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Gilboa

Biblical
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A mountain range where Saul and his sons died in battle against the Philistines.

Detailed Definition
Gilboa (1 Samuel 31) is cursed by David for its role in Israel’s tragedy. In poetry, it symbolizes defeat, the fall of kings, and the desolation of loss, often evoking themes of honor, grief, and the cost of disobedience.
Example
Example in poetry:
Gilboa—mountain where Saul died—inspires elegiac poetry: “Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in Gilboa—where the shield of Saul was defiled”; A modern poem: “My Gilboa is the battlefield where leadership falls”; In a lament: “The mountains of Gilboa let no rain fall—mourning the king’s end”; Historical verse: “Gilboa’s slopes remember: even anointed kings can fall.”
Additional Notes
Gilboa (1 Samuel 31) is where Saul and his sons fell to the Philistines, prompting David’s lament (2 Samuel 1). The mountain became synonymous with tragic defeat and royal loss. In poetry, Gilboa evokes the pathos of fallen heroes, the silence of God in battle, and the landscape as witness to national trauma.
Also Known As
Mount Gilboa
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