Geshur

גְּשׁוּר

Where was biblical Geshur? East of the Sea of Galilee, capital likely et-Tell, about 16 km northeast of Tiberias. I mark it very likely.

David married Maacah, daughter of Talmai king of Geshur. Their son Absalom later killed his brother Amnon and ran to his grandfather's court, where he hid for three years until Joab brought him home.

By Aaron Shaffier, licensed Israel tour guide and mapmaker · About the mapmaker

Site today
East of the Sea of Galilee, capital likely et-Tell
How sure
Very likely Strong evidence, with no serious rival.
Other names
Bethsaida
Location
32.9108° N, 35.6309° E (Google Maps)
Geshur on the hand-drawn Map of Biblical Israel
Geshur on our hand-drawn Map of Biblical Israel. Get the full map as a print →

How we know where it was

The Bible sets Geshur beside Maacah at the edge of Bashan, and calls it "Geshur in Aram." It was a small Aramean kingdom that Israel never drove out. That points east of the Kinneret, the Sea of Galilee.

Surveyors found a cluster of fortified towns there from the right period. The largest, et-Tell, had a massive wall and gates. In a shrine beside its gate stood a basalt stele of a moon god with a bull's head, the kind of worship found in Aram. Most scholars see et-Tell as Talmai's capital. No inscription names Geshur, so the kingdom's location is secure, while its capital is a strong proposal. Some prefer Tel Hadar or Ein Gev, on the eastern shore of the lake.

Visiting today

Et-Tell is in the Jordan Park north of the Kinneret, where you can walk through the Iron Age gate and see a replica of the stele.

Read it in the Bible

Verse numbers follow the Hebrew Bible. In a handful of chapters English Bibles count one verse off.

See Geshur on the interactive map →

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Nearby places

Sources and further reading