Giah
Where it is
31.87° N, 35.34° E · Located through Ammah
Mentioned most in
About this place
Giah is a location mentioned only once in the Bible, in 2Sa.2.24. It was situated near Gibeon, a prominent city in Benjamin's territory just north of Jerusalem.
The context of the reference to Giah is the aftermath of a battle between the forces of David and Ishbosheth, Saul's son, at the pool of Gibeon. Abner, the commander of Ishbosheth's army, was retreating after being defeated. Joab and Abishai, David's generals and brothers, pursued Abner and his men.
The text states that the pursuit continued "on the road to the wilderness of Gibeon" and that "the sun was going down when they came to the hill of Ammah, which is before Giah on the way to the wilderness of Gibeon" (2Sa.2.24, ESV).
No further details are provided about Giah. It seems to have been a known landmark on the road from Gibeon toward the wilderness area to the east. The mention of the "hill of Ammah" suggests Giah was located in hilly terrain.
Apart from this single reference, Giah is not mentioned elsewhere in the Bible or in any known extra-biblical sources. Its exact location remains unknown, though it can be generally placed in the vicinity of Gibeon, probably to the east.
Every mention
2 Samuel 1 mention
What the dictionary says
(a waterfall), a place named only in (2 Samuel 2:24) to designate the position of the hill Ammah.
Sources
- STEPBible TIPNR · Translators Individualised Proper Names with all References · CC BY 4.0 · github.com/STEPBible/STEPBible-Data
- OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding · CC BY 4.0 · www.openbible.info/geo/
- Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary (1869) · Public domain