an E final, 2 Kings xv. 29; Ezek. xlvii. 8; and it appears to have had appended to it, the distinction" of nations," or, "the Gentiles," as we read, Josh. xii. 23, of the king of the nations of Gilgal or Galilee; and some think it is also called Gilgal. (Deut. xi. 30.) We have also Geliloth, "the circles," a place on the confines of Judah and Benjamin, (Josh. xviii. 17,) which is taken for the same as Gilgal, (chap. xv. 7.) In all these names, the idea of rotundity or circularity, is admitted: which might refer either to round hills, round valleys, or round wells.

Galilee was one of the most extensive provinces into which the Holy Land was divided: it exceeded Judea in extent, but probably varied in its limits at different periods.

Galilee contained four tribes, Issachar, Zebulun, Naphtali, and Asher: a part also of Dan, and part of Perea, i. e. beyond the river. Upper Galilee abounded in mountains, and was eminently understood by the term Galilee of the Gentiles, as the mountainous nature of the country enabled those who possessed the fastnesses, to maintain themselves against invaders. Strabo, (lib. xvi.) enumerates among its inhabitants Egyptians, Arabians, and Phenicians. Lower Galilee, which contained the tribes of Zebulon and Asher, was sometimes called the Great Field, "the champaign." (Deut. xi. 30.) The valley was adjacent to the Sea of Tiberias. Josephus describes Galilee as very populous, containing two hundred and four cities and towns. It was also very rich, and paid two hundred talents in tribute. brave, and made good soldiers: they were also seditious and prone to insolence and rebellion. (De Bell. lib. ii. cap. 9.) He divides Galilee only into Upper and Lower.

The natives were

We scarcely find any mention in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, of the inhabitants of Galilee and Perea; whether they were Jews returned from Babylon, or whether a mixture of sundry nations. The language of these regions differed considerably from that of Judea; and so did various customs, in which each nation followed its own. The difference of dialect is repeatedly observed and enlarged on by the Rabbins.

Our Lord so frequently visited Galilee, that he was called a Galilean. (Matt. xxvi. 69.) And it deserves notice, that he was addressed under this title by his adversary, the dying Julian, who, being cut off from prosecuting his purposes against Christianity, exclaimed with indignation, "Thou hast conquered,

O Galilean!" Euseb. Eccl. Hist. lib. x. 35, et al, vide infra. The population of Galilee being very great, Christ had many opportunities of doing good in this country and being out of the power of the priests at Jerusalem, he seems to have preferred it as his abode. Both Nazareth and Capernaum were in this division. From such a mixture of people many provincialisms might be expected; hence we find Peter detected by his language, probably by his phraseology as well as his pronunciation. Mark xiv. 70.]

Galilee, a province in Palestine, extending principally north, beyond the plain of Jezreel, or the Great Plain; divided into Upper and Lower Galilee. Lower Galilee extends into Zebulun, Asher and Naphtali, on this side Jordan, west of the sea of Tiberias. Upper Galilee extends principally beyond Jordan, inclining toward the Trachonitis, Libanus and Batanæa. It was called Galilee of the Gentiles, because possessed by Gentiles with Jews interspersed among them; and because it bordered on Gentile nations, as the Phenicians, Syrians, and Arabians.

As our opinion that Galilee extended beyond Jordan has some difficulty in it, it is necessary to support our assertion. Judas Gaulanitis is called the Galilean, (Acts v. 37; and in Josephus, Antiq. lib. xx. cap. 3.) Now Gaulan was beyond Jordan; Galilee therefore extended into that country. Josephus places Bethsaida on the other side Jordan, (Antiq. lib. xx. also, de Bello, cap. 13,) and so does Pliny, (lib. v. cap. 15.) that city was certainly part of Galilee, and the apostles, who were of Bethsaida, are called Galileans; Galilee, therefore, in part at least, reached beyond Jordan. Eusebius, (on Isaiah ix.) says clearly, that Galilee lay on the other side of Jordan. The LXX. in Isaiah, xxxiii. 9, translate Basan, Galilee. Now Basan was certainly beyond Jordan. Jerom, in his comment, remarks, that these interpreters have put the name of a province for a certain place in that province. He believed that Basan was in Galilee. For this opinion, see Lightfoot, Chorograph. on Mark, and Hor. Talmud. Matt. xvi. 13, and Cellarius Geog. Ant. lib. iii. &c.; for the contrary, Reland, Palæst. tom. i. lib. i. cap. 31.

Josephus (de Bello, lib. iii. cap. 2) limits Galilee thus: it is terminated west, says he, by the city of Ptolemais and Mount Carmel, (which do not belong to Galilee;) on the south by the country of Samaria and Scythopolis, on the river Jordan; on

the east by the cantons of Hippos, Gadara, and Gaulan; on the north by the confines of the Tyrians.

Lower Galilee reaches in length from Tiberias to Chabulon, or Zabulon, the frontier of Ptolemais; in width from Chaloth, in the great plain, to Bersabee. The breadth of Upper Galilee begins at Bersabee and extends to Baca, which separates it from the Tyrians. Its length reaches from Tella, a village on the river Jordan, to Meroth. But the exact situation of these places is not known.

Josephus says, that the Galileans were naturally good soldiers, bold and intrepid; that they bravely resisted the foreign nations around them; that their country was fruitful and well cultivated; and the people laborious and industrious. That the number of towns and villages in it was very great, and so well peopled, that the least towns contained 15,000 inhabitants.

Our Saviour was surnamed Galilean, because he was brought up at Nazareth, a city of Galilee. His disciples, and Christians in general, were called Galileans, (Acts ii. 7; Arrian, lib. iv. ; Dissert. Epict. cap. 7; Julian, Emper. Ep. ad Porphyr;) because the apostles were of Galilee. Matthew (iv. 15.) applies to the preaching of our Saviour those words of Isaiah, (ix. 1, 2.) The land of Zebulon and the land of Naphthalim, by the way of the sea beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles: "the people which sat in darkness saw great light." The Galileans were not esteemed very knowing in matters of religion; and the Jews did not believe that a prophet should come out of Galilee, (John vii. 41. 52;) forgetting the prophet Jonah. (2 Kings xiv. 25.) Their language and their accent were different from those of the Jerusalem Jews.

SEA OF GALILEE, vide Cinnereth.

GATH, (lat. 31o. 47′.—long. 34o. 55',) a city of the Philistines, one of their five principalities, (1 Sam. v. 8; vi. 17,) famous for having given birth to Goliath. David conquered Gath in the beginning of his reign over all Israel; (1 Sam. xviii. 4;) it continued subject to his successors till the declension of the kingdom of Judah. (2 Sam. viii. 1.) Rehoboam rebuilt or fortified it. (2 Chron. xi. 8.) Uzziah conquered it, as did Hezekiah. Josephus makes it part of the tribe of Dan. Calmet thinks that Mitcah, mentioned by Moses, Numb. xxxiii. 29, is the Metheg of 2 Sam. viii. 1. [We translate it, David took Metheg-Ammah, (Metheg the Mother,) which in Chronicles is

explained by "He took Gath and her daughters;" Gath being the mother, and Metheg the daughters. But it may be that the district of Gath and its dependencies was called, in David's time, Metheg-Ammah; which being unusual, or becoming obsolete, the author of the Chronicles explains it to be Gath and its villages.] According to this idea, Gath of the Philistines, the birth-place of giants, (2 Sam. xx. 20. 22,) must lie far in Arabia Petræa, towards Egypt, which is confirmed by Chronicles, which says, that the sons of Ephraim being in Egypt, attacked the city of Gath, and were there slain. 1 Chron. vii. 21.

Jerom says, there was a large town called Gath, in the way from Eleutheropolis to Gaza; and Eusebius speaks of another Gath, five miles from Eleutheropolis, towards Lydda, (consequently, different from that which Jerom speaks of ;) also another Gath, or Gattha, between Jamnia and Antipatris. Jerom likewise, speaking of Gath-opher, the place of the prophet Jonah's birth, says, it was called Gath-opher, or Gath in the district of Opher, to distinguish it from others of the same name.

Gath was the most southern city of the Philistines as Ekron was the most northern; so that Ekron and Gath are placed as the boundaries of their land. (1 Sam. vii. 1.4; xvii. 52.) Gath lay near Mareshah, vide 2 Chron. xi. 18. and Micah i. 14. Heb., which agrees pretty well with Jerom, who places Gath on the road from Eleutheropolis to Gaza. Gath was a place of strength in the time of the prophets Amos and Micah, independent of the kings of Judah; (Amos vi. 2; Micah i. 10. 14;) but was taken by Uzziah, king of Judah, while Amos was living, and afterwards by Hezekiah, in Micah's time. Gethaïm-the Gaths, 2 Sam. iv. 3; Neh. xi. 33,-is Gath. David had a company of Gittite guards. Gath signifies a press; wherefore it is no wonder that we find several places of this name in Palestine, where wine-presses were common.

Gath appears to have been an ancient city, being mentioned so early as Josh. xi. 22, and probably, the grapes of Eschol, which was not far distant, were a specimen of the grapes of Gath. Timnath, also, not far from Gath, had extensive vineyards. Judges xiv. 5.

GATH-RIMMON, (lat. 31o. 51′.—long. 34o. 51′',) a city of Dan. (Josh. xix. 45.) Jerom places it ten miles from Diospolis, towards Eleutheropolis. It was given to the Korathites.

GATH-RIMMON, (lat. 32o. 26'.-long. 35o. 12′,) in the half tribe of Manasseh, on this side Jordan; given to the Korathites. Josh. xxi. 25.

GAZA, (lat. 31o. 27.—long. 34°. 30′,) (Gen. x. 19,) a city of the Philistines, given by Joshua to Juda. (Josh. xv. 47; 1 Sam. vi. 17.) It was one of the five principalities of the Philistines, towards the southern extremity of Canaan. In the Hebrew it is called Aza, or Osa, with a hain, which the LXX. sometimes express by a G. Stephens the geographer says, that in his time the Syrians called it Aza. It was situated between Raphia and Ascalon. Its advantageous situation exposed it to many revolutions. It belonged to the Philistines, then to the Hebrews; recovered its liberty in the reigns of Jotham and Ahaz, but was conquered by Hezekiah. (2 Kings xviii. 8.) It was subject to the Chaldæans, with Syria and Phoenicia; afterwards to the Persians. They held it when Alexander besieged, took, and destroyed it. This Gaza, or at least the little town of Gaza on the Sea, otherwise called Majuma, was rebuilt.

It was afterwards possessed by the kings of Egypt, says Josephus, (Antiq. lib. xii. cap. 21.) Antiochus the Great took and sacked it. (Polyb. in excerptis Valesii.) The Maccabees took it several times from the Syrians. (1 Macc. xi. 61; xiii. 43.) Alexander Jannæus, king of the Jews, took and destroyed it. (Antiq. lib. xiii. cap. 21.) Gabinius repaired it; (Antiq. lib. xiv. cap. 10;) and there are coins extant struck in this city. Augustus gave it to Herod the Great, but it was not subject to his son Archelaus. Luke says, (Acts viii. 26,) that Gaza, [written Gasa] in his time, was a desert place; meaning, most probably, the greater Gaza, situated on a mountain twenty miles from the sea; not Little Gaza, or Majuma, which was very populous. The emperor Constantine gave Majuma the name of Constantia, in honour of his son; and granted it the honours and privileges of a city, independent on Gaza. But the emperor Julian deprived it both of its name and its privileges.

Gaza is a city of great antiquity, being noticed among those which marked the bounds of the Canaanite territory. It was a frontier defence against Egypt. Pharaoh smote Gaza, (Jer. xlvii. 1,) and it seems from Amos i. 7, that part, at least, of its wall or defences, was composed of wood, as the prophet threatens to send a fire on it, to consume it, which he would hardly have preferred, had it been wholly of stone.