162
GERSON
GESTURES
Joslma and Eleazar after the entry into Pal., thirteen cities in the territories of eastern Man- asseh, Issachar, Asher, and Naphtali were assij;ned to the Gershonites (Jos 21''; -'-^^ [P] = 1 Ch 6'" "-'«).
2. In the reign of David, as narrated by the Chronicler, we have several references to the Gor- Bhonites.* The G. family of Asaph, together willi the Kohathite family of Henian and tin; Merarite familyof Ethan or Jeduthun, were, ace. to this writer, specially set apart to administer the temple music (cf. 1 Ch 6^'-" 25'-' ; and .see A.SAPH). Consequently, at the bringing of the ark into Jerus., of the iJiO Gershonites under the leadership of Joel who are said to have been present (1 Ch 1.5'), Asaph and certain others took part in the music (15"- '* 16^-'). Descendants of the two families of Ladan (for Libni) and Shimei are mentioned as ' heads of the fathers' houses' when David diWded the Levites into courses (1 Ch 23'""), and the sons and gr.ind- sons of Ladan are spoken of as superintemlents of the treasuries at this time (1 Ch 26-'"'- 29*). In 1 Ch 26' the marginal reading Ebiasaph should be followed. Further, in the reign of Hezekiah G. are mentioned as taking part with the other Levites in the cleansing of the temple (2 Ch 29'-- ''), and In 2 Ch 35'' the Asaphite singers are recorded as present when the passover was kept in the eighteenth year of Josiah.
3. In the period after the Exile we hear a good deal of the Asaphite branch of the singers. When Zenibbabel returned to Jerusalem, 128 Asaphites (or 148 ace. to Neh V"*) were included amongst his followers (Ezr 2"). At the laying of the founda- tion of the temple, Asaphites are found leading the music (Ezr 3'°), and special provision appears to have been made for them (Neh ll^''; ct. also 1 Ch 9'», Neh 11" 12^).
The name Gershonites ("xnan) occurs Nu 321- a- m 4a. 27. 28 265', Jos 21^, 1 Ch 23', 2 Ch 29'-. They are elsewhere called ' the sons of Gershon ' (Ex 6", Nu 3.8. 25 422. 38. 41 77 1017), or ' the children of Gershon ' (Jos 21«- "), or ' the sons of Gershom ' (1 Ch 6"- «=• " 15'). For their history see above. In I Ch 26-' the word is applied in sing, to Ladan, in 29' to Jehiel.
W. C. Allen.
GERSON (A FTipiTiii', B Tapoffiro/nos), 1 Es 8-''.— In Ezr 8^ Gershom.
GERUTH-CHIMHAM (cto? nn? Kere, DriiD| '3 Kethibh) Jer 41". — A khan (?) which possibly de- rived its name from Chimham, the son of Barzillai the GUeadite, 2S19^"-. See Chimham. Instead of rna we should almost certainly read nnii ' hurdles,' after Josephus and Aquila (see Graf).
GESHAN (iri).— A descendant of Caleb, 1 Ch 2". Mod. editions of AV have Gesham, although the correct form of the name appears in ed. of 1611.
GESHEM (DP3, r^ffa^u, Neh 2'9 &•■"■, in 6« the form Gashmu occurs). — An Arabian, who is named along >vith Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite, as an opponent of Neh. during the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. He may have belonged to an Arab community, which, as we learn from the monuments, was settled by Sargon in Samaria c. B.C. 715— this would explain his close connexion with the Samaritans ; or he may have been the chief of an Arab tribe dwelling in the S. ol Judah, in which case his presence would point to a coalition of all the neighbouring peoples against Jerusalem. Since the internal administration of the Persian satraps was not sufficiently firm to prevent petty feuds among subject races in distant parte of the empire, there is nothing unnatural in
• It must never be overlooked that it is the habit of the Olironicler to carry back many of the arrangements of his own age to the time of David.
the mention of an alliance of Samaritans, Arabians, Aslido<lites, and Ammonites against the Jews (Neh 4"). Gesliem with his confederates mockal Neli.'s intention of repairing the walls (2"); and when tlie walls were completed, he joined with Sanballat in inviting Nell, to a conference in the plain of Ono (e'"-). His authority was cited in sujiport of tlie rumour that Neh. intended to rebel against the Persian king (6"). H. A. White.
GESHUR, GESHURITE (-flt??, nipjn).— A small Aramfean tril>e whose territory, together with that of Maacali (wli. see), formed the W. border of Bashan (Dt 3'\ Jos 12' 13"). The Geshurites were not ex])elled by the half-tribe of Manasseh, to whom their land had been allotted (Jos 13'^), and were still ruled by an independent king in tlie reign of David, w'ho married the daughter of Talmai king of Gesliur (2 S 3^), After the murder of his half-brother Amnon, Absalom took refuge with his maternal grandfather in ' Gesliur of Aram' (2 S 13^' 15*). Geshur and RIaacah were probably situated in the modern Jauhln (Smith, HGHL p. 548, n. 9), if thev are not to be identilied with it (Driver, Deut. p. 56 f.). In 1 Ch 2-"» Geshur and Aram are said to have taken the ' tent- villages ' of Jair from the Israelites. On the strength of Jos 13- and 1 S 27^ it has been main- tained that there was another tribe of this name in the neighbourhood of the Philistines. This view has been recently revived by Honimel (AHT p. 237 fT.), who regards Geshur as a contraction for GS-Ashtlr or Ge-Shdr, 'the lowland of Ashflr or Sliftr,' and identities it with the extreme soutliern portion of Palestine between el-'Arish ('the brook of Egypt ') and Gaza (or Beersheba). According to Hominel, this tract of country was originally inhabited by the tribe of Asher (Ash-iir being treated as the ' broken ' or internal plural form of Asher). But even if we could follow him in his view that Shi'ir (Gn 16' 20' 25'*, 1 S 15') was merely a popular abbreviation otAshtir (see Shui:), and that the latter was so called after the tribe of Asher, his derivation of Geshur iiiu.st be rejected. Such a contraction as Geshur for Ge-Ashiir or Ge-Shiir (-\vsi for •n;?!< N'3 or hi:' n'J), is entirely foreign to the Hebrew language ; and, further, the meaning of (jc' (N'3, constr. st. of n;:) is not ' lowland,' but 'ravine' or 'glen.' It is noteworthy that the B text of the LXX at 1 S 27* gives only one name, omitting Geshur, which is probably an incorrect gloss (see GiRZlTE). In the remaining passage (Jos 13-) the context (cf. vv."- ") renders the present reading very suspicious : possibly we should substitute 1i;c"'7?'! ('and all the inhabitants of Gezer') for •iityjrr'jpi ('and all the Geshurites'). In the absence of further proof, therefore, we may conclude that the name Geshur was applied only to the country E. of the Jordan.