GATH găth (גַּ֥ת, winepress). One of the five cities of the Philistines (Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Ekron, Gath), all located on or near the coast of Southern Pal., and each ruled by its own king (Josh 13:3; 1 Sam 6:17). Gath was an old Canaanite city, and among its inhabitants, who were called Gittites (2 Sam 6:10, 11; 15:18, 19, 22), were the Anakim, a people of extraordinary height who lived in the hill country of Pal. generally. The Anakim were cut off by the Israelites in the general campaign under Joshua (Josh 10:36-39; 11:21, 22), but a remnant was left in Gaza, Ashdod, and Gath (11:22). Like all towns of any importance in ancient times, Gath was a walled city (2 Chron 26:6).

Early in the history of Israel the men of Gath slew some Israelites for raiding their cattle (1 Chron 7:21; 8:13). When the Philistines captured the Ark of the Lord, they kept it successively in Ashdod, Gath, and Ekron, and then sent it back to Israel after many of the Philistines had died (1 Sam 5:6-10; 6:17). In the days of Samuel the Philistines took cities from the Israelites, but after they were routed at Ebenezer the cities were restored (7:14). However, the Philistines continued to be a source of trouble for the Israelites in the lifetime of Samuel (1 Sam 9:16; 10:5; 13:3, 5, 19; 14:21; 17:1; 23:27). The giant Goliath who was slain by David was one of the Anakim from Gath (17:4, 23; 2 Sam 21:20, 22; 1 Chron 20:5-8). Among some Anakim from Gath slain by David and his servants was a man with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot (2 Sam 21:18-22; 1 Chron 20:6-8). When the Philistines saw that their champion Goliath was dead, they fled from the pursuing Israelites to their own cities as far as Gath and Ekron (1 Sam 17:52). During the years of David’s flight from King Saul, he twice took refuge in Gath. On the first occasion, to save his life he feigned madness (1 Sam 21:10-15; Ps 56:1); on the second, he was accompanied by his wives and 600 followers, and was kindly received by Achish the king who gave him the city of Ziklag in which to live (1 Sam 27:1-28:2; 29). The likelihood is that for this favor David rendered Achish personal service in war (1 Sam 28:1). David’s lament over the death of Saul and Jonathan mentions the Philistine cities Gath and Ashkelon (2 Sam 1:20). The Obed-edom to whom David entrusted the safekeeping of the Ark is referred to as a Gittite, but it is not known whether he was a follower of David from Gath or whether he was a native of the Levitical city of Gath-rimmon, and therefore a Kohathite Levite (Josh 21:24, 25). Sometime during the reign of David—it is not certain exactly when—he defeated the Philistines and took from them the city of Gath and its villages (1 Chron 18:1). When David fled from Jerusalem after he had heard of Absalom’s conspiracy to seize the throne, 600 Philistine followers from Gath accompanied him, and also Ittai the Gittite, who shared the command of the army with Joab and Abishai and who refused to accept David’s kind invitation to dissociate himself from him (2 Sam 15:18-22; 18:2, 5). It is said in 1 Kings 2:39-42 that two of the servants of Shimei, who had insulted David with gross language when David fled from Absalom, ran away to Gath and that Shimei pursued them there and brought them back, although he had been ordered by Solomon not to leave Jerusalem under any circumstances. Solomon’s son Rehoboam restored the fortifications of Gath (2 Chron 11:8-10), which had either been destroyed by David or had been allowed to fall into disrepair. Hazael, king of Syria, captured Gath during the reign of Jehoash (2 Kings 12:17), but Jehoash later recaptured the city from Hazael’s son Ben-hadad. Uzziah, king of Judah, made war on the Philistines and broke down the walls of Gath (2 Chron 26:6), indicating that the Philistines must have retaken it from the Israelites.

In 715 b.c. Sargon II, king of Assyria, brought a heavy defeat upon Ashdod and Gath which, instigated by Egypt, sought to include Palestine, Judah, Edom, and Moab in an anti-Assryian league. It is not known whether Gath was then destroyed; but for some reason the later prophets omit it in the lists of Philistine cities (Amos 1:6-8; Zeph 2:4-6; Jer 25:20; Zech 9:5). The city drops out of history, and its very location is a matter of dispute. Scripture indicates a site in the Shephelah, not far from the border of Heb. territory and from Ekron in N Philistia. Various places have been proposed as its location, the most widely accepted being Tell es-Safi, c. twelve m. N of Ashdod, and Tell Sheikh Ahmed el-’Areini, near ’Araq el-Menshiyeh, c. fifteen m. E of Ashkelon and c. seven m. S of Tell es-Safi.

There were several other places with the name of Gath in Pal., since the culture of the vine was a major occupation in ancient Israel. Some of the Gaths, like Gath-hepher (2 Kings 14:25) and Gath-rimmon (Josh 19:45; 21:24, 25; 1 Chron 6:69), have an additional element added to the name to distinguish it from other Gaths, but often the name stands alone, and it is difficult to decide exactly which Gath is meant. Four or five Gaths are known from sources outside the Bible, for example in the Amarna Tablets.

Bibliography W. F. Albright, “The Sites of Ekron, Gath, and Libnah,” AASOR, II-III (1923), 7-12; B. Mazar (Maisler), “Tell Gath,” IEJ, VI (1956), 258, 259; D. W. Thomas, Documents from Old Testament Times (1962), 59; C. F. Pfeiffer, The Biblical World (1966), 249, 250.