Gath-hepher, a town in the territory of Zebulun, was the hometown of the prophet Jonah.
Also known as Gath Hepher · Gittah-hepher
Gath-hepher is mentioned in the Bible as a town located in the territory of Zebulun, one of the twelve tribes of Israel. It is primarily known as the hometown of the prophet Jonah, who was called by God to preach to the people of Nineveh (2Ki.14.25).
The town is first mentioned in Joshua 19:13, where it is listed among the cities and villages allotted to the tribe of Zebulun during the division of the Promised Land. Its exact location is uncertain, but it is believed to have been situated in the region of Lower Galilee, near the border with Asher.
Apart from being the birthplace of Jonah, no other significant events or individuals are associated with Gath-hepher in the Bible. The mention of Jonah's origins in 2Ki.14.25 serves to provide background information about the prophet and to emphasize his Israelite heritage.
The name Gath-hepher is composed of two elements: "Gath," meaning "winepress," and "hepher," which may be derived from a root meaning "to dig" or "to explore." This suggests that the town may have been known for its wine production or its location near a significant well or water source.
Approximate location: 32.739, 35.328 · view on a map · on the Bible atlas
Wine-press of the well, a town of Lower Galilee, about 5 miles from Nazareth; the birthplace of Jonah (2 Kings 14:25); the same as Gittah-hepher (Josh. 19:13). It has been identified with the modern el-Meshed, a village on the top of a rocky hill. Here the supposed tomb of Jonah, Neby Yunas, is still pointed out.
GATH-HE'PHER (wine-press of the well), a town of Zebulun, the home of Jonah, 2 Kgs 14:25; called also Gittah-hepher, Josh 19:13: now el Meshhad, a small village on a rocky hill, 2 miles east of Sepphoris, on the short route from Nazareth to Tiberias. GATH-RIM'MON (pommegranate). A Levitical city of Dan, Josh 21:24; 1 Chr 6:69; not far from Joppa. A town of Manasseh west of the Jordan, belonging to the Levites, Josh 21:25; called Bileam in 1 Chr 6:70.
GATH-HE'PHER (wine-press of the well), a town of Zebulun, the home of Jonah, 2 Kgs 14:25; called also Gittah-hepher, Josh 19:13: now el Meshhad, a small village on a rocky hill, 2 miles east of Sepphoris, on the short route from Nazareth to Tiberias.
Easton (1897), Smith (1863), Hitchcock (1869), Hastings (1898) and Schaff are in the public domain. Parsed text: neuu-org/bible-dictionary-dataset (CC BY 4.0). Headwords and whitespace normalised for this site.
2 verses in 2 books · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s H1662
From there it crossed eastward to Gath-hepher and to Eth-kazin; it extended to Rimmon and curved around toward Neah.
This Jeroboam restored the boundary of Israel from Lebo-hamath to the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word that the LORD, the God of Israel, had spoken through His servant Jonah son of Amittai, the prophet from Gath-hepher.
Names, family links and references: STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Short descriptions were drafted with AI assistance by STEPBible. Family links follow STEPBible’s scholarly decisions where genealogies are ambiguous.