Gittaim
Where it is
31.96° N, 34.95° E · Located through Hadid
Mentioned most in
About this place
Gittaim is a town mentioned twice in the Old Testament. The first reference is in 2Sa.4.3, which states that the Beerothites fled to Gittaim and lived there as foreigners. This event is connected to the assassination of Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, by two Beerothites (2Sa.4.5-8).
Beeroth was one of the four cities of the Gibeonites, who had deceived Joshua into making a peace treaty (Joshua 9:17). The flight of the Beerothites to Gittaim suggests that the town was a place of refuge, possibly located outside Israelite territory.
The second reference to Gittaim is in Nehemiah 11:33, which lists the towns inhabited by the Benjamites after their return from Babylonian exile. Gittaim is mentioned along with other towns in the region, indicating that it was resettled by the Benjamites during the post-exilic period.
The exact location of Gittaim is uncertain, but it was likely situated in Benjamite territory, north of Jerusalem. Some scholars suggest it may be identified with modern-day Ras Abu Kharrubeh, about 6 miles northeast of Jerusalem.
Apart from these two brief references, no other information about Gittaim is provided in the Bible. Its significance lies in its connection to the Beerothites' flight and its later resettlement by the Benjamites.
Every mention
2 Samuel 1 mention
Nehemiah 1 mention
What the dictionary says
Two wine-presses, (2 Sam. 4:3; Neh. 11:33), a town probably in Benjamin to which the Beerothites fled.
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