Capital of the Hivites, located 8 km northwest of Jerusalem, on the Joppa road. It was later a Levitical city within the territory of Benjamin (Josh. 21:17).
The Gibeonites, using deception, achieved a treaty with Joshua and the elders of Israel (Joshua 9); When the deception was discovered, Joshua was already bound by an oath to respect his life and they were assigned the task of cutting wood for the sanctuary.
The Gibeonites' treaty with the Israelites angered the neighboring kings of Gibeon, who attacked the city. Joshua ran to his defense, and there the miracle occurred in which the sun stopped over Gibeon (Joshua 9; 10). The Tabernacle was there for several years (1 Chr. 16:39).
Gibeon was the scene of several other incidents that the Bible recounts, such as David's victory over the Philistines (1 Chr. 14:16); the revenge of the Gibeonites by hanging seven sons of Saul (2 Sam. 21:1-9).
Right there Solomon received a divine revelation regarding his reign (1 Kings 3:5-15).
Meaning of GIBEON
Capital of the Hivites, located 8 km northwest of Jerusalem, on the Joppa road. It was later a Levitical city within the territory of Benjamin (Josh. 21:17).
