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Gur

mountainOld TestamentGalilee1 verse
Today Khirbet en NajjarCountry IsraelCoordinates 32.466, 35.202

Gur is a mountain mentioned in the Old Testament, located in the region of Galilee in modern-day Israel. Known today as Khirbet en Najjar. It appears across 1 verse in Scripture.

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Archaeological Data
Occupation Phases
Chalcolithic4500 BCE – 3800 BCE
Early Bronze Age I3800 BCE – 3050 BCE
Early Bronze Age II3050 BCE – 2850 BCE
Middle Bronze Age2000 BCE – 1550 BCE
Middle Bronze Age II-III1750 BCE – 1550 BCE
Late Bronze Age II1400 BCE – 1200 BCE
Iron Age I-IIb1150 BCE – 720 BCE
Iron Age I-II1150 BCE – 539 BCE
Iron Age IIa-b980 BCE – 720 BCE
Iron Age IIb-c830 BCE – 539 BCE
Iron Age IIb-III830 BCE – 333 BCE
Iron Age IIc720 BCE – 539 BCE
Iron Age III (Persian)539 BCE – 333 BCE
Hellenistic333 BCE – 63 BCE
Early Roman63 BCE – 70 CE
Roman63 BCE – 324 CE
Late Roman70 CE – 324 CE
Byzantine324 CE – 638 CE
UnitoAssyrianGovernance, Villages to Empires Dataset (CC BY 4.0), doi:10.5281/zenodo.15111732

Biblical History

Gur appears in the Old Testament in a single dramatic verse, 2 Kings 9:27, in the account of Jehu's violent purge of the house of Ahab. After killing King Joram of Israel at Jezreel, Jehu pursued King Ahaziah of Judah, who fled toward Beth-haggan. The text records: "Jehu pursued him and said, 'Shoot him too!' And they struck him in his chariot at the ascent of Gur, which is by Ibleam." Though mortally wounded at Gur, Ahaziah managed to flee to Megiddo, where he died. The death of Ahaziah fulfilled prophetic judgment against the house of Ahab, with whom Ahaziah had allied himself through marriage. Gur thus marks a turning point in the fulfillment of Elijah's oracle against the house of Ahab (1 Kings 21:17–29). The location, described as an "ascent" near Ibleam in the Jezreel Valley region, suggests a hill or elevated road feature that served as the fatal ambush point.

Archaeological & Historical Notes

Gur is identified with or near Khirbet en Najjar in the Jezreel Valley region of Galilee, situated near ancient Ibleam, which is associated with Khirbet Bel'ame close to modern Jenin. The area controls an important mountain pass connecting the Jezreel Valley to the coastal plain, making it strategically significant throughout ancient history. Archaeological surveys in the region have identified ancient road systems and Iron Age settlements consistent with the biblical period. Ibleam itself has been surveyed and shows occupation from the Bronze Age onward. The precise site of Gur has not been definitively excavated, but the general geographic context of the narrative fits well with the known road network of the region.

Verse Appearances (1)

References

  1. Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
  2. OpenBible.info (n.d.) Bible Geocoding. Available at: https://www.openbible.info/geo/. [CC BY 4.0]
  3. Bagnall, R. et al. (eds.) (n.d.) Pleiades: A Gazetteer of Past Places. Available at: https://pleiades.stoa.org. [CC BY 3.0]
  4. Wikidata contributors (n.d.) Wikidata. Available at: https://www.wikidata.org. [CC0]
  5. Lawrence, D. et al. (2025) Villages to Empires: a settlement dataset for the Southern Levant. doi:10.5281/zenodo.15111732. [CC BY 4.0]
  6. Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]

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