Gath (city)

Gath, Gat, or Geth (Hebrew: גַּת‎‎, wine press; Latin: Geth), often referred to as Gath of the Philistines, was one of the five Philistine city-states, established in northwestern Philistia. Gath is often mentioned in the Hebrew Bible and its existence is confirmed by Egyptian inscriptions.

Gath is mentioned in the El-Amarna letters as Gimti/Gintu, ruled by the two Shuwardata and ʿAbdi-Ashtarti. Another Gath, known as Ginti-kirmil (Gath of Carmel) also appears in the Amarna letters.

The site most favored as the location of Gath (variant "Geth," see below) is the archaeological mound or tell known as Tell es-Safi in Arabic and Tel Zafit in Hebrew (sometimes written Tel Tzafit), located inside Tel Zafit National Park, although a stone inscription disclosing the name of the city has yet to be discovered. Recent excavations at the site have produced dramatic evidence of a siege and subsequent destruction of the site in the late 9th century BCE, which can be related to the biblical verse mentioning its capture by Hazael of Aram Damascus.

Gath is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible as one of the main five Philistine cities (Joshua 13:3, 1 Samuel 5:7-10; 6:17). It was one of the last refuges of the Anakim in front of the conquering Israelites under Joshua (Joshua 11:22). Gath was either subdued during the days of prophet Samuel (1 Samuel 7:14), or by king David (1 Chronicles 18:1), although 1 Kings 2:39-40 states that in the time of king Solomon it was still ruled by a Philistine king named Achish. King Achish is mentioned as the ruler of Gath for the times of Saul, David and Solomon, making it uncertain whether this refers to two or more kings of the same name. Gath was also the home city of Goliath and his brothers, as well as of Itai and his 600 soldiers who aided David in his exile from Absalom. David, while running from Saul, escaped to Gath, and served under its king Achish. During Solomon's reign, Shemei goes to Gath to recover his escaped slave (1 Kings 2:39–40). In 2 Kings 12:18, the city of Gath is mentioned as being captured by Hazael of Aram Damascus.

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