Geber

Ge’ber. (manly).

1. The son of Geber resided in the fortress of Ramoth-gilead, and had charge of Havoth-jair and the district of Argob. 1Ki 4:13. (B.C. 1013).

2. Geber, the son of Uri, had a district south of the former -- the "land of Gilead." 1Ki 4:19.

(Heb. id. גֶּבֶר, a valiant man, as often Sept. Γάβηρ, Josephus Γαβάρης, Ant. 8:2, 3), the son of Uri, and one of Solomon’s purveyors, having sole (i.e. supreme) jurisdiction (נְצַיב) over Gilead (1Ki 4:19); from which fact he appears to be the same as BEN-GEBAR ("son of Geber") mentioned is 1Ki 4:13 as having charge of the same region, unless, indeed, the latter were a deputy or assistant to his father. B.C. 1013. SEE EZION- GEBER.

[Ge’ber]

1. Father of one of Solomon’s commissariat officers in Ramoth-gilead. 1Ki 4:13.

2. Son of Uri, another like officer in Gilead. 1Ki 4:19. At the end of this verse the A.V. reads "He was the only officer which was in the land." This does not seem to agree with 1Ki 4:13-14, for those mentioned therein were also on the east of the Jordan. The Hebrew word for ’officer’ in 1Ki 4:19, though a kindred word, is not the same as in 1Ki 4:7; 1Ki 4:27, and may be translated ’superintendent.’

By: Emil G. Hirsch, Bernhard Pick

1. Son of Geber; mentioned (I Kings iv. 13) as one of Solomon's district commissariat officers who resided in the fortress of Ramoth-gilead and had charge of Havoth-jair and the district of Argob.

2. Son of Uri; district commissariat officer of "the land of Gilead," a territory south of Argob and originally possessed by Sihon, king of the Amorites, and by Og, King of Bashan (I Kings iv. 19). The text is rather obscure. The English versions read: "and he was the only officer which was in the land." Solomon had twelve officers in Israel (I Kings iv. 7). The text admits "and one officer who [was] in the land," as an alternative to "and he was the only officer which was in the land."

GEBER (1Ki 4:19).—One of Solomon’s twelve commissariat officers, whose district lay to the E. of Jordan. At the end of 1Ki 4:19 comes a sentence referred by AV [Note: Authorized Version.] and RV [Note: Revised Version.] to this Geber, and rendered ‘and he was the only officer which was in the land.’ But it is possible that the text should be emended so as to read ‘and one officer was over all the officers who were in the land,’ the reference being, not to Geber, but to Azariah, son of Nathan, mentioned in v. 6 as ‘over the officers.’

gē´bẽr (גּבר, gebher, “man,” “strong one”):

(1) According to 1Ki 4:13 the King James Version the father of one of the 12 officers who provided food for Solomon and his household (but here the Revised Version (British and American) “Ben-geber”). His district lay to the Northeast of Jordan.

(2) Another, and the last in the list of Solomon’s commissariat officers (1Ki 4:19). His district was also east of the Jordan, but probably to the South of that named in connection with the official of Jas 4:13 (the Revised Version (British and American) “Ben-geber”). According to the rendering of English Versions of the Bible, he is said to have been “the only officer that was in the land.” Unless the text, which presents some difficulties, is corrupt, as some suppose, it probably means that this large region was assigned to one official because less able than the others to furnish the required supplies.