H1538 H1538
skull, head (bone structure)
This anatomical term appears primarily in violent contexts—battlefield deaths, executions, and Jael's famous tent-peg blow to Sisera's skull. The word specifically denotes the cranium or head bone rather than the head generally. Judges 9:53 describes a woman dropping a millstone on Abimelech's skull; 1 Chronicles 10:10 reports the Philistines fastening Saul's skull in the temple of Dagon. Most famously, 'Golgotha' derives from the Aramaic form meaning 'place of a skull.' The term's consistent association with death and violence made it apt for naming the crucifixion site.
Senses
1. head, poll (unit of counting) — The skull or cranium in military and execution contexts. Judges, Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles use it when describing fatal head wounds or trophy-taking (enemy skulls displayed in temples). The Aramaic cognate gave rise to 'Golgotha' in the Gospels. Translations consistently render as 'skull' across languages, as the anatomical specificity (bone rather than flesh) matters for understanding the violent contexts—crushing blows, trophy displays, and the crucifixion site's name. 9×
AR["بِرُؤُوسِهِمْ", "لِلرَّأْسِ", "لِلْجُمْجُمَةِ"]·ben["-তে-তাদের-মাথা-পিছু", "-তে-মাথা-পিছু", "প্রতি-মাথায়", "মাথা-পিছু"]·DE["[לגלגלתם]", "durch-ihr-Haeupter", "fuer-der-Haupt", "per-Haupt"]·EN["by-their-heads", "for-the-head", "per-head"]·FR["[לגלגלתם]", "par-leur-heads", "per-tête", "pour-le-tête"]·heb["ל-גולגולת", "ל-גלגלתם", "ל-גלגלתם-ם", "ל-ה-גולגולת", "ל-ה-לגלגלת"]·HI["उनके-प्रति-व्यक्ति", "प्रति-व्यक्ति", "प्रति-सिर", "सिरों-के-अनुसार"]·ID["kepala-kepala-mereka", "per-kepala", "per-kepala-mereka"]·IT["[לגלגלתם]", "da-loro-capi", "per-capo", "per-il-capo"]·jav["dhateng-saben-sirah", "kanggé-saben-sirah", "miturut-sirah", "miturut-sirahipun"]·KO["그들의-머리에-따라", "머리마다", "에-머리들-그들의", "에게-머리"]·PT["para-cabeça", "para-crânios-deles", "para-o-crânio", "por-cabeça,", "por-suas-cabeças"]·RU["на-голову", "по-головам-их", "по-голове"]·ES["por-cabeza", "por-cabezas-de-ellos", "por-la-cabeza", "por-sus-cabezas"]·SW["kwa-kichwa", "kwa-vichwa-vyao"]·TR["başa-göre", "başlarına-göre", "kafalarına-göre", "kafaya", "kişi-başına"]·urd["سروں-کے-حساب-سے", "فی-سر", "کے-لیے-سروں-ان", "کے-لیے-فی-کس", "ہر-سر-کے-لیے"]
2. skull (anatomical) — The literal bony cranium or skull. In Judges 9:53 a woman fractures Abimelech's skull with an upper millstone, and in 2 Kings 9:35 Jehu's men find only Jezebel's skull, feet, and palms remaining after the dogs. First Chronicles 10:10 records Saul's skull fastened in the temple of Dagon. Multilingual evidence confirms the anatomical reading: Spanish 'cráneo,' Arabic 'jumjuma,' and Aramaic gulgaltā all point to the physical cranium. 3×
AR["الْجُمْجُمَةَ", "جُمْجُمَتَهُ"]·ben["তাঁর-মাথার-খুলি", "মাথার-খুলি", "মাথার-খুলির-তার"]·DE["[גלגלתו]", "der-skull", "sein-skull"]·EN["his-skull", "the-skull"]·FR["[גלגלתו]", "le-skull", "son-skull"]·heb["גולגולתו", "גלגלתו-ו", "ה-גולגולת"]·HI["उसकी-खोपड़ी", "हगुल्गोलेत"]·ID["-tengkorak", "tengkoraknya"]·IT["[גלגלתו]", "il-skull", "suo-skull"]·jav["sirah", "sirah-ipun"]·KO["그의-해골-을", "두개골-그의", "해골과"]·PT["crânio-seu", "o-crânio", "seu-crânio"]·RU["череп", "череп-его"]·ES["el-cráneo", "su-cráneo"]·SW["fuvu-la-kichwa", "fuvu-lake"]·TR["kafatası-o", "kafatasını", "kafatasını-onun"]·urd["اس-کی-کھوپڑی", "کھوپڑی", "کھوپڑی-اُس-کی۔"]
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×)H7200 1. Qal: to see, perceive (1257×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G4771 2. you (singular address) (1077×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)H8085 1. Qal: hear, perceive aurally (921×)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×)H0859a 1. you (2nd person masculine singular pronoun) (743×)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×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† גֻּלְגֹּ֫לֶת n.f. skull, head, poll (person) (BaNB 205; Aramaic גּוּלְגַּלְתָּא, Arabic جُمْجُمَة )—abs. ג׳ 2 K 9:35 + 3 times; sf. גֻּלְגָּלְתּוֹ Ju 9:53 1 Ch 10:10; pl. sf. גֻּלְגְּלֹתָם Nu 1:2 + 5 times;— 1. skull, as broken by a stone Ju 9:53; as severed from body 2 K 9:35 1 Ch 10:10. 2. head, poll (in counting, taxing, etc.; only P and late) עֹמֶר לַגּ׳ Ex 16:16 an omer for every man; cf. 38:26 Nu 1:2, 18, 20, 22; 3:47 1 Ch 23:3, 24.