Gaash
Gaash is a mountain mentioned in the Old Testament, located in the region of Samaria in modern-day Israel. Known today as Khirbet Tibnah. It appears across 4 verses in Scripture.
Biblical History
The hill of Gaash appears in the Old Testament in association with two of Israel's most significant figures: Joshua and one of his mighty warriors. Joshua 24:30 and Judges 2:9 record that Joshua son of Nun, the great leader of Israel's conquest of Canaan, was buried "in the territory of his inheritance at Timnath-serah, on the north side of Mount Gaash" — a detail repeated to honor the location of Israel's foremost military and spiritual leader's final resting place. The mountain thus became the burial site of the man through whom God had fulfilled his promise to give Israel the Promised Land, a final act of rootedness in the land he had helped conquer. Gaash appears again in 2 Samuel 23:30 and 1 Chronicles 11:32, where Hiddai (or Hurai) of the brooks of Gaash is listed among David's elite fighting men, the Thirty — a catalog of David's most celebrated warriors. These two references together give Gaash its biblical profile: a highland region in the tribal territory of Ephraim known both as the burial ground of Joshua and as the home region of at least one of David's mightiest heroes, connecting the eras of conquest and monarchy.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
Mount Gaash is traditionally located in the hill country of Ephraim in the central highlands of modern Israel, near the ancient site of Timnath-serah (or Timnath-heres), tentatively identified with Khirbet Tibnah near modern Kifl Haris. The region has been surveyed and shows Iron Age occupation consistent with the biblical period. Khirbet Tibnah itself retains ancient rock-cut tombs and structural remains suggesting a site of some significance in the pre-monarchic period. Some local traditions identify tombs in the area as those of Joshua and his father Nun, though these attributions cannot be archaeologically verified. The terrain of the Ephraimite highlands around the site matches the biblical description of a rugged mountain district appropriate for the burial of a figure of Joshua's stature.
Verse Appearances (4)
Sources: ISBE Encyclopedia · OpenBible Geocoding (CC BY) · Pleiades Gazetteer View all →