A town in western Negev, not far from Gaza, inhabited by the Philistines; one of the places where Abraham and Isaac sojourned.
About Gerar
City located in the western Negev. It was used as a geographical landmark defining the western boundary of the Canaanite territory from Sidon to Gaza (Gn 10:19). Abraham resided temporarily in this city, at which time he deceived Abimelech the king by giving him the impression that Sarah was his sister (20:1–2). Later, Isaac settled in this city and also disguised his marriage to Rebekah for fear of reprisals from the men of the city. Isaac eventually left the town, moving to the nearby valley of Gerar on account of his conflicts with the Philistines. Here the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac’s servants over a newly dug well, and Abimelech, king of the Philistines, made a covenant with Isaac (26:1–26). It is doubtful that King Abimelech of Gerar (20:2) was the same person as Abimelech, king of the Philistines (26:8). Abimelech was probably a surname or an official title.
During the patriarchal period, Gerar appeared as a dominant Canaanite city in the Negev; however, in Joshua’s recounting of the Conquest, this town was not named among the Philistine cities yet to be conquered (Jos 13:2–3) or in the list of cities already defeated (15:21–22). Later, in the period of the kings, Gerar was mentioned as the southernmost city to which the Ethiopian army fled before it was completely destroyed by King Asa of Judah (910–869 BC) and his army (2 Chr 14:13–14). Perhaps the fertile valley of Gedor (1 Chr 4:39; cf. Gn 26:17), formerly inhabited by the sons of Ham (cf. Gn 10:19), was identical with the valley of Gerar. Gedor was possibly a later scribal error where the copyist confused the Hebrew letter r for a d.
Key References
Now there was another famine in the land, subsequent to the one that had occurred in Abraham’s time. And Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines at Gerar.
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.
All Scripture References (10)
Genesis (8)
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 Abraham’s 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 Isaac’s 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.
2 Chronicles (2)
So the LORD struck down the Cushites before Asa and Judah, and the Cushites fled.
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