GETH (Hebr. Gath, Akkad. Gimtu, “winepress”). – A Canaanite city, mentioned in the letters of el-’Amārnah, capital of one of the five Philistine satrapies (Ios. 13, 3). It had been the dwelling place of the Enacim and the Rephaim (v. BIBLIA): Ios. 11, 22; I Sam. 17, 4; II Sam. 21, 19 ff.; I Par. 20, 6. It was punished for having kept the ark of Jahweh, which sowed death there (I Sam. 5, 7-10; 6, 17). David, persecuted by Saul, took refuge there twice (I Sam.* 21, 11-16; 27, 2-11), LACHIS (v.).
The Kingdom of Judah claimed it as its own (I Sam. 7, 14; I Par. 8, 13; II Par. 11, 8; 26, 6). David conquered it (II Sam. 8, 1; I Par. 18, 1) and had an elite corps of six hundred Gittite warriors (II Sam. 15, 18). Hazael, king of Syria, occupied G. (II Reg. 12, 18), on behalf of the Philistines; Ozias demolished its walls (II Par. 16, 6; cf. II Reg. 18, 8). G. then depended on Ashdod or Azotus (v.). Am. 6, 2 presents it as an example of a fallen city, nor does it appear in the prophecies of the other prophets against the Philistine cities.
Its identification is uncertain. Since Gath was the extreme southeastern fortress of the Philistines, nearer to Judah, it seems that it should be identified with Tell ’Araq el-Menšijeh, 30 km. from Bejt Gibrin (Guthe, Albright, Garstang, Abel). Less plausibly, Desnoyers thinks of Tell es-Sāfijeh, and Fernandez of Dikrin.
G.-Opher, in II Reg. 14, 25; Ios. 19, 13, is Jonah (v.); a city of the tribe of Zebulun, a few kilometres from Sepphoris, probably the present-day village of Hirbet ez-Zurra’.
G.-Remmon, in Ios. 21, 25, is Gitirimunima of the Amarna letters, the present-day Rummāneh, very close to Thanac (Abel, Desnoyers). Many exegetes prefer the Greek remainder and read Jeblaam, cf. I Par. 6, 54 (Fernandez).
G. Remmon of Dan is a Levitical city, assigned to the sons of Caath like the preceding one: Ios. 19, 45; 21, 24; I Par. 6, 54. It corresponds to the present-day Tell Abū Lejtun, southwest of ’Amwās (cf. I Par. 7, 21; 8, 14).