GATH

one of the five royal cities of the Philistines, the exact location of which in modern Israel has not been determined. The name occurs several times in the Old Testament, especially in connection with the history of David. Goliath, the Philistine champion, came from Gath. The records of Sargon II of Assyria show that he took it in 712 BC. Gath was evidently a place of importance, a walled city (2 Chronicles 26:6), but its exact location has been lost since the time of Sennacherib (7th century BC). The Onomasticon of Eusebius fixes the site near the Roman road 5 miles (8 km) from Eleutheropolis (Bet Guvrin) on the way to Diospolis (Lod). The excavations seeking it in this and other areas, however, have proved disappointing, and all identifications of Gath are, to date, highly questionable.