Gederoth
Gederoth is an ancient city mentioned in the Old Testament, located in the region of Judea in modern-day Israel. Known today as Khirbet Judraya. It appears across 2 verses in Scripture.
Biblical History
Gederoth is a town of the Judean Shephelah, listed in Joshua 15:41 among the cities of the fourth Shephelah district within the tribal allotment of Judah. The name shares the same Hebrew root as Gederah and Gederothaim, derived from the word for "wall" or "enclosure," suggesting a cluster of walled or pen-enclosed settlements in the lowland region. Gederoth appears again in 2 Chronicles 28:18 in a significant historical context: during the reign of the faithless King Ahaz of Judah, the Philistines launched a successful raid into the Shephelah and the Negev, capturing Gederoth along with Beth-shemesh, Aijalon, and Soco, and settling in those towns. This incursion represented a severe reversal of Judah's territorial hold on the Shephelah and was interpreted by the Chronicler as divine judgment upon Ahaz for his abandonment of the LORD and his imitation of the kings of Israel. The loss of Gederoth and other Shephelah towns to the Philistines during Ahaz's reign reflects a broader pattern of territorial contraction that Judah experienced during this period of religious apostasy, underscoring the theological conviction that covenant faithfulness and national security were inseparably linked.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
Gederoth is identified with Khirbet Judraya or a related site in the Shephelah lowlands of modern Israel, though some scholars distinguish it from the Gederah of Joshua 15:36. The Shephelah region where Gederoth was situated has been extensively studied through regional surveys and excavations, revealing dense Iron Age occupation consistent with the period of Ahaz's reign in the eighth century BC. The Philistine raids described in 2 Chronicles 28 are reflected archaeologically in destruction layers at several Shephelah sites from the late Iron Age II period. No formal excavation specifically targeted at ancient Gederoth has been published, but the broader archaeological picture of the Shephelah supports the biblical account of its strategic importance.
Verse Appearances (2)
Josh
2Chr
Sources: ISBE Encyclopedia · OpenBible Geocoding (CC BY) · Pleiades Gazetteer View all →