-wilayah", "batas", "daerah", "daerahmu", "perbatasan", "perbatasan-mereka.", "wilayah", "wilayah-mereka", "wilayahmu"]·IT["[גבול]", "confine", "territorio-di", "territory-di", "tuo-territorio", "tuo-territory"]·jav["piyambakipun", "tapel-wates", "tapel-watesipun", "tapel-watesipun-panjenengan;", "tapèl-wates", "tèpi-ipun", "wates", "wates-panjenengan", "watesipun", "watespanjenengan", "wewengkon", "wewengkon-panjenengan"]·KO["경계-", "경계를", "경계에", "그들의-경계를", "그들의-땅-을", "그들의-영토가", "너의-경계를", "네-경계", "네-경계를", "네-영토", "네-영토-에서", "네-영토를", "영역", "영토", "지경", "지역에"]·PT["fronteira-de", "fronteira-sua", "fronteira-tua", "sua-fronteira", "território-de", "território-teu", "teu-território", "teu-território."]·RU["граница-их", "границе", "границу-твою", "границы-их", "области", "предел", "предел-твой", "пределе", "пределе-твоём", "пределу", "пределы", "пределы-твои", "территории"]·ES["el-territorio-de", "su-territorio", "territorio-de", "territorio-de-ellos", "tu-territorio"]·SW["mipaka", "mipaka-ya", "mipaka-yako", "mpaka", "mpaka-wa", "mpaka-wako", "mpaka-wao", "wa-mpaka-wako", "wewe", "yako-yote", "yote-ya"]·TR["-sınırını", "sınırları", "sınırlarında", "sınırlarından", "sınırlarını", "sınırı", "sınırına", "sınırında", "sınırını", "sınırının"]·urd["اُن-کی-سرحد", "اپنی-سرحدیں", "تیری-حد", "تیری-حد-میں", "تیری-سرحد", "حد", "حد-تیری", "حدود", "حدوں-میں-تیری", "سرحد", "سرحد-تیری", "سرحد-میں", "سرحدوں-میں"]
Exod 8:2, Exod 10:4, Exod 10:14, Exod 10:19, Exod 13:7, Exod 34:24, Deut 2:4, Deut 16:4, Deut 19:3, Deut 19:8, Deut 28:40, Judg 1:18 (+33 more)
3. sense 3 — A boundary marker or landmark with legal-ethical significance (5x), centered in Deuteronomy 19:14, 27:17 and Proverbs 15:25, 22:28, 23:10. Here the focus is the stone or marker that physically instantiates the boundary, and moving it constitutes theft and injustice. The multilingual glosses waver between 'boundary' and 'boundary-of,' reflecting the tight conceptual overlap with sense 1, but the legal context and the consistent Proverbs cluster warrant distinction. 5×
AR["تَخْمَ", "تُخْمَ", "حَدَّ"]·ben["সীমা", "সীমানা"]·DE["Grenze", "Grenze-von"]·EN["a-boundary", "boundary-of", "the-boundary-of"]·FR["frontière-de", "גבול"]·heb["גבול"]·HI["सीमा"]·ID["batas"]·IT["confine-di", "il-boundary-di", "un-boundary"]·jav["wates", "wates-saking"]·KO["(접)-경계를", "경계를"]·PT["limite", "limite-de", "marco-de"]·RU["границу", "межу"]·ES["el-límite-de", "límite", "límite-de"]·SW["mpaka", "mpaka-wa"]·TR["sınırı", "sınırını"]·urd["حد", "سرحد"]
4. edge, rim, ledge (of an object) — The physical edge, rim, or ledge of a constructed object (3x), confined to Ezekiel's temple altar (Ezek 43:13, 17, 20). Spanish borde ('rim, edge') diverges from the geographic frontera used elsewhere, confirming a distinct concrete-architectural sense. The altar's rim functions as a containing border for sacrificial blood, extending the 'boundary' concept from landscape to liturgical furniture. 3×
AR["الْ-حَدِّ", "وَ-الْ-حَدُّ", "وَ-حَدُّهَا"]·ben["-সীমানায়", "এবং-তার-সীমানা", "এবং-সীমানা"]·DE["[וגבולה]", "die-Grenze", "und-die-Grenze"]·EN["and-its-border", "and-the-border", "the-border"]·FR["et-frontière", "frontière"]·heb["ה-גבול", "ו-גבולה", "ו-ה-גבול"]·HI["और-उसकी-किनारी", "और-किनारी", "किनारी"]·ID["batas", "dan-batas", "dan-batasnya"]·IT["e-confine", "e-il-confine", "il-confine"]·jav["lan-pinggir", "lan-pinggiré", "pinggir"]·KO["그-경계", "그리고-그-경계", "그리고-그것의-경계"]·PT["a-borda", "e-a-borda", "e-sua-borda"]·RU["и-край", "и-край-её", "край"]·ES["el-borde", "y-el-borde", "y-su-borde"]·SW["na-ukingo", "na-ukingo-wake", "ukingo"]·TR["kenarının", "ve-kenarı"]·urd["اور-اُس-کا-کنارہ", "اور-کنارہ", "کنارے"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
גְּבוּל240 n.m. Nu 34, 3 border, boundary, territory (NH id., Punic gubulim (pl., PlautPoen. i. 9)—גְּבוּל Gn 10:19 + 168 times + Jos 15:47 Kt (but read Qr גָּדוֹל); גְּבֻל Nu 21:13 + 9 times; (both, in abs. & cstr., e.g. abs. Nu 22:36; 34:8, cstr. Gn 10:19 2 S 21:5); sf. גְּבוּלִי 1 Ch 4:10, גְּבוּלְךָ Ex 7:27, גְבֻלְךָ Ex 23:31 + 3 times, etc.; pl. (8 times) only sf. גְּבוּלֶיךָ Je 15:13; 17:3,…