Gedor
Gedor is an ancient city mentioned in the Old Testament, located in the region of Judea in modern-day Israel. Known today as Khirbet Jedur. It appears across 1 verse in Scripture.
Biblical History
This entry for Gedor, identified with Khirbet Jedur in the Judean highlands, reflects a third occurrence of the name in the Old Testament genealogical traditions. In 1 Chronicles 4:4, Penuel is named as the "father of Gedor", a genealogical formula meaning he was the founder or leading figure of the town, placing Gedor within the lineage of Judah through Hur, son of Caleb. This genealogical connection anchors the city within the tribal heritage of Judah, presenting its founding as part of the divine ordering of the land among the tribes. The repetition of Gedor across multiple genealogical notices in 1 Chronicles 4 may reflect the importance of the settlement within the hill country of Judah, or it may represent the convergence of multiple local traditions about the city's origins into the Chronicler's comprehensive genealogical framework. In the geography of Judah's highlands, Gedor would have been a recognizable landmark, a walled hilltop town in the fertile uplands north of Hebron, well enough known to serve as a reference point for tribal identity and ancestral claims throughout the period of the monarchy.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
As with the primary Gedor entry, this record is associated with Khirbet Jedur in the Judean highlands of the West Bank. The site's identification rests on the preservation of the ancient toponym in the Arabic place name and on survey evidence of Iron Age occupation. Khirbet Jedur occupies an elevated ridge position typical of Judean highland settlements, commanding views over the surrounding valleys. The region north of Hebron where Khirbet Jedur is situated has been surveyed as part of broader Highland Judah archaeological projects, documenting a network of Iron Age settlements consistent with the tribal geography of 1 Chronicles. Dedicated excavation at Khirbet Jedur itself remains a desideratum for scholars seeking to confirm its identification with biblical Gedor.
Verse Appearances (1)
1Chr
References
- Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
- OpenBible.info (n.d.) Bible Geocoding. Available at: https://www.openbible.info/geo/. [CC BY 4.0]
- Bagnall, R. et al. (eds.) (n.d.) Pleiades: A Gazetteer of Past Places. Available at: https://pleiades.stoa.org. [CC BY 3.0]
- Wikidata contributors (n.d.) Wikidata. Available at: https://www.wikidata.org. [CC0]
- Lawrence, D. et al. (2025) Villages to Empires: a settlement dataset for the Southern Levant. doi:10.5281/zenodo.15111732. [CC BY 4.0]
- Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]