(2.) 1 Chr. 4:39, the Gederah of Josh. 15:36, or the well-known Gerar, as the LXX. read, where the patriarchs of old had sojourned and fed their flocks ( Gen. 20:1,Gen. 20:14,Gen. 20:15;Gen 26:1,Gen. 20:6,Gen. 20:14).

(3.) A town apparently in Benjamin (1 Chr. 12:7), the same probably as Geder ( Josh. 12:13).

Gehazi - valley of vision, Elisha's trusted servant (2 Kings 4:31;2 Kings 5:25;2 Kings 8:4,2 Kings 4:5). He appears in connection with the history of the Shunammite (2 Kings 4:14,2 Kings 4:31) and of Naaman the Syrian. On this latter occasion he was guilty of duplicity and dishonesty of conduct, causing Elisha to denounce his crime with righteous sternness, and pass on him the terrible doom that the leprosy of Naaman would cleave to him and his for ever 2 Kings 5:20-27).

He afterwards appeared before king Joram, to whom he recounted the great deeds of his master (2 Kings 8:1-6).

Gehenna - (originally Ge bene Hinnom; i.e., "the valley of the sons of Hinnom"), a deep, narrow glen to the south of Jerusalem, where the idolatrous Jews offered their children in sacrifice to Molech (2 Chr. 28:3;2 Chr 33:6; Jer. 7:31; Jer 19:2-6). This valley afterwards became the common receptacle for all the refuse of the city. Here the dead bodies of animals and of criminals, and all kinds of filth, were cast and consumed by fire kept always burning. It thus in process of time became the image of the place of everlasting destruction. In this sense it is used by our Lord in Matt. 5:22, Matt. 5:29, Matt. 5:30; Matt 10:28; Matt 18:9; Matt 23:15, Matt. 5:33; Mark 9:43, Mark 9:45, Mark 9:47; Luke 12:5. In these passages, and also in James 3:6, the word is uniformly rendered "hell," the Revised Version placing "Gehenna" in the margin. (See HELL ; HINNOM.)

Geliloth circles; regions, a place in the border of Benjamin ( Josh. 18:17); called Gilgal in 15:7.

Gemariah - Jehovah has made perfect. (1.) The son of Shaphan, and one of the Levites of the temple in the time of Jehoiakim ( Jer. 36:10; 2 Kings 22:12). Baruch read aloud to the people from Gemariah's chamber, and again in the hearing of Gemariah and other scribes, the prophecies of Jeremiah ( Jer. 36:11-20), which filled him with terror. He joined with others in entreating the king not to destroy the roll of the prophecies which Baruch had read (21-25).

(2.) The son of Hilkiah, who accompanied Shaphan with the tribute-money from Zedekiah to Nebuchadnezzar, and was the bearer at the same time of a letter from Jeremiah to the Jewish captives at Babylon ( Jer. 29:3,Jer. 29:4).

Generation - Gen. 2:4, "These are the generations," means the "history ." 5:1, "The book of the generations," means a family register, or history of Adam. 37:2, "The generations of Jacob" = the history of Jacob and his descendants. 7:1, "In this generation" = in this age. Ps. 49:19, "The generation of his fathers" = the dwelling of his fathers, i.e., the grave. Ps. 73:15, "The generation of thy children" = the contemporary race. Isa. 53:8, "Who shall declare his generation?" = His manner of life who shall declare? or rather = His race, posterity, shall be so numerous that no one shall be able to declare it.

In Matt. 1:17, the word means a succession or series of persons from the same stock. Matt. 3:7, "Generation of vipers" = brood of vipers. 24:34, "This generation" = the persons then living contemporary with Christ. 1 Pet. 2:9, "A chosen generation" = a chosen people.

The Hebrews seem to have reckoned time by the generation. In the time of Abraham a generation was an hundred years, thus: Gen. 15:16, "In the fourth generation" = in four hundred years (comp. verse 13 and Ex. 12:40). In Deut. 1:35 and 2:14 a generation is a period of thirty-eight years.

Genesis - The five books of Moses were collectively called the Pentateuch, a word of Greek origin meaning "the five-fold book." The Jews called them the Torah, i.e., "the law." It is probable that the division of the Torah into five books proceeded from the Greek translators of the Old Testament. The names by which these several books are generally known are Greek.

The first book of the Pentateuch (q.v.) is called by the Jews Bereshith, i.e., "in the beginning", because this is the first word of the book. It is generally known among Christians by the name of Genesis, i.e., "creation" or "generation," being the name given to it in the LXX. as designating its character, because it gives an account of the origin of all things. It contains, according to the usual computation, the history of about two thousand three hundred and sixty-nine years.

Genesis is divided into two principal parts. The first part (Gen 1-11) gives a general history of mankind down to the time of the Dispersion. The second part presents the early history of Israel down to the death and burial of Joseph (12-50).

There are five principal persons brought in succession under our notice in this book, and around these persons the history of the successive periods is grouped, viz., Adam (1-3), Noah (4-9), Abraham ( Gen 10:1 to Gen 25:18), Isaac Gen 25:19 to 35:29), and Jacob (36-50).

In this book we have several prophecies concerning Christ to 3:15;to 12:3;to 18:18;to 22:18;to 26:4;to 28:14;to 49:10). The author of this book was Moses. Under divine guidance he may indeed have been led to make use of materials already existing in primeval documents, or even of traditions in a trustworthy form that had come down to his time, purifying them from all that was unworthy; but the hand of Moses is clearly seen throughout in its composition.

Gennesaret - a garden of riches. (1.) A town of Naphtali, called Chinnereth ( Josh. 19:35), sometimes in the plural form Chinneroth ( Josh 11:2). In later times the name was gradually changed to Genezar and Gennesaret ( Luke 5:1). This city stood on the western shore of the lake to which it gave its name. No trace of it remains. The plain of Gennesaret has been called, from its fertility and beauty, "the Paradise of Galilee." It is now called el-Ghuweir.

(2.) The Lake of Gennesaret, the Grecized form of CHINNERETH (q.v.). (See GALILEE, SEA OF.)

Gentiles - (Heb., usually in plural, goyim), meaning in general all nations except the Jews. In course of time, as the Jews began more and more to pride themselves on their peculiar privileges, it acquired unpleasant associations, and was used as a term of contempt.

In the New Testament the Greek word Hellenes, meaning literally Greek (as in Acts 16:1, Acts 16:3; Acts 18:17; Rom. 1:14), generally denotes any non-Jewish nation.

Genubath - theft, the son of Hadad, of the Edomitish royal family. He was brought up in Pharaoh's household. His mother was a sister of Tahpenes, the king of Egypt's wife, mentioned in 1 Kings 11:20.

Gera - grain. (1.) The son of Bela and grandson of Benjamin (1 Chr. 8:3,1 Chr. 8:5,1 Chr. 8:7).

(2.) The father of Ehud the judge ( Judg. 3:15).

(3.) The father of Shimei, who so grossly abused David (2 Sam. 16:5;2 Sam 19:16,2 Sam. 16:18).

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 ( Ex. 30:13; Lev. 27:25; Num. 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 ( Gen. 10:19;Gen 20:1,Gen. 10:2). 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 ( Gen 21:23-34;Gen 26). It seems to have been a rich pastoral country (2 Chr. 14:12-18). Isaac here reaped an hundred-fold, and was blessed of God ( Gen. 26:12). The "valley of Gerar" ( Gen. 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 (Deut. 27; Josh. 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" ( Gen. 33:19;Gen 50:25).

Josephus relates ( Ant. 11:8,Ant. 11:2-4) that Sanballat built a temple for the Samaritans on this mountain, and instituted a priesthood, as rivals to those of the Jews at Jerusalem. This temple was destroyed after it had stood two hundred years. It was afterwards rebuilt by Herod the Great. There is a Samaritan tradition that it was the scene of the incident recorded in Gen. 22. There are many ruins on this mountain, some of which are evidently of Christian buildings. To this mountain the woman of Sychar referred in John 4:20. For centuries Gerizim was the centre of political outbreaks. The Samaritans (q.v.), a small but united body, still linger here, and keep up their ancient ceremonial worship.

Gershom - expulsion. (1.) The eldest son of Levi (1 Chr. 6:16,1 Chr. 6:17,1 Chr. 6:20,1 Chr. 6:43,1 Chr. 6:62,1 Chr. 6:71;1 Chr 15:7)=GERSHON (q.v.).

(2.) The elder of the two sons of Moses born to him in Midian ( Ex. 2:22;Ex 18:3). On his way to Egypt with his family, in obedience to the command of the Lord, Moses was attacked by a sudden and dangerous illness ( Ex 4:24-26), which Zipporah his wife believed to have been sent because he had neglected to circumcise his son. She accordingly took a "sharp stone" and circumcised her son Gershom, saying, "Surely a bloody husband art thou to me", i.e., by the blood of her child she had, as it were, purchased her husband, had won him back again.

(3.) A descendant of Phinehas who returned with Ezra from Babylon ( Ezra 8:2).

(4.) The son of Manasseh ( Judg. 18:30), in R.V. "of Moses."

Gershon - =Ger'shom expulsion, the eldest of Levi's three sons ( Gen. 46:11; Ex. 6:16).

In the wilderness the sons of Gershon had charge of the fabrics of the tabernacle when it was moved from place to place, the curtains, veils, tent-hangings (Num. 3: 21-26). Thirteen Levitical cities fell to the lot of the Gershonites (Josh. 21:27-33).

Geshem - or Gashmu, firmness, probably chief of the Arabs south of Palestine, one of the enemies of the Jews after the return from Babylon ( Neh. 2:19;Neh 6:1,Neh. 2:2). He united with Sanballat and Tobiah in opposing the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem.

Geshur - bridge, the name of a district or principality of Syria near Gilead, between Mount Hermon and the Lake of Tiberias (2 Sam. 15:8; 1 Chr. 2:23). The Geshurites probably inhabited the rocky fastness of Argob, the modern Lejah, in the north-east corner of Bashan. In the time of David it was ruled by Talmai, whose daughter he married, and who was the mother of Absalom, who fled to Geshur after the murder of Amnon (2 Sam. 13:37).

Geshurites - (1.) The inhabitants of Geshur. They maintained friendly relations with the Israelites on the east of Jordan ( Josh. 12:5;Josh 13:11,Josh. 12:13).

(2.) Another aboriginal people of Palestine who inhabited the south-west border of the land. Geshuri in Josh. 13:2 should be "the Geshurite," not the Geshurites mentioned in ver. 11, 13, but the tribe mentioned in 1 Sam. 27:8.

Gethsemane - oil-press, the name of an olive-yard at the foot of the Mount of Olives, to which Jesus was wont to retire ( Luke 22:39) with his disciples, and which is specially memorable as being the scene of his agony ( Mark 14:32; John 18:1; Luke 22:44). The plot of ground pointed out as Gethsemane is now surrounded by a wall, and is laid out as a modern European flower-garden. It contains eight venerable olive-trees, the age of which cannot, however, be determined. The exact site of Gethsemane is still in question. Dr. Thomson (The Land and the Book) says: "When I first came to Jerusalem, and for many years afterward, this plot of ground was open to all whenever they chose to come and meditate beneath its very old olivetrees. The Latins, however, have within the last few years succeeded in gaining sole possession, and have built a high wall around it...The Greeks have invented another site a little to the north of it...My own impression is that both are wrong. The position is too near the city, and so close to what must have always been the great thoroughfare eastward, that our Lord would scarcely have selected it for retirement on that dangerous and dismal night...I am inclined to place the garden in the secluded vale several hundred yards to the north-east of the present Gethsemane."

Gezer - a precipice, an ancient royal Canaanitish city ( Josh. 10:33;Josh 12:12). It was allotted with its suburbs to the Kohathite Levites ( Josh 21:21; 1 Chr. 6:67). It stood between the lower Beth-horon and the sea ( Josh. 16:3; 1 Kings 9:17). It was the last point to which David pursued the Philistines (2 Sam. 5:25; 1 Chr. 14:16) after the battle of Baal-perazim. The Canaanites retained possession of it till the time of Solomon, when the king of Egypt took it and gave it to Solomon as a part of the dowry of the Egyptian princess whom he married (1 Kings 9:15-17). It is identified with Tell el-Jezer, about 10 miles south-west of Beth-horon. It is mentioned in the Amarna tablets.

Ghost - an old Saxon word equivalent to soul or spirit. It is the translation of the Hebrew nephesh_ and the Greek _pneuma, both meaning "breath," "life," "spirit," the "living principle" ( Job 11:20; Jer. 15:9; Matt. 27:50; John 19:30). The expression "to give up the ghost" means to die ( Lam. 1:19; Gen. 25:17; Gen 35:29; Gen 49:33; Job 3:11). (See HOLY GHOST.)

Giants - (1.) Heb. nephilim, meaning "violent" or "causing to fall" ( Gen. 6:4). These were the violent tyrants of those days, those who fell upon others. The word may also be derived from a root signifying "wonder," and hence "monsters" or "prodigies." In Num. 13:33 this name is given to a Canaanitish tribe, a race of large stature, "the sons of Anak." The Revised Version, in these passages, simply transliterates the original, and reads "Nephilim."

(2.) Heb. rephaim, a race of giants ( Deut. 3:11) who lived on the east of Jordan, from whom Og was descended. They were probably the original inhabitants of the land before the immigration of the Canaanites. They were conquered by Chedorlaomer ( Gen. 14:5), and their territories were promised as a possession to Abraham ( Gen 15:20). The Anakim, Zuzim, and Emim were branches of this stock.

In Job 26:5 (R.V., "they that are deceased;" marg., "the shades," the "Rephaim") and Isa. 14:9 this Hebrew word is rendered (A.V.) "dead." It means here "the shades," the departed spirits in Sheol. In Sam. 21:16, Sam. 21:18, Sam. 21:20, Sam. 21:33, "the giant" is (A.V.) the rendering of the singular form ha raphah, which may possibly be the name of the father of the four giants referred to here, or of the founder of the Rephaim. The Vulgate here reads "Arapha," whence Milton (in Samson Agonistes) has borrowed the name "Harapha." (See also 1 Chron. 20:5,1 Chron. 20:6,1 Chron. 20:8; Deut. 2:11, Deut. 2:20; Deut 3:13; Josh. 15:8, etc., where the word is similarly rendered "giant.") It is rendered "dead" in (A.V.) Ps. 88:10; Prov. 2:18; Prov 9:18; Prov 21:16:in all these places the Revised Version marg. has "the shades." (See also Isa. 26:14.)

(3.) Heb. 'Anakim ( Deut. 2:10,Deut. 2:11,Deut. 2:21; Josh. 11:21, Josh. 11:22; Josh 14:12, Josh. 11:15; called "sons of Anak," Num. 13:33; "children of Anak ," 13:22; Josh. 15:14), a nomad race of giants descended from Arba ( Josh. 14:15), the father of Anak, that dwelt in the south of Palestine near Hebron ( Gen. 23:2; Josh. 15:13). They were a Cushite tribe of the same race as the Philistines and the Egyptian shepherd kings. David on several occasions encountered them (2 Sam. 21:15-22). From this race sprung Goliath (1 Sam. 17:4).

(4.) Heb. 'emin, a warlike tribe of the ancient Canaanites. They were "great, and many, and tall, as the Anakims" ( Gen. 14:5; Deut. 2:10, Deut. 2:11).

(5.) Heb. Zamzummim (q.v.), Deut. 2:20 so called by the Amorites.

(6.) Heb. gibbor ( Job 16:14), a mighty one, i.e., a champion or hero. In its plural form (gibborim) it is rendered "mighty men" (2 Sam. 23:8-39; 1 Kings 1:8; 1 Chr. 11:9-47;1 Chr 29:24.) The band of six hundred whom David gathered around him when he was a fugitive were so designated. They were divided into three divisions of two hundred each, and thirty divisions of twenty each. The captians of the thirty divisions were called "the thirty," the captains of the two hundred "the three," and the captain over the whole was called "chief among the captains" (2 Sam. 23:8). The sons born of the marriages mentioned in Gen. 6:4 are also called by this Hebrew name.

Gibbethon - a height, a city of the Philistines in the territory of Dan, given to the Kohathites ( Josh. 19:44;Josh 21:23). Nadab the king of Israel, while besieging it, was slain under its walls by Baasha, one of his own officers (1 Kings 15:27). It was in the possession of the Philistines after the secession of the ten tribes (2 Chr. 11:13,2 Chr. 11:14).