Gera
Gera was a Benjamite who cursed David during Absalom's rebellion but later sought forgiveness when David returned to Jerusalem.
Biography
Gera the Benjaminite is known from his son Shimei, who cursed King David during Absalom's rebellion as the king fled Jerusalem in humiliation (2 Samuel 16:5-13). As David and his entourage passed through the area, Shimei son of Gera pelted them with stones and dirt, accusing David of being a man of blood whose throne God had rightly overturned. David's general Abishai urged that Shimei be executed for his treasonous behavior, but David restrained him, attributing the cursing to God's permission. When David returned in triumph after Absalom's death, Shimei rushed to meet him and sought forgiveness, and David swore an oath not to kill him (2 Samuel 19:16-23). On his deathbed, David nonetheless charged Solomon to deal wisely with Shimei, and Solomon eventually ordered his execution (1 Kings 2:8-9, 36-46). Gera himself remains a background figure whose primary significance is as Shimei's father.
Significance
Gera the Benjaminite enters the biblical story indirectly through his son Shimei's provocative cursing of King David (2 Samuel 16:5). As a Benjaminite, a clan that had once been paramount under King Saul, Shimei's hostility toward David likely reflected residual resentment over the transition of royal power from Saul's house to David's. Gera's lineage thus embodies the political and tribal tensions that persisted even under unified Davidic rule. Theologically, the episode involving his son illustrates David's remarkable self-restraint and trust in God's sovereignty, even under public humiliation, a posture that Jesus would embody supremely in his own passion. The story reminds readers that tribal loyalties can both serve and subvert God's redemptive purposes.
Verse Appearances (4)
References
- Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Individualised Proper Names with all References (TIPNR). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Wikidata contributors (n.d.) Wikidata. Available at: https://www.wikidata.org. [CC0]
- Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]