---
title: גָּלַח — be bald · The Tanakh dictionary
description: גָּלַח (1548), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 23 times: be bald. BDB 1906: vb. be bald shave, shave off. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

<!-- md -->
[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/1548.html)

<!-- crumbs -->
[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/) / [Tanakh](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/) / [ג](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1490-3.md)‎ / גָּלַח‎

<!-- .hw dir=rtl lang=hbo -->
# גָּלַח

<!-- .meta -->
«גָּלַח» in the Tanakh dictionary: **be bald** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Used:** 23 times · **Key:** 1548 · **BDB:** גָּלַח

### Glosses

he.will.shave (7); he (4); he.shaved (3)

### Meaning (OSHB)

be bald [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1490/1548/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

vb. be bald shave, shave off [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1490/1548/#m2)

<!-- fold -->
**The whole BDB entry:** vb. be bald (Arabic جَلِحَ ); shave, shave off (so NH, Aramaic)—Pf. וְגִלַּח consec. Lv 14:8 + 2 times; sf. וְגִלְּחוֹ consec. 2 S 14:26; 3 fs. וְגִלְּחָה consec. Dt 21:12; Impf. יְגַלַּח Lv 14:9 Is 7:20, יְגַלֵּ֑חַ Lv 13:33 + 2 times, וַיְגַלַּח Gn 41:14 2 S 10:4; sf. (3 ms.) יְגַלְּחֶנּוּ, וַיְגַלְּחֵם 1 Ch 19:4; 3 fs. וַתְּגַלַּח Ju 16:19; 3 mpl. יְגַלֵּ֑חוּ Lv 21:5 Ez 44:20; Inf. sf. of subj. גַּלְּחוֹ 2 S 14:26;— shave, obj. the head, רֹאשׁ Nu 6:9(×2), 18 (P) Dt 21:12 (hair as containing impurity cf. RSSem i 407), 2 S 14:26(×2) cf. 26 Ez 44:20; Lv 13:33 (P), obj. הַנֶּתֶק; obj. persons 1 Ch 19:4. shave off, the hair שֵׂעָר Lv 14:8, 9(×2) (P) cf. Ju 16:19; the beard זָקָן Lv 21:5 (H) 2 S 10:4. fig. of devastation by Assyrians Is 7:20 (obj. הָרֹאשׁ, שַׂעַר הָרַגְלָ֑יִם and הַזָּקָן) intrans. he shaved (himself) Gn 41:14 (E). Pf. גֻּלָּ֑ח Ju 16:22, גֻּלַּחְתִּי Ju 16:17; Pt. cstr. מְגֻלְּחֵי Je 41:5;—be shaven, subj. pers. (of Samson) Ju 16:17, 22; מְגֻלְּחֵי זָקָן Je 41:5. Pf. וְהִתְגַּלָּ֑ח consec. Lv 13:33; Inf. sf. הִתְגַּלְּחוֹ Nu 6:19;—shave oneself Lv 13:33; c. acc. אֶת־נִזְרוֹ Nu 6:19 (both P).

<!-- .note -->
Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 18 of its verses cited, 2 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (1 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 0 with the glosses (1 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «גָּלַח» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1490/1548/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

<!-- div verse -->

<!-- .ref -->
[Judges 16:22](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/JDG.16.22/)

<!-- .vt dir=rtl lang=hbo -->
וַיָּ֧חֶל שְׂעַר־רֹאשׁ֛וֹ לְצַמֵּ֖חַ כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר גֻּלָּֽח׃פ

*Word for word:* and it.began the.hair his.head his to grow.back when it.had.been.shaved

*JPS 1917:* Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven.

<!-- /div -->

<!-- div verse -->

<!-- .ref -->
[Ezekiel 44:20](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/EZK.44.20/)

<!-- .vt dir=rtl lang=hbo -->
וְרֹאשָׁם֙ לֹ֣א יְגַלֵּ֔חוּ וּפֶ֖רַע לֹ֣א יְשַׁלֵּ֑חוּ כָּס֥וֹם יִכְסְמ֖וּ אֶת־רָאשֵׁיהֶֽם׃

*Word for word:* and head their not they.will.shave and hair not they.will.let.loose surely.(trim) they.will.trim (et) heads their

*JPS 1917:* Neither shall they shave their heads, nor suffer their locks to grow long; they shall only poll their heads.

<!-- /div -->

<!-- pn -->
- ← previous: [גָּלוּת](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/1546.md)
- next →: [גִּלָּיוֹן](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/1549.md)
- ↑ back to [ג](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1490-3.md)