Bible Dictionary
Galeed
Galeed means “heap of witness.” It was the name Jacob gave to the heap of stones raised with Laban as a witness to their covenant and peaceful separation.
Definition
Galeed means “heap of witness.” It was the name Jacob gave to the heap of stones raised by Jacob and Laban beside which they sealed their covenant.
Biblical Usage
The heap served as a silent witness to the covenant and peaceful separation of Jacob and Laban. Laban called it by the Aramaic name Jegar-sahadutha, while Jacob used the Hebrew name Galeed.
Historical Background
The name combines the Hebrew ideas of a heap of stones and a witness. The narrative reflects the ancient practice of associating important agreements with an inanimate object that could preserve their memory.
Scripture References
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Easton's Bible Dictionary
Heap of witness, the name of the pile of stones erected by Jacob and Laban to mark the league of friendship into which they entered with each other (Gen. 31:47, 48). This was the name given to the “heap” by Jacob. It is Hebrew, while the name Jegar-sahadutha, given to it by Laban, is Aramaic (Chaldee or Syriac). Probably Nahor’s family originally spoke Aramaic, and Abraham and his descendants learned Hebrew, a kindred dialect, in the land of Canaan.
Smith's Bible Dictionary
(the heap of witness), the name given by Jacob to the heap which he and Laban made on Mount Gilead in witness of the covenant then entered into between them. (Genesis 31:47,48) comp. Genesis31:23,25 (the heap of witness), the name given by Jacob to the heap which he and Laban made on Mount Gilead in witness of the masses, but sometimes found in yellowish tear-like drops. But, though galbanum itself is well known, the plant which yields it has not been exactly determined.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>gal'-e-ed (gal`edh): Derived from the Hebrew gal, "a heap of stones," and `edh, "witness." The meaning therefore is "cairn" or "heap of witness," corresponding to yeghar-sahddhutha' in Aramaic (Ge 31:47). It is applied to the cairn raised by Jacob and Laban, beside which they sealed their covenant in a common meal, the memory of which they appealed to the silent cairn to preserve. The ancient custom of associating events with inanimate objects as witnesses is often illustrated in Hebrew history (Jos 4:4 ff, etc.). There may be in this narrative a suggestion of how the name "Gilead" came to be applied to that country.</p><p>W. Ewing</p>