גִּבְעוֹן (giv.on)

Key Verses

• Joshua 10:12

  Then Joshua spoke to Yahweh in the day when Yahweh delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel. He said in the sight of Israel, “Sun, stand still on Gibeon! You, moon, stop in the valley of Aijalon!”

  This verse captures a miraculous moment where Joshua calls on God to halt the sun and moon, demonstrating divine power intervening directly in history at Gibeon.

• I Kings 3:4

  The king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place. Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.

  Solomon chooses this high place for sacrifice, marking it as the central site of worship before the Temple was constructed in Jerusalem.

• I Kings 3:5

  In Gibeon, Yahweh appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask for what I should give you.”

  God appears to Solomon here in a dream, offering him wisdom rather than wealth, which defines Gibeon’s role in Israel’s spiritual leadership.

• Joshua 9:3

  But when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai,

  The inhabitants of Gibeon initiate a covenant with Israel through deception, setting the stage for complex political and religious consequences.

• II Samuel 2:16

  They each caught his opponent by the head and thrust his sword in his fellow’s side; so they fell down together. Therefore that place in Gibeon was called Helkath Hazzurim.

  A deadly battle between David’s men and Saul’s servants occurs here, giving the location a somber name that reflects its turbulent history.