Gath

(winepress) — an ancient Philistine city, one of the five royal Philistine cities (Josh. 13:3; 1 Sam. 6:17). Here the Ark of the Covenant was brought from Ashdod, and from here to Ekron, on account of the tumors and sores that appeared on the people guarding the Ark (5:1–12). Gath was the birthplace of Goliath (1 Sam. 17:4, 23); in it David also stayed for a time, hiding from Saul. The servants of Achish, king of Gath, recognized in David the king to whom “they sang in dances and said: Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.” David, wary of persecution by Achish (1 Sam. 21:10–15), saved his life by feigning madness before the eyes of the men of Gath, scrabbling on the doors of the gate (letting his hands fall upon it) and letting his spittle fall down upon his beard.

Biblical Gath, situated on a height (now Tell es-Safi), occupied a strong position (2 Chron. 11:8) on the border of the Philistines with the tribe of Judah. The calamities of war apparently destroyed Gath early, since it is no longer mentioned by later prophets (Zeph. 2:4; Zech. 9:5, 6) among the other royal Philistine cities. Several imposing ruins of a fortress and dwellings testify to the city’s ancient importance; but whether these belong to the earliest history of Gath, we do not know, since they are mentioned only from the time of the Crusades.