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Where is Gerar in the Bible?

Gerar was an ancient city mentioned in the Bible's earliest geographical descriptions, marking the border of Canaanite territory (Genesis 10:19). Gerar appears in 7 verses across 2 books of the Bible.

What happened at Gerar?

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.

Definition text: STEPBible · Tyndale House Cambridge. Licensed CC BY 4.0. Lightly edited for length and formatting.

Compiled by Protos: the verse list on this page. Where one name belongs to more than one person or place, each of them gets a separate entry.

Where does Gerar appear in the Bible?

Gerar is referenced in 7 verses across 2 books. Every passage below is about this one, not just every verse the word turns up in.

Genesis 52 Chronicles 2

What else appears in these passages?

These turn up in the same passages as Gerar.

IsaacAsaCitiesCanaanSidonAbimelech

Common questions

How many times does the Bible mention Gerar?

Gerar appears in 7 verses across 2 books, most often in Genesis, which accounts for 5 of them.

Which books of the Bible mention Gerar?

Genesis, 2 Chronicles.

Where can I read every verse about Gerar?

This page lists 7 of them. Protos carries all 7, and opens this entry on the verse you are reading rather than in a separate tab.

Read it in context

Read Genesis with Gerar explained on the verse.

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