“Galal” (Trust, Commit)

“He trusts in the Lord,” they say,
    “let the Lord rescue him.
Let him deliver him,
    since he delights in him.” 

Psalm 22:8

“Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.”

Psalm 37:5

Psalm 22:8, “trusts” and Psalm 37:5 “commit” are both the Hebrew word “gaw-lal.”

Stong’s Word #H1556

גָּלַל

gâlal

gaw-lal'

A primitive root; to roll (literally or figuratively): - commit, remove, roll (away, down, together), run down, seek occasion, trust, wallow.

galal: to roll, roll away

Original Word: גָּלַל
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: galal
Phonetic Spelling: (gaw-lal')
Definition: to roll, roll away

Hebrew is a very concrete language so it’s no surprise that galal is tied to very concrete experiences.  One such is using the word for describing rolling away stones, such as in Genesis 29:8, Joshua 10:18, and Proverbs 26:27. 

In the Ancient Near East, a cylindrical piece of stone with a raised carved inscription was used on documents to signify ownership. These cylinders could also be on signet rings. When the cylinder was rolled over a soft material such as clay, it left a raised impression that established legal ownership over the object; a legal and moral bond. 

“Commit" and “trust” (Galal) and can be considered like an idiom “roll it on to the Lord.” In a sense it means: voluntarily granting God ownership, 'rolling over' our 'self-ownership' onto God. It means allowing His seal of ownership to make a permanent impression on your life. The Torah talks about specific signs of 'ownership' rolled on to God’s people. Are you showing signs of 'ownership'?