Lectionary Calendar
Friday, April 19th, 2024
the Third Week after Easter
Attention!
StudyLight.org has pledged to help build churches in Uganda. Help us with that pledge and support pastors in the heart of Africa.
Click here to join the effort! Bible Encyclopedias
Geshur
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
Search for…
or
gē´shur ( גּשׁוּר , geshūr , "bridge"): An Aramean kingdom ( 2 Samuel 15:8 ) of no great size which lay probably to the South of Maacah, and formed with it the western boundary of the land of Bashan (Deuteronomy 3:14; Joshua 12:5; Joshua 13:11 ). The territory of these two probably corresponded roughly with modern Jaulān . It may not have reached quite to the Jordan on the West; in which case the Geshurites literally dwelt "in the midst" of Israel (Joshua 13:13 ), since they were not expatriated by the half-tribe of Manasseh, and they retained their independence. David married Maacah, daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur, who became the mother of Absalom and Tamar (2 Samuel 3:3 ). To Talmai Absalom fled for safety after the murder of Amnon (2 Samuel 13:37 f), and thence Joab brought him back to Jerusalem ( 2 Samuel 14:23 ). The Geshurites and Aram are said to have taken the cities of Jair - i.e. Havvoth-jair - which lay in the land of Gilead (1 Chronicles 2:23 ). It is possible that "Geshurites" should be read, with Vulgate, Syriac, etc., instead of "Ashurites" in 2 Samuel 2:9 . The only difficulty is that Geshur was an independent kingdom, and there is nothing to show how it was brought under the sway of the son of Saul. In the catalogue of land still to be possessed in Joshua 13:2 , the King James Version reads "Geshuri," the Revised Version (British and American) "the Geshurites," referring evidently to a district bordering on the Philistines. Both the King James Version and the Revised Version (British and American) render the same word by "Geshurites" in 1 Samuel 27:8 , where apparently the same territory is indicated as invaded by David. In neither passage is the text above suspicion; in 1 Samuel 27:8 Septuagint's Codex Vaticanus omits the name. No satisfactory explanation has been suggested.
Copyright Statement
These files are public domain and were generously provided by the folks at WordSearch Software.
Bibliography Information
Orr, James, M.A., D.D. General Editor. Entry for 'Geshur'. International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. https://www.studylight.org/encyclopedias/eng/isb/g/geshur.html. 1915.
