Bible Meaning: Portion
Strong's Concordance #H1507
The king of Gezer was one of thirty-one rulers defeated by Joshua and the Israelites (Joshua 12:12).
The Philistine city was first given to the tribe of Ephraim (Joshua 16:3, 10) then soon afterwards designated a Levitical location (21:21). The Ephraimites, however, were never able to drive out the Canaanites from Gezer (Judges 1:29) and it stayed as Philistine controlled territory for a significant period.
The Egyptians, during the reign of King Solomon, conquered the city and gave it as a wedding present to the king when he married Pharaoh's daughter (1Kings 9:16).
". . . he (Solomon) also built cities which might be counted among the strongest, Hazor and Megiddo, and the third Gezer, which had indeed belonged to the Philistines: but Pharaoh, the King of Egypt, had made an expedition against it, and besieged it, and taken it by force: and when he had slain all its inhabitants, he utterly overthrew it, and gave it as a present to his daughter, who had been married to Solomon . . ." (Antiquities of the Jews, book 8, chapter 6, section 1).
Important Verses
Joshua 10:33
And the Lord delivered Lachish into the hand of Israel, which took it on the second day . . .
Then Horam king of Gezer came up to help Lachish: and Joshua smote him and his people, until he had left him none remaining.
Joshua 16:1, 3
And the lot of the children of Joseph fell from Jordan by Jericho, unto the water of Jericho on the east, to the wilderness that goeth up from Jericho throughout mount Bethel . . .
And goeth down westward to the coast of Japhleti, unto the coast of Bethhoron the nether, and to Gezer: and the goings out thereof are at the sea.
Judges 1:28 - 29
And it came to pass, when Israel was strong, that they put the Canaanites to tribute, and did not utterly drive them out.
Neither did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer: but the Canaanites dwelt in Gezer among them.
1Kings 9:15 - 16
And Hiram sent to the king (Solomon) sixscore talents of gold.
And this is the reason of the levy which king Solomon raised: for to build the house of the Lord, and his own house, and Millo, and the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, and Megiddo, and Gezer.
For Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up, and taken Gezer, and burnt it with fire, and slain the Canaanites that dwelt in the city, and given it for a present unto his daughter, Solomon's wife.
1Chronicles 20:1, 3 - 4
And Joab smote Rabbah, and destroyed it . . . And he brought out the people that were in it, and cut them with saws, and with harrows of iron, and with axes. Even so dealt David with all the cities of the children of Ammon. And David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.
And it came to pass after this, that there arose war at Gezer with the Philistines: at which time Sibbechai the Hushathite slew Sippai, that was of the children of the giant: and they were subdued.