Gob
Gob is an ancient city mentioned in the Old Testament, located in the region of Judea in modern-day Israel. Known today as Tel Gezer. It appears across 2 verses in Scripture.
Biblical History
Gob appears twice in 2 Samuel 21:18-19 as the site of battles between David's warriors and Philistine giants. In these encounters, Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Saph, a descendant of Rapha, and Elhanan son of Jaare-Oregim struck down Goliath the Gittite. The parallel account in 1 Chronicles 20:4-5 substitutes the name Gezer for Gob, suggesting that Gob may be an alternate name or a variant textual tradition for the same general area where these anti-Philistine campaigns occurred. These battles represent the final suppression of the Philistine giant warriors who had long threatened Israel, and they demonstrate the military achievements of David's elite warriors known as the Mighty Men. The location of Gob in the Judean lowlands near the Philistine sphere of influence makes strategic sense as a frontier zone where Israelite and Philistine forces repeatedly clashed during the Davidic period. Tel Gezer's identification with the general area connects Gob to one of the most strategically significant crossroads cities in all of ancient Canaan.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
Tel Gezer, proposed as the site near biblical Gob, stands as one of the most thoroughly excavated tells in Israel. Major excavations were conducted by R.A.S. Macalister in the early twentieth century, followed by Hebrew Union College expeditions from 1964 to 1974 and subsequent campaigns. The site has yielded monumental Iron Age remains including a famous six-chambered gate comparable to those at Megiddo and Hazor, a Solomonic palace complex, and the celebrated Gezer Calendar — one of the earliest known Hebrew inscriptions. A boundary inscription reading "boundary of Gezer" confirms its ancient name. Gezer's strategic position at the junction of the coastal plain and the Aijalon Valley made it a perennial military prize throughout the Bronze and Iron Ages.
Verse Appearances (2)
Sources: ISBE Encyclopedia · OpenBible Geocoding (CC BY) · Pleiades Gazetteer View all →