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This guide is intended for visitors who want to learn more about the Bible. Please use the hyperlinks in the table above to navigate this page. If you have any comments or suggestions to make about this guide, please e-mail me by clicking on this link.

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Gaal was the son of Ebed, the leader of a rebellion against Abimelech. Aided by the guile of Gaal's enemy Zebul, Abimelech defeated Gaal. Gaal survived the battle but was disinherited by Zebul and forced to leave Shechem, where he had tried to settle. Judges 9.26-41

Gad (1) was the seventh son of Jacob, his first by Leah's maid Zilpah, and father of Zephon, Haggi, Shuni, Ozni, Eri, Arod and Areli. The tribe descended from Gad settled in Transjordan. His name means “fortune”. Genesis 30.10, 11; 35.26; 46.16; 49.19; Exodus 1.4; Numbers 26.15-18; 1 Chronicles 2.2

Gad (2) was a prophet and servant of David to whom, on several occasions, he gave counsel. When David was fleeing from Saul, Gad advised him to take refuge in Judah. When David later carried out an unlawful census, Gad described to the king the three divine punishments, one of which he had to choose. David chose a plague, and after this, Gad gave the king instructions to build an altar on the threshing floor of Araunah, where the angel of death had appeared to David. 1 Samuel 22.5; 2 Samuel 24.11-15, 18; 1 Chronicles 21.9-13,18, 19; 29.29

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Gaddi was a Manassite, the son of Susi, one of the scouts sent by Moses to reconnoitre Canaan. Numbers 13.11

Gaddiel was a Zebulunite, the son of Sodi, one of the twelve scouts sent out by Moses to reconnoitre Canaan. Numbers 13.10

Gadi was the father of Menahem. 2 Kings 15.14,17

Gaius (1) was a Macedonian, a companion of Paul and one of those present at the silversmiths' riot in Ephesus. Acts 19.29

Gaius (2) of Derbe was a companion of Paul, whom he accompanied on the apostle's third missionary journey. It is possible that this Gaius or the one referred to in Acts 19 is the same as the Gaius named in various epistles of the New Testament. Acts 20.4; Romans 16.23; 1 Corinthians 1.14; 3 John 1

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Gallio was the Proconsul of Achaia (held office ca. A.D. 51). The Jews of the province of Asia sought Gallio's aid to prohibit the work of Paul. Gallio refused to be a party to their intended persecution of the apostle and dismissed their appeal against his decision. Acts 18.12-17

Gamaliel (1) was the son of Pedahzur, the leader of the tribe of Manasseh at the time of Moses' census of Israel and subsequently during the Exodus. Numbers 1.10; 2.20, 21; 7.54-59; 10.23

Gamaliel (2) was a noted liberal rabbi, and the tutor of Paul. Gamaliel campaigned in the Sanhedrin for a more tolerant attitude towards the Christian movement. Acts 5.34-40; 22.3

Gareb was an Ithrite, a soldier of David's bodyguard. 2 Samuel 23.38; 1 Chronicles 11.40

Gatam was the fourth son of Eliphaz, a grandson of Esau. Genesis 36.11; 1 Chronicles 1.36

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Geber was the son of Uri, a Gileadite. He was one of twelve stewards of Solomon, each of whom supplied provisions to the royal household for one month in the year. 1 Kings 4.19

Gedaliah (1) was the son of Ahikam, the governor of Judah after the fall of Jerusalem to Nebuchadnezzar. Gedaliah's wish to cooperate with the Chaldeans was viewed as treacherous by a group of patriotic extremists, led by Ishmael, who made a plot on Gedaliah's life. Though alerted to this plot by Johanan, Gedaliah disbelieved his informant, and was duly murdered by Ishmael's followers during a feast at Mizpah. 2 Kings 25.22-25; Jeremiah 39.14; 40.5-41.18; 43.6

Gedaliah (2) was the son of Pashur, an adviser of Zedekiah and opponent of Jeremiah. Jeremiah 38.1-6

Geder (the king of) was a petty tribal chieftain defeated by the Israelites under Joshua. Joshua 12.13

Gehazi was the servant of Elisha. His master punished him with leprosy for deceitfully asking for payment from Naaman, whom the prophet had cured of the same illness. 2 Kings 4.12-5.27; 8-4,5

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Gemariah (1) was the son of Hilkiah, one of two letter-bearers sent from Jerusalem to Babylonia, taking a letter from Jeremiah to the Jewish exiles. Jeremiah 29.3

Gemariah (2) was the son of Shaphan, father of Micaiah and an official in Jehoiakim's administration. Gemariah was one of those who showed the scroll containing Jeremiah's prophecies to the king, whom he tried, without success, to dissuade from having the scroll burned. Jeremiah 36.10, 11, 25

Genubath was the son of Hadad and nephew of Tahpenes, wife of Pharaoh, by whom he was brought up in the Egyptian court. 1 Kings 11.20

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Gera was the fourth son of Benjamin, according to Genesis, his grandson, according to the Chronicler. Genesis 46.21; 1 Chronicles 8.3

Gershom was the elder son of Moses and Zipporah, and the father of Shebuel. Gershom's name is formed from the Hebrew word ger meaning “sojourner”. Exodus 2.22; 18.3; 1 Chronicles 23.15, 16

Gershon was the eldest son of Levi, the father of Libni and Shimei. Genesis 46.11; Exodus 6.16, 17; Numbers 3.17, 18, 21-26; 4.21-28, 38-41; 7.7; 10.17; 26.57; 1 Chronicles 6.1,16, 20; 23.6, 7

Geshem, an Arab, was the ally of Sanballat and Tobiah in their opposition to Nehemiah's efforts to restore the temple in Jerusalem. Nehemiah 2.19, 20; 6.1-4

Gether was the third son of Aram, a grandson of Shem. Genesis 10.23; 1 Chronicles 1.17

Geuel was a Gadite, the son of Machi, one of the twelve spies sent out by Moses to reconnoitre Canaan. Numbers 13.15

Gezer (the king of) was a petty tribal chieftain defeated by the Israelites under Joshua. Joshua 12.12

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Gideon, the son of Joash, of the Manassite clan of Abiezrites, defeated the Midianites, and subsequently became judge of Israel for forty years. Called by God to deliver Israel from Midjan, Gideon received miraculous reassurance of the divine nature of his mission, first by an angel, and later by his leaving a fleece on the ground, which remained dry while the fleece was soaked, and the next night was soaked while the fleece stayed dry. Before embarking on his campaign, Gideon destroyed the altar of Baal. After assembling a force of some thirty-two thousand men Gideon was told to reduce the force to a mere three hundred. These attacked the Midianites by night and routed them. The princes Zebah and Zalmunna were pursued and slain by Gideon's men, as were Oreb and Zeeb. (Probably two variants of the same story appear here, and two rather than four chieftains were captured). The men of Succoth and Penuel, however, treated Gideon, inhospitably and he later took reprisals against them. After his military successes, Gideon became the father of some seventy legitimate sons, and Abimelech, his son by a Shechemite concubine, who became his heir. Judges 6.11-8.35; Hebrews 11.32

Gilead was the son of Machir and grandson of Manasseh. He became the father of Iezer, Helech, Asriel, Shechem and Hepher, and the grandfather of Zelophehad. Numbers 26.29-33; 36.1; 1 Chronicles 7.14,17

Gishpa was the overseer of the temple servants in Jerusalem during Nehemiah's governorship. Nehemiah 11.21

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Gog was the king of Magog and chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. He is condemned in an oracle of Ezekiel, otherwise unknown. Ezekiel 38.2-39.16; Revelation 20.8

Goiim (the king of) was a Galilean chieftain defeated by the Israelites under Joshua. Joshua 12.23

Goliath was the name of one or two giants, one killed by David, the other by his warrior Elhanan (it has been suggested that the name of the former was unknown and Goliath's name has been taken from the account of Elhanan's victory). The earlier account tells of a giant, six cubits and a span (about ten feet), in height, who challenged the Israelite army to send their champion against him, but was killed by David with a sling, and decapitated. This man, and Elhanan's later victim, had a spear the shaft of which was as wide as “a weaver's beam”. 1 Samuel 17.4-57; 2 Samuel 21.19

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Gomer (1) was the eldest son of Japheth, the father of Ashkenaz, Riphath and Togarmah. Genesis 10.2, 3; 1 Chronicles 1.5, 6

Gomer (2) was a prostitute, the daughter of Diblaim. She married Hosea, who had been divinely instructed to take such a wife, and bore him three children: Jezreel, Lo-ruhama (meaning “not pitied”) and Lo-ammi (“not my people”). Gomer was unfaithful to her husband but he was reconciled to her, paying a sum of fifteen shekels and a measure of barley to redeem her. Hosea 1.3-3.3

Guni was the second son of Naphtali. Genesis 46.24; Numbers 26.48; 1 Chronicles 7.13

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