Gennesaret A garden of riches. (1.) A town of Naphtali, called Chinnereth (Jos 19:35), sometimes in the plural form Chinneroth (Jos 11:2). In later times the name was gradually changed to Genezar and Gennesaret (Luk 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 Act 16:1, Act 16:3; Act 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 Kg1 11:20.

Gera Grain. (1.) The son of Bela and grandson of Benjamin (Ch1 8:3, Ch1 8:5, Ch1 8:7). (2.) The father of Ehud the judge (Jdg 3:15). (3.) The father of Shimei, who so grossly abused David (Sa2 16:5; Sa2 19:16, Sa2 19:18).

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 (Exo 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 20:2). 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; 26). It seems to have been a rich pastoral country (Ch2 14:12). 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; Jos 8:30). 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. Jos 11:8, Jos 11:2) 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 Joh 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 (Ch1 6:16, Ch1 6:17, Ch1 6:20, Ch1 6:43, Ch1 6:62, Ch1 6:71; Ch1 15:7) = GERSHON (q.v.). (2.) The elder of the two sons of Moses born to him in Midian (Exo 2:22; Exo 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 (Joh 4:24), 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 (Ezr 8:2). (4.) The son of Manasseh (Jdg 18:30), in R.V. "of Moses."

Gershon =Gershom expulsion, the eldest of Levi's three sons (Gen 46:11; Exo 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). Thirteen Levitical cities fell to the lot of the Gershonites (Jos 21:27).