Gallim

Biblical Text

Gallim appears twice in the Bible.

• 1 Samuel 25:44: While David was a fugitive, Saul gave his daughter Michal, David's wife, to "Phalti the son of Laish, which was of Gallim." In 2 Samuel 3:15–16, David reclaims Michal, and her husband there is called "Phaltiel the son of Laish." Because both the name and the father's name correspond, Phalti and Phaltiel are regarded as the same person. Phaltiel followed his wife, weeping, as far as Bahurim before turning back.
• Isaiah 10:30: In the passage depicting the Assyrian army descending from the north and passing in turn through Aiath, Michmash, Geba, Ramah, and Gibeah of Saul to threaten Jerusalem (Isaiah 10:28–32), Gallim appears together with Laishah (KJV: Laish) and Anathoth. The prophet calls on the "daughter of Gallim" to cry aloud: "Lift up thy voice, O daughter of Gallim: cause it to be heard unto Laish, O poor Anathoth." Here "daughter" is a poetic expression that personifies the town and its inhabitants.

Background

Along the line of march in Isaiah 10, Gallim lies between Gibeah of Saul and Anathoth. For this reason Gallim is regarded as a small village in the territory of the tribe of Benjamin, north of Jerusalem. Scholars differ on which modern site corresponds to Gallim, and no definitive conclusion has been reached.

As for the meaning of the name, some take it to have the same form as the plural of the Hebrew gal ("heap of stones" or "wave") and interpret it as "heaps" or "springs." The origin of the place-name, however, cannot be determined with certainty.

Significance in the Bible as a Whole

The town of Gallim itself is not theologically significant. Rather, it serves as the setting for two narratives.

First, in the books of Samuel, it is associated with Saul's political move to dissolve David's marriage and thereby cut him off from the royal house. Second, in Isaiah, it is one of a list of place-names that conveys the urgency of the Assyrian threat as it drew near to the very gates of the capital. Immediately after this list comes the proclamation that God will cut down proud Assyria (Isaiah 10:33–34), and chapter 11 opens with the prophecy of the rod that shall come forth out of the stem of Jesse.

Gallim does not appear in the New Testament.

Interpretation and Issues

The event referred to in Isaiah 10:28–32: Views differ on which event this account of the advance refers to.

• Some interpreters connect it with Sennacherib's invasion of Judah in the time of Hezekiah.
• Others connect it with a different Assyrian campaign.
• Still others regard it not as a record of an actual march but as a poetic vision vividly portraying the threat. This view points out that Sennacherib's actual invasion was carried out to the southwest, in the vicinity of Lachish.

Embellishments of the Phaltiel story: Some sermons and commentaries elaborate on the scene of Phaltiel following Michal in tears, describing his character or his relationship with Michal in detail. The text, however, records the scene only briefly, and such details are the inferences of interpreters.