- GERAH a bean, probably of the carob tree, the smallest weight, and also
the smallest piece of money, among the Hebrews, equal to the twentieth
part of a shekel (Exodus 30:13; Leviticus 27:25; Numbers 3:47). This word
came into use in the same way as our word “grain,” from a grain of wheat. - GERAR a region; lodging-place, a very ancient town and district in the
south border of Palestine, which was ruled over by a king named
Abimelech (Genesis 10:19; 20:1, 2). Abraham sojourned here, and perhaps
Isaac was born in this place. Both of these patriarchs were guilty of the sin
of here denying their wives, and both of them entered into a treaty with
the king before they departed to Beersheba (21:23-34; 26). It seems to
have been a rich pastoral country (2 Chronicles 14:12-18). Isaac here
reaped an hundred-fold, and was blessed of God (Genesis 26:12). The
“valley of Gerar” (Genesis 26:17) was probably the modern Wady
el-Jerdr. - GERGESA =Gerasa, identified with the modern Khersa, “over against
Galilee,” close to the lake. This was probably the scene of the miracle,
Mark 5:1-20, etc. “From the base of the great plateau of Bashan, 2,000
feet or more overhead, the ground slopes down steeply, in places
precipitously, to the shore. And at the foot of the declivity a bold spur
runs out to the water’s edge. By it the frantic swine would rush on
headlong into the lake and perish.” Porter’s Through Samaria. (See
GADARA.) - GERIZIM a mountain of Samaria, about 3,000 feet above the
Mediterranean. It was on the left of the valley containing the ancient town
of Shechem (q.v.), on the way to Jerusalem. It stood over against Mount
Ebal, the summits of these mountains being distant from each other about
2 miles (Deuteronomy 27; Joshua 8:30-35). On the slopes of this
mountain the tribes descended from the handmaids of Leah and Rachel,
together with the tribe of Reuben, were gathered together, and gave the
responses to the blessing pronounced as the reward of obedience, when
Joshua in the valley below read the whole law in the hearing of all the
people; as those gathered on Ebal responded with a loud Amen to the
rehearsal of the curses pronounced on the disobedient. It was probably at
this time that the coffin containing the embalmed body of Joseph was laid
in the “parcel of ground which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor”
(Genesis 33:19; 50:25).
kiana
(Kiana)
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