Gerar

Gerar is the name of a place in the Bible where Abraham, the ancestor of the people of Israel, should have settled for a time (Gen. 20, 1). The place was located in the south of Canaan, which comprised about today's Palestine and Israel with parts of West Jordan. He was between Kadesh and Shur in the cities near Beersheba, probably near the coast: Because the area was of Abimelech, King of the Philistines ruled (Gen. 26, 1).

As a tribute for permission to live there, Abraham is said to have left according to the biblical narrative that king his wife Sarah. This endangered the promise that YHWH had given him before his departure for Canaan: He will have offspring and it would emerge a great nation. But Sara had hitherto remained childless, and Abraham gave as his sister in order to protect his family from potential attack. Then God appeared to the foreign king in a dream and warned him not to touch the belongings of the woman. Then Abimelech Abraham had brought to his court to task for his distrust, restored to him his wife and cattle and silver as a gift to do so. He had also exempted him to settle wherever he wanted. In Abraham's prayer to God Abimelech had been healed of infertility, and his wives could again bring forth children (Gen. 20).

Gerar and his royal family is now in the theology of the patriarchal narratives, the first city in Canaan, which learns the outgoing of Abraham 's blessing: "I will bless those who bless you, and curse those who curse you. " (Gen. 12, 2f ). The story illustrates God's saving intervention in order to protect the people and the country 's promise to Abraham and to keep open their realization. It gets the strange king's children, even before Abraham and Sarah get himself a son.

It provides historical research signs of a peaceful infiltration of Hebrew tribes in already populated areas and in consultation with local residents. Apparently, reciprocal agreements with the Philistines possible, so that the later emphasis on the military capture and destruction of Canaanite cities and arch-enemies with the Philistines could not reflect the actual events, but only the conquests of David time.

The story of reconciliation between Abraham and Abimelech is repeated in Genesis. 26 again with Isaac, Abraham's heir, and Rebekah, this is apparently a doublet, which is to confirm the claim of Isaac on the same land and a continuing protection agreements with the Lord. Here, however, a burgeoning conflict over land, wells and water is already visible.