Geshur

ge'-shur (geshur, "bridge"): An Aramean kingdom (2Sa 15:8) of no great size which lay probably to the South of Maacah, and formed with it the western boundary of the land of Bashan (De 3:14; Jos 12:5; 13:11). The territory of these two probably corresponded roughly with modern Jaulan. It may not have reached quite to the Jordan on the West; in which case the Geshurites literally dwelt "in the midst" of Israel (Jos 13:13), since they were not expatriated by the half-tribe of Manasseh, and they retained their independence. David married Maacah, daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur, who became the mother of Absalom and Tamar (2Sa 3:3). To Talmai Absalom fled for safety after the murder of Amnon (2Sa 13:37 f), and thence Joab brought him back to Jerusalem (2Sa 14:23). The Geshurites and Aram are said to have taken the cities of Jair--i.e. Havvoth-jair--which lay in the land of Gilead (1Ch 2:23). It is possible that "Geshurites" should be read, with Vulgate, Syriac, etc., instead of "Ashurites" in 2Sa 2:9. The only difficulty is that Geshur was an independent kingdom, and there is nothing to show how it was brought under the sway of the son of Saul. In the catalogue of land still to be possessed in Jos 13:2, the King James Version reads "Geshuri," the Revised Version (British and American) "the Geshurites," referring evidently to a district bordering on the Philistines. Both the King James Version and the Revised Version (British and American) render the same word by "Geshurites" in 1Sa 27:8, where apparently the same territory is indicated as invaded by David. In neither passage is the text above suspicion; in 1Sa 27:8 Septuagint's Codex Vaticanus omits the name. No satisfactory explanation has been suggested.

⇒See a list of verses on GESHUR in the Bible.

W. Ewing

⇒See also the McClintock and Strong Biblical Cyclopedia.