Bible Encyclopedia: Gerar

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International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

GERAR

ge'-rar (gerar, "circle," "region"; Gerara): A town in the Philistine plain South of Gaza (Genesis 10:19), where both Abraham and Isaac ' sojourned for a time, and where they came into contact with Abimelech, king of Gerar (Genesis 20 and 26, passim). The place has not been fully identified, but the site is probably in one of the branches of Wady Sheri`a, at a place called Um Jerrar, near the coast Southwest of Gaza and 9 miles from it (SWP, III, 389-90). The site answers fairly well to the statements of Eusebius and Jerome, Eusebius, Onomasticon, that it was 25 (Roman) miles South of Eleutheropolis (Beit Jibrin). It is actually 30 English miles, but distances were not very accurately determined in early times. Gerar was known in the first 5 centuries A.D., when it was the seat of a bishopric, and its bishop, Marcian, attended the Council of Chalcedon 451 A.D., It was also the seat of a monastery.

The statements in Genesis indicate that Gerar belonged to the Philistines, and we are led to infer that Abimelech was king of that people, but it is quite certain that they did not occupy this region until after the time of Abraham, in fact only a short time before the Exodus. It is probable, however, that the writer of Genesis would refer to the country as it was known in his day. The town certainly existed in the Philistine period, for it is mentioned in connection with Asa, who defeated the Ethiopian host under Zerar and pursued them in their flight unto Gerar (2 Chronicles 14:13). Besides the locality of Um Jerrar, another place in the vicinity known as Jurf el-Jerrar has been thought by some to be the site of Gerar. Jerrar in Arabic means "jars," and it is doubtful whether it represents the Hebrew Gerar. Jurf means usually "steep declivity," or "precipice," and at the place mentioned many fragments of pottery were found, but this does not necessarily indicate the site of an ancient town. The site of Gerar is discussed in Thomson's LB, I, 196-99 (ed. 1882); Robinson's BR, II, 43-44; PEFS, 1871, 84; 1875, 162-64; 1881, 38.

H. Porter

Strong's Hebrew

1642. Gerar -- a place South of Gaza
... 1641, 1642. Gerar. 1643 . a place South of Gaza. Transliteration: Gerar
Phonetic Spelling: (gher-awr') Short Definition: Gerar. ...
/hebrew/1642.htm - 6k

7856. Sitnah -- "hostility," the name of a well near Gerar
... 7855, 7856. Sitnah. 7857 . "hostility," the name of a well near Gerar.
Transliteration: Sitnah Phonetic Spelling: (sit-naw') Short Definition: Sitnah. ...
/hebrew/7856.htm - 6k

6230. Eseq -- "contention," a well in Gerar
... 6229, 6230. Eseq. 6231 . "contention," a well in Gerar. Transliteration:
Eseq Phonetic Spelling: (ay'sek) Short Definition: Esek. ...
/hebrew/6230.htm - 6k

Library

Ascalon. Gerar. The Story of the Eighty Witches.
... Chapters 11-20 Chapter 14 Ascalon. Gerar. The Story of the Eighty Witches. 'Ascalon,'
in the Samaritan interpreter, is the same with 'Gerar,' Genesis 21.. ...
/.../lightfoot/from the talmud and hebraica/chapter 14 ascalon gerar the.htm

Gerar. SM The Glories of the Sanctuary.
... 30 Gerar. SM The Glories of the Sanctuary. The Glories of the Sanctuary.
(128) How charming is the place Where my Redeemer God Unveils ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/lorenz/the otterbein hymnal/30 gerar s m the glories.htm

Chapter xx
... CHAPTER XX. 10. Abraham and Sarah at Gerar Abraham needs to be tried and
purified still more before the promise can be realized. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter xx.htm

The First Apostle of Peace at any Price
... And Isaac departed thence, and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar,
and dwelt there. ... The Gerar shepherds were sharp lawyers. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture k/the first apostle of peace.htm

Chapter xxvi
... And there came a famine in the land, other than the first famine that was in the
days of Abraham; and Isaac went to Abimelech, king of the Philistines, to Gerar ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter xxvi.htm

From Abraham to Egypt.
... (7) Abraham lives at Gerar. Isaac is born and sacrificed, chs.20-22. ... (11) Isaac dwells
in Gerar and Jacob steals his brother's birthright, chs.26-27. ...
/.../tidwell/the bible period by period/chapter iv from abraham to.htm

How Zerah, King of the Ethiopians, was Beaten by Asa; and How Asa ...
... what God had foretold about it, he slew a great many of the Ethiopians; and when
he had put them to flight, he pursued them to the country of Gerar; and when ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 12 how zerah king.htm

Concerning the Sons of Isaac, Esau and Jacob; of their Nativity ...
... 2. When there was a famine in the land, Isaac resolved to go into Egypt, the land
there being good; but he went to Gerar, as God commanded him. ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 18 concerning the sons.htm

Chapter x
... And afterward were the families (tribes) of the Canaanites scattered abroad, so
that the territory of the Canaanites extended from Sidon toward Gerar as far as ...
//christianbookshelf.org/leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter x.htm

The Sovereignty of God in Operation
... A striking example of this is seen in Abimelech, king of Gerar. Abraham
came down to Gerar and fearful lest he might be slain on ...
/.../pink/the sovereignty of god/chapter six the sovereignty of.htm

Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary

Gerar

same as Gera

Smith's Bible Dictionary

Gerar

(a lodging-place), a very ancient city south of Gaza. It occurs chiefly in Genesis, (Genesis 10:19; 20:1; 26:17) also incidentally in (2 Chronicles 14:13,14) It must have trenched on the "south" or "south country" of later Palestine. From a comparison of (Genesis 21:32) with Genesis26:23,26 Beersheba would seem to be just on the verge of this territory, and perhaps to be its limit towards the northeast.

ATS Bible Dictionary

Gerar

An ancient town or place of the Philistines in the times of Abraham and Isaac, Genesis 10:19 20:1:26:1,6,17. It lay not far from Gaza, in the south of Judah, but its exact site is now unknown. See 2 Chronicles 14:13,14.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

A region; lodging-place, a very ancient town and district in the south border of Palestine, which was ruled over by a king named Abimelech (Genesis 10:19; 20:1, 2). Abraham sojourned here, and perhaps Isaac was born in this place. Both of these patriarchs were guilty of the sin of here denying their wives, and both of them entered into a treaty with the king before they departed to Beersheba (21:23-34; 26). It seems to have been a rich pastoral country (2 Chronicles 14:12-18). Isaac here reaped an hundred-fold, and was blessed of God (Genesis 26:12). The "valley of Gerar" (Genesis 26:17) was probably the modern Wady el-Jerdr.

Thesaurus

Gerar (10 Occurrences)
... Isaac here reaped an hundred-fold, and was blessed of God (Genesis 26:12). The
"valley of Gerar" (Genesis 26:17) was probably the modern Wady el-Jerdr. ...GERAR. ...
/g/gerar.htm - 12k

Esek (1 Occurrence)
... Quarrel, a well which Isaac's herdsmen dug in the valley of Gerar, and so called
because the herdsmen of Gerar quarrelled with them for its possession (Genesis ...
/e/esek.htm - 7k

Abimelech (63 Occurrences)
... was of the Egyptian kings. (1.) The Philistine king of Gerar in the time of
Abraham (Genesis 20:1-18). By an interposition of Providence ...
/a/abimelech.htm - 36k

Phicol (3 Occurrences)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary Great, the chief captain of the army of Abimelech,
the Philistine king of Gerar. He entered into an alliance ...
/p/phicol.htm - 8k

Abim'elech (58 Occurrences)
... Abim'elech (58 Occurrences). Genesis 20:2 And Abraham said of Sarah his wife: 'She
is my sister.' And Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah. (See RSV). ...
/a/abim'elech.htm - 22k

Dwelleth (142 Occurrences)
... (YLT). Genesis 20:1 And Abraham journeyeth from thence toward the land of the south,
and dwelleth between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourneth in Gerar; (YLT). ...
/d/dwelleth.htm - 35k

Dwelt (307 Occurrences)
... And he sojourned in Gerar. (ASV DBY JPS WBS RSV). ... (KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS RSV). Genesis
26:6 And Isaac dwelt in Gerar: (KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS RSV). ...
/d/dwelt.htm - 36k

Gerrenians
... They were wrongly associated by Grotius with the town Gerrha, and are with more
probability connected with the ancient city of Gerar, Southeast of Gaza. ...
/g/gerrenians.htm - 7k

Gedor (7 Occurrences)
... (2.) 1 Chronicles 4:39, the Gederah of Joshua 15:36, or the well-known Gerar, as
the LXX. ... Here the Septuagint reads Gerar, and this is probably correct. ...
/g/gedor.htm - 10k

Ahuzzath (1 Occurrence)
... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia AHUZZATH. a-huz'-ath ('achuzzath, "possession"):
A "friend" perhaps a minister, of Abimelech, king of Gerar. ...
/a/ahuzzath.htm - 7k

Bible Concordance

Gerar (10 Occurrences)

Genesis 10:19 The border of the Canaanites was from Sidon, as you go toward Gerar, to Gaza; as you go toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, to Lasha.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Genesis 20:1 Abraham traveled from there toward the land of the South, and lived between Kadesh and Shur. He lived as a foreigner in Gerar.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Genesis 20:2 Abraham said about Sarah his wife, "She is my sister." Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Genesis 26:1 There was a famine in the land, besides the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines, to Gerar.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Genesis 26:6 Isaac lived in Gerar.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Genesis 26:17 Isaac departed from there, encamped in the valley of Gerar, and lived there.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Genesis 26:20 The herdsmen of Gerar argued with Isaac's herdsmen, saying, "The water is ours." He called the name of the well Esek, because they contended with him.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Genesis 26:26 Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar, and Ahuzzath his friend, and Phicol the captain of his army.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

2 Chronicles 14:13 Asa and the people who were with him pursued them to Gerar: and there fell of the Ethiopians so many that they could not recover themselves; for they were destroyed before Yahweh, and before his army; and they carried away very much booty.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

2 Chronicles 14:14 They struck all the cities around Gerar; for the fear of Yahweh came on them: and they despoiled all the cities; for there was much spoil in them.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Subtopics

Gerar

Gerar: A City of the Philistines

Gerar: A City of the Philistines: Abimelech, King of

Gerar: A City of the Philistines: Visited by Abraham

Gerar: A City of the Philistines: Visited by Isaac

Gerar: A Valley

Related Terms

Esek (1 Occurrence)

Abimelech (63 Occurrences)

Phicol (3 Occurrences)

Abim'elech (58 Occurrences)