Gath-hepher
Gath-hepher is an ancient city mentioned in the Old Testament, located in the region of Galilee in modern-day Israel. Known today as Tel Gat Hefer. It appears across 2 verses in Scripture.
Biblical History
Gath-hepher was a town in the tribal territory of Zebulun in lower Galilee, best known in Scripture as the hometown of the prophet Jonah son of Amittai. In 2 Kings 14:25, Jonah is identified as coming from Gath-hepher when the text notes that God had spoken through him regarding the restoration of Israel's borders under Jeroboam II. This brief but significant reference establishes Jonah as a genuine historical prophet who operated during the prosperous reign of Jeroboam II (793–753 BC), predating his more famous mission to Nineveh. The town also appears in Joshua 19:13 as a boundary marker within the allotment of Zebulun during the tribal distribution of Canaan under Joshua. Gath-hepher thus sits at an interesting intersection of historical geography and prophetic tradition — a small Galilean town that gave the world one of Scripture's most memorable narrative figures. That a prophet from this obscure northern settlement would be commissioned to confront the capital of the mighty Assyrian empire speaks to the sovereign reach of Israel's God across national boundaries.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
Gath-hepher is identified with Tel Gat Hefer, a mound located near the modern Israeli village of Mashhad in the lower Galilee, approximately five kilometers northeast of Nazareth. The site has been excavated and surveyed by Israeli archaeologists, with findings confirming occupation during the Iron Age, which corresponds to the period of Jonah's ministry in the early eighth century BC. The traditional tomb of Jonah is venerated at the nearby village of Mashhad and has been a pilgrimage site for centuries. Surface surveys and limited excavation at Tel Gat Hefer have yielded pottery assemblages and architectural remains consistent with an Iron Age Israelite settlement of modest size in the Zebulun tribal territory.
Verse Appearances (2)
Josh
2Kgs
Sources: ISBE Encyclopedia · OpenBible Geocoding (CC BY) · Pleiades Gazetteer View all →