Geshur
Geshur was a territory in the northern part of Bashan, in ancient Levant, adjoining the province of Argob (Deuteronomy 3:14) and the kingdom of Aram or Syria. (2 Samuel 15:8; 1 Chronicles 2:23) According to the Bible, it was allotted to the half-tribe of Manasseh, which settled east of the Jordan river, but its inhabitants, the Geshurites, could not be expelled. (Joshua 13:13)
In the time of David, Geshur was an independent kingdom, and David married Maachah, a daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur. (2 Samuel 3:3, 1 Chronicles 3:2) Her son Absalom fled to his mother's native country, after the murder of his half-brother and David's eldest son, Amnon. Absalom stayed there for three years before being rehabilitated by David. (ib. 13:37, 15:8)
Geshur is identified with the plateau called today "Lejah," in the center of the Hauran.
According to Israeli archaeologists, Geshur lay east of the Sea of Galilee, in what is now the southern Golan Heights.[1]
References
Further reading
- Pakkala, Juha 'What do we know about Geshur?'. Scandinavian Journal of the Old Testament 24 (2): 155-173.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: "Geshur, Geshurites". Jewish Encyclopedia. 1901–1906.