Gerar
Gerar, a Philistine city, was the location of Abraham and Isaac's encounters with Abimelech and the site of a battle during King Asa's reign.
PlacePhilistiaOld Testament2 books11 verses
Summary
A location in Philistia first mentioned at Genesis 10:19; only referred to as Gerar (גְּרָר).
Location
- Identified as
- Tel Haror
- Certainty
- Likely (69% of scholarship) · 3 other possible locations
- Coordinates
- 31.382° N, 34.606° E
Glossary entries
Alternative names
- גְּרָרGerar
Mentions
Includes 1 verse that refer to Gerar without naming it.
- …and the borders of Canaan extended from Sidon toward Gerar as far as Gaza, and then toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha.
- Now Abraham journeyed from there to the region of the Negev and settled between Kadesh and Shur. While he was staying in Gerar,
- Abraham said of his wife Sarah, “She is my sister.” So Abimelech king of Gerar had Sarah brought to him.
- Genesis 20:11Referred to, not namedAbraham replied, “I thought to myself, ‘Surely there is no fear of God in this place. They will kill me on account of my wife.’
- Now there was another famine in the land, subsequent to the one that had occurred in Abraham’s time. And Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines at Gerar.
- So Isaac settled in Gerar.
- So Isaac left that place and encamped in the Valley of Gerar and settled there.
- But the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac’s herdsmen and said, “The water is ours!” So he named the well Esek, because they contended with him.
- Later, Abimelech came to Isaac from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his adviser and Phicol the commander of his army.
- Then Asa and his army pursued them as far as Gerar. The Cushites fell and could not recover, for they were crushed before the LORD and His army. So the people of Judah carried off a great amount of plunder
- …and attacked all the cities around Gerar, because the terror of the LORD had fallen upon them. They plundered all the cities, since there was much plunder there.