GERAR (Hebrew Gerar, Septuagint Germar). - Ancient city of the Negeb in Palestine, on the road to Egypt, southeast of Gaza and west of Beersheba (Gen. 10:19; 20:1). Capital of a principality called, by anticipation, Philistine. It is remembered in the Bible for the sojourn of the patriarchs Abraham (Gen. 20:1-18) and Isaac (Gen. 26:1-26) and for the defeat suffered by the Bedouin invaders who, having reached as far as Mareshah, were repelled by King Asa (ca. 900) and pursued as far as G. (II Chron. 14:9).

It is generally identified with Tell Jemmeh, 13 km south of Gaza, where in the excavations of 1922 and 1927 a stratification was recognized ranging from Thutmose III (1480) down to the Persian period (460 B.C.), with important remains of Philistine pottery and with many weights, which suggested a great grain emporium for the Negeb. Many Palestinologists still prefer to identify it with Tell el-Ser'ah, 30 km southwest of Beit Guvrin, in greater harmony with the biblical data (II Chron. 14:9), with the Byzantine indications (Onom., 60, 8) and with the design of the Madaba map.

Bibliography

BIBL.: K. Galling, Biblisches Reallexikon, Tübingen 1937, p. 179.

Donato Baldi

@incollection{ec6_gerara_ebr_gerar_settanta_germ, author = {Baldi, Donato}, title = {Gérara (Ebr. Gérâr, settanta γερμαρ)}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {VI}, pages = {81--82}, 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/gerara-ebr-gerar-settanta-germar} }

One of some 20,000 entries brought back from the twelve printed volumes (1948–54). Spotted something? Help us improve it.

About this entry