Gederah, a town in Judah, was the home of Baal-hanan, one of David's overseers, and Jozabad, one of his mighty men.
Also known as hedges · Gederite · Gederathite
Gederah is mentioned in the Bible as a town located in the Shephelah, or lowland region, of Judah. It is listed among the towns allotted to the tribe of Judah in Joshua 15:36, along with other nearby settlements such as Socoh, Azekah, and Shaaraim.
In 1Ch.4.23, Gederah is described as a place where the potters and those who dwelt among plants and hedges resided, suggesting that the town was known for its pottery production and agricultural activities.
Gederah is also associated with two individuals who served under King David. In 1Ch.27.28, Baal-hanan the Gederite is mentioned as one of David's overseers in charge of the olive and sycamore trees in the Shephelah region, indicating that he likely hailed from Gederah.
Additionally, in 1Ch.12.4, Jozabad the Gederathite is listed among David's mighty men who joined him at Ziklag when he was fleeing from Saul. This suggests that Jozabad was a skilled warrior from Gederah who pledged his allegiance to David.
The exact location of Gederah is not specified in the Bible, but based on its association with the Shephelah and its proximity to other known towns, it is believed to have been situated in the western foothills of Judah, southwest of Jerusalem.
Approximate location: 31.823, 34.778 · view on a map · on the Bible atlas
The fortress; a fortified place, a town in the plain (shephelah) of Judah (Josh. 15:36). This is a very common Canaanite and Phoenician name. It is the feminine form of Geder (12:13); the plural form is Gederoth (15:41). This place has by some been identified with Jedireh, a ruin 9 miles from Lydda, toward Eleutheropolis, and 4 miles north of Sur’ah (Zorah), in the valley of Elah.
(a sheepfold), a town of Judah in the lowland country, (Joshua 15:36) apparently in its eastern part. No town bearing this name has, however, been yet discovered in this hitherto little-explored district.
GEDE'RAH (sheep-cote). A town near the valley of Elah, and in the lowlands of Judah. Josh 15:36; now Jedireh, 9 miles south of Ludd. 2. A town in Benjamin. 1 Chr 12:4; now Jedireh, No. 2, 6 miles north-west of Jerusalem.
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.
4 verses in 2 books · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s H1449
Shaaraim, Adithaim, and Gederah (or Gederothaim)—fourteen cities, along with their villages.
These were the potters who lived at Netaim and Gederah. They lived there in the service of the king.
Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty man among the Thirty and a leader over the Thirty; Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, and Jozabad the Gederathite;
Baal-hanan the Gederite was in charge of the olive and sycamore trees in the foothills. Joash was in charge of the stores of olive oil.
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.