GETH (Hebrew Gath, Akkadian Gimtu, "Winepress"). - A Canaanite city, mentioned in the letters of el-'Amārnah, capital of one of the five Philistine satrapies (Josh. 13:3). It had been the dwelling place of the Anakim and the Rephaim (v. GIANTS IN THE BIBLE): Josh. 11:22; 1 Sam. 17:4; 2 Sam. 21:19 ff.; 1 Chron. 20:6. It was punished for having kept the ark of Yahweh, which spread death there (1 Sam. 5:7-10; 6:17). David took refuge there twice when persecuted by Saul (1 Sam. 21:11-16; 27:2-11), with King Achish (v.).

The Kingdom of Judah claimed it for itself (1 Sam. 7:14; 1 Chron. 8:13; 2 Chron. 11:8; 26:6). David conquered it (2 Sam. 8:1; 1 Chron. 18:1) and had an elite corps of six hundred Gittite warriors (2 Sam. 15:18). Hazael, king of Syria, occupied G. (2 Kings 12:18), for the Philistines; Uzziah tore down its walls (2 Chron. 16:6; cf. 2 Kings 18:8). G. then depended on Ashdod or Azotus (v.). Am. 6:2 gives it as an example of a fallen city, nor does it appear in the oracles of the other prophets against the Philistine cities.

Its identification is uncertain. Since G. was the extreme Philistine stronghold to the southeast, closest to Judah, it seems it must be identified with Tell 'Araq el-Menšijeh, 30 km. from Bejt Gibrin (Guthe, Albright, Garstang, Abel). Less well does Desnoyers think of Tell es-Sāfijeh, Fernandez of Dikrin.

G.-Opher, in 2 Kings 14:25; Josh. 19:13 is the homeland of the prophet Jonah (v.); a city of the tribe of Zebulun, a few km. from Sepphoris, probably the present-day village of Hirbet ez-Zurra'.

G.-Remmon, in Josh. 21:25, is the Gitirimunima of the Amarna letters, the present-day Rummāneh, very close to Thanac (Abel, Desnoyers). Many exegetes prefer the Greek reading and read Jeblaam, cf. 1 Chron. 6:54 (Fernandez).

G. Remmon of Dan is a Levitical city, assigned to the sons of Kohath like the previous one: Josh. 19:45; 21:24; 1 Chron. 6:54. It corresponds to the present-day Tell Abū Lejtun southwest of 'Amwās (cf. 1 Chron. 7:21; 8:14).

Bibliography4 works

BIBL.: A. Legendre, s. v. in DB. III, coll. 223-29; L. Desnoyers, Histoire du peuple hébreu, II, Paris 1930, pp. 63, 79-83, 91 f., 119, 166 note 1, 239, 243 f., 289 f.; K. Galling, Biblisches Reallexikon, Tübingen 1937, p. 170 ff.; F.-M. Abel, Géographie de la Palestine, II, Paris 1938, pp. 225-27.

Francesco Spadafora

@incollection{ec6_geth_ebr_gath_accad_gimtu_pres, author = {Spadafora, Francesco}, title = {Geth (Ebr. Gath, accad. gimtu, « pressoio »)}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {VI}, pages = {286}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1951}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/geth-ebr-gath-accad-gimtu-pressoio} }

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