the Week of Proper 25 / Ordinary 30
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Bible Encyclopedias
Gerar
Kitto's Popular Cyclopedia of Biblical Literature
or Ge´rar, a town and district on the southernmost borders of Palestine, in the country of the Philistines, and not far from Gaza. It was visited by Abraham after the destruction of Sodom (), and by Isaac when there was a dearth in the rest of Canaan (). The incidents of their sojourn show that the district was very fertile. It was the seat of the first Philistine kingdom we read of, and gave name to it. The intercourse, differences, and alliances of the Hebrew fathers with the king and people of Gerar form a very curious and interesting portion of patriarchal history. It was still an important place in later times, as we may gather from . According to the ancient accounts Gerar lay in or near a valley, which appears to be no other than the great. Wady Sheriah (or one of the branches of it), that comes down from Beersheba; besides we know that it was in the land of the Philistines, and that it was not far from Beersheba when Isaac resided there (;;; Genesis 26-33; comp. 20:1). The name continued to exist (perhaps as a matter of tradition) for several centuries after the Christian era, but no traces of it can now be found.
Public Domain.
Kitto, John, ed. Entry for 'Gerar'. "Kitto's Popular Cyclopedia of Biblical Literature". https://www.studylight.org/encyclopedias/eng/kbe/g/gerar.html.
