🔼The name Geder: Summary
- Meaning
- Wall
- Etymology
- From the noun גדר (gader), wall.
🔼The name Geder in the Bible
The name Geder occurs only once in the Bible. Geder was a royal Canaanite city, which was conquered by Joshua (Joshua 12:13). We don't know anything about this city, but some scholars insist that the city was saved, renamed Gederah and given to Judah (Joshua 15:36). Along with this suggestion comes the conclusion that both David's mighty-man Jozabad the Gederathite (1 Chronicles 12:4) and David's administrative officer Baal-hanan the Gederite (1 Chronicles 27:28) came from Geder or Gederah. There is, however, no proof of this or even any need to assume it.
🔼Etymology of the name Geder
The name Geder comes from the noun גדר (gader), meaning wall:
גדר
The verb גדר (gadar) means to wall up; to build a wall to separate innies from outies, and to check any movement between the two. Curiously, this verb is used predominantly in a figurative sense, i.e. to describe a containment of thoughts, deeds, intentions or developments.
Contrarily, the nouns גדר (gader), גדרה (gedera) and גדרת (gederet) all describe the item built and refer predominantly to literal walls and enclosures such as sheepfolds.
🔼Geder meaning
For a meaning of the name Geder, NOBSE Study Bible Name List reads Wall and Jones' Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names has A Wall. BDB Theological Dictionary does not translate our name but does list it under the noun גדר (gader), meaning wall.