Gerar, a Philistine city, was the location of Abraham and Isaac's encounters with Abimelech and the site of a battle during King Asa's reign.
Gerar was an ancient city mentioned in the Bible's earliest geographical descriptions, marking the border of Canaanite territory (Genesis 10:19). It was located in the region between Kadesh and Shur, in what would become the southern part of Philistine territory.
The city features prominently in patriarchal narratives. Abraham sojourned there, where its king Abimelech ruled. During this stay, Abraham presented Sarah as his sister, leading to a diplomatic incident with Abimelech (Genesis 20:1-2). Later, Isaac also dwelt in Gerar during a famine, repeating his father's pattern by claiming Rebekah was his sister (Genesis 26:1,6).
Gerar possessed valuable agricultural land and water resources. Isaac sowed crops there and received a hundredfold return. The area was known for its wells, which became sources of conflict between Isaac's herdsmen and those of Gerar (Genesis 26:17,20). Despite these tensions, the king of Gerar ultimately sought a peace treaty with Isaac (Genesis 26:26).
Several centuries later, King Asa of Judah pursued defeated enemies to Gerar in a major military campaign. His forces captured the city and plundered all the surrounding towns, which were noted to contain much spoil (2Ch.14.13-14).
Probably corresponds to Tell Abu Hureira (Tel Haror) in the northern Negev of modern Israel, though some scholars suggest Tel Gerar as an alternative location.
Gerar was a significant city spanning from patriarchal times through the period of the divided monarchy, notable for both its agricultural resources and strategic importance.
Approximate location: 31.391, 34.561 · view on a map · on the Bible atlas
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; 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 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.
(a lodging-place), a very ancient city south of Gaza. It occurs chiefly in Genesis, (Genesis 10:19; 20:1; 26:17) also incidentally in (2 Chronicles 14:13,14) It must have trenched on the “south” or “south country” of later Palestine. From a comparison of (Genesis 21:32) with Genesis26:23,26 Beersheba would seem to be just on the verge of this territory, and perhaps to be its limit towards the northeast.
GE'RAR (residence, or water-pots), a city and district in the south of Palestine, and near Gaza, Gen 10:19; visited by Abraham, Gen 20:1; by Isaac, Gen 26:1; Asa pursued the defeated Ethiopians to it. 2 Chr 14:13. Eusebius knew of Gerar as 25 miles from Eleutheropolis. The city may be Khurbet Umm Jerrar, several miles south of the valley of Ghuzzeh, which runs from Beersheba to the sea. Some locate the city at el-'Anjeh.
GE'RAR (residence, or water-pots), a city and district in the south of Palestine, and near Gaza, Gen 10:19; visited by Abraham, Gen 20:1; by Isaac, Gen 26:1; Asa pursued the defeated Ethiopians to it. 2 Chr 14:13. Eusebius knew of Gerar as 25 miles from Eleutheropolis. The city may be Khurbet Umm Jerrar, several miles south of the valley of Ghuzzeh, which runs from Beersheba to the sea. Some locate the city at el-'Anjeh.
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.
10 verses in 2 books · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s H1642
and the borders of Canaan extended from Sidon toward Gerar as far as Gaza, and then toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha.
Now Abraham journeyed from there to the region of the Negev and settled between Kadesh and Shur. While he was staying in Gerar,
Abraham said of his wife Sarah, “She is my sister.” So Abimelech king of Gerar had Sarah brought to him.
Now there was another famine in the land, subsequent to the one that had occurred in Abrahamʼs time. And Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines at Gerar.
So Isaac settled in Gerar.
So Isaac left that place and encamped in the Valley of Gerar and settled there.
But the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaacʼs herdsmen and said, “The water is ours!” So he named the well Esek, because they contended with him.
Later, Abimelech came to Isaac from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his adviser and Phicol the commander of his army.
Then Asa and his army pursued them as far as Gerar. The Cushites fell and could not recover, for they were crushed before the LORD and His army. So the people of Judah carried off a great amount of plunder
and attacked all the cities around Gerar, because the terror of the LORD had fallen upon them. They plundered all the cities, since there was much plunder there.
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.