GATH, or GETH, in Ancient Geography, a cele-
brated city of the Philistines, and one of their five
principalities. It is famous for having given birth to
Goliath. David made a conquest of it in the begin-
ning of his reign over all Israel; and it continued sub-
ject to the kings his successors till the declension and
decay of the kingdom of Judah. Rehobeam rebuilt or
fortified it; King Uzziah retook it, and Hezekiah once
more reduced it under his subjection.
Gath stood about five or six miles from Jannin,
about 14 south of Joppa, and 32 west of Jerusalem.
Hence some authors (among whom is F. Calmet) have
committed an egregious mistake in making Gath
the most southern, and Ekron the most northern, of
the Philistine cities; as if these two had been the two
boundaries of their dominions, whereas these two ci-
ties are not above five miles asunder; and Gaza is the
last of the five fatrapies south. And Josephus (in the
place already quoted) expresses himself plainly enough,
when he says, that Hezekiah took all the Philistine
cities
Gath
Gaubius.
cities from Gaza to Gath; there being many more cities of that name, which signifies in the Hebrew a wine press. Several other cities of the name of Geth or Gath are mentioned in Eusebius and St Jerome, whose situation, according to those authors, plainly shows them to have been different places from this, and from each other; besides those which had an adjunct to distinguish them.
This city recovered its liberty and lustre in the time of the prophets Amos and Micah; but was afterwards demolished by Hazael king of Syria, after which it became of but little consideration till the time of the holy war, when Fulk king of Jerusalem built a castle on its ruins.