GIBEA (N^':3).— A grandson of Caleb (1 Ch 2»»). It is now generally admitted that the list of the descendants of Juuah through Caleb given in 1 Cli oj-'ir. is geographical rather than genealogical, and comprises all the towns lying in tlie Ncgeb of Judah, to the S. of Hebron ('Wellh. Praleg. p. 217). G. is probably only a variation in spelling of the more common Gibeah (^;??3). See Giueah 1.
J. F. Stennino.
GIBEAH (rn'33 a ' hill,' as distinct from a ' moun- tain,' or 'mountainous district' [n?]). — A careful examination of all the passages in whicli Gibeah occurs as tlie name of a place, seems to show that the uncertainty and confusion whieli have hitherto existed with regard to the actual sit\iation of G. are largely due to two causes. In the first place, the older translators failed in many cases to distinguish between the use of the word as an appellative and its use as a proper name, the result being to multiply the number of the places bearing this name. Secondly, the name itself is so closely allied, botli in form and meaning, to that of another well-known spot, viz. Geba (y?;), that the two have frequently been interchan''ed, and the difficulties of identification considerably increased. A consideration of these two facts makes it prob- able that the actual number of places mentioned in tlie OT under this name (excluding those which are further defined by some additional word) is to be reduced to two.
1. A city of Judah (Jos 15"), possibly one of two villages called Gabaa, Gabatha (Lagarde, Onomast. 255. 160). The exact site is unknown, but the con- text clearly shows that it was situated in the neighbourhood of Maon, Carmel, and Ziph, on the fertile plateau which lies to the S.E. of Hebron {Hist. Geocj. pp. 30Gn., 317).
2. A city of Benjamin (Jg 19'^-), described else- where as 'of Benjamin' (1 S 13--" 14", cf. Jg 19'^ 'which belongeth to Benjamin'), and 'of the children of Benjamin ' (2 S 23-''') ; most probably it is to be identified also \vith 'G. of Saul '(IS 11^ Is IQP>, cf. 1 S 10-«), and ^vith 'the hUl (RVm Gibeah) of God' (1 S 10=).
From the somewhat scanty notices supplied by the historical books of the OT, we gather ('0 that Gibeah was quite distinct from Geba (1 S 14'-', Is
10^) ; (6) that it lay to the N. of Jerusalem, ^lose to the main N. road, and S. of Kamah (J" 19-'"") j (c) that just N. of the town, the main road divided into two branches, one of which led to Bethel, and the other diverged to Geba (Jg 2ff"). The situa- tion of Tell (or Tuleil) cl-Ful, with which Gibeah has been identified by Robinson (BR^i. 577-579) exactly fulfils all these requirements. It is the name given to a hill situated about four miles to the N. of Jerusalem, and lying a quarter of a mile to the E. of the main road. Erllum (Kamah) lies farther to the N., while the main road from Jeru- salem divides in two just beyond Tell el-Fi'il, one branch diverging to the right to Jehn (Geba), and the other going northwards to Beit in (Bethel). The writings of Josephus furnish additional ]iroof, not only of the correctness of this identification, but also of the identity of Gibeah and G. of Saul. He relates (BJ \. ii. 1) that Titus, while advanc- ing to the siege of Jerusalem, halted for a night at Goplina (Jufna), and the following night encamped 'at a place called the Vale of Thorns, near a certain village called Gahath-Saul, which signifies " Hill of Saul," distant from Jerusalem about 30 stadia.' * During the night a legion coming from Emmaus {'Amimls, Nicopolis) joined the main army ; the reinforcement had doubtless come up by the road which in the present day joins the northern road just above Tell el-Ful. Cf. also Jerome, Ep. 108. 8 (0pp. ed. Vallarsi, i. 690), and Robinson, I.e.
The town of Gibeah is associated with several striking events in the early history of Israel. (1) It occupies an important position in the second of the two supplementary narratives which con- clude the Book of Judges (ch. 19-21). A certain Levite from the hill country of Ephraira is for- saken by his concubine, who flees to her father's house in Beth-leliera-judah. Here she is followed by the Levite, who remains several days in Beth- lehem, enjoying the hospitality of his fatl.er-m- law. Despite the entreaties of the latter, they start on tlie return journey late in the afternoon of the fifth day (19*-^), and towards nightfall reach Jebus or Jerusalem. Being unwUling to ' turn aside into the city of a stranger,' the Levite presses on in the hope of reaching either Gibeah or Ramah (v."), and finally spends the night at the former place. Here they are hospitably received by an old man, a sojourner in the place ; but during the night the Benjamite inhabitants beset the house, and demand that the Le^nte be given up to them. The latter, in self-defence, surrenders his concubine to them, and in the morning finds her on the thre.shold dead from their ill-usage. He then returns to his home, cuts up her body into twelve pieces, and sends them throughout the borders of Israel (19""^"). Ch 20 describes how the Benjamites refuse to surrender the men of Gibeah to the assembled tribes, who in consequence attack Gibeah, and destroy the tribe of Benjamin, with the exception of 600 men. The kernel of the story is undoubtedly historical, but it has been worked over and expanded by ' an author of the age and school of the Chronicler ' ( Jloore, Judges, p. 402 fi'. ). Throughout the narrative the name of the place is given as Gibeah simply, except in 19" 20-' (' that belongeth to Benjamin'), and in 20", where tlie text wronglj^ gives ' Geba of B.' (V^j^) for ' Gibeah of B.' ; the similarity of the two names has caused the same error elsewhere.