Gedor

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GEDOR

GEDOR (Heb. גְּדוֹר).

(1) A city of Judah mentioned in the Bible together with *Halhul and *Beth-Zur (Josh. 15:58). It has been identified with Khirbat Jadūr, 2½ mi. (4 km.) north of Beth-Zur, where surface pottery from the Early Iron (Israelite) Age has been found.

(2) The city Gedor appears in i Chronicles 4:18. It is probably identical with *Gederah (1). Another Gedor – the home of two of David's "mighty men," Joelah and Zebadiah, sons of Jeroham (1 Chron. 12:8), may be identical with either (1) or (2).

(3) One of the cities of Simeon (i Chron. 4:39). It is called Geder in Joshua 12:13, Gerar in the Septuagint, and is not listed among Simeon's cities in Joshua 19:1–9.

(4) The capital of Perea in post-Exilic times (now al-Tell near ʿAyn Jadūr in the vicinity of al-Ṣalṭ in Transjordan (Jos., Wars 4:413)). In the Mishnah it is included among the cities fortified in the time of Joshua (Ar. 9:6).

bibliography:

L. Haefeli, Samaria und Peraea… (1913), 107ff.; Dalman, in: pjb, 6 (1910), 22–23; Aharoni, Land, index.

[Michael Avi-Yonah]

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