{
  "id": "dict_002083",
  "term": "Gaash",
  "slug": "gaash",
  "letter": "G",
  "entry_type": "biblical_place_name",
  "entry_family": "theological_term",
  "depth_profile": "standard",
  "short_definition": "Gaash is a biblical place in the hill country of Ephraim, associated with the burial area of Joshua and mentioned again in connection with David’s mighty men.",
  "simple_one_line": "A biblical place-name in Ephraim linked to Joshua’s burial area.",
  "tooltip_text": "Biblical place in Ephraim associated with Joshua’s burial site and with a geographic reference in the accounts of David’s mighty men.",
  "aliases": [],
  "scripture_references": [],
  "original_language_terms": [],
  "related_entries": [
    "Joshua",
    "Timnath-serah",
    "Ephraim",
    "David’s mighty men"
  ],
  "see_also": [
    "Timnath-serah",
    "Joshua",
    "Ephraim"
  ],
  "lede_intro": "Gaash is a biblical place-name in the hill country of Ephraim. Scripture links it to the area around Joshua’s burial and also mentions the ravines or brooks of Gaash in connection with David’s mighty men.",
  "at_a_glance_definition": "A location in Ephraim, north of Timnath-serah, remembered chiefly because Joshua was buried near it.",
  "at_a_glance_key_points": [
    "Place-name, not a theological concept.",
    "Located in the hill country of Ephraim.",
    "Linked to Joshua’s burial area.",
    "Also mentioned in a geographic expression connected with David’s mighty men."
  ],
  "description_academic_short": "Gaash refers to a place in the hill country of Ephraim, near Timnath-serah, where Joshua was buried on the north side of the mountain of Gaash. The term also appears in references to ravines or wadis of Gaash in lists connected with David’s mighty men. Because this is a geographic name rather than a theological concept, it should be classified as a biblical place-name.",
  "description_academic_full": "Gaash is the name of a location in the hill country of Ephraim in the Old Testament. Scripture most clearly connects it with the burial site of Joshua, who was buried at Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim, north of the mountain of Gaash (Josh. 24:30; Judg. 2:9). A related expression, often rendered as the ravines or brooks of Gaash, appears in material associated with David’s mighty men (2 Sam. 23:30; 1 Chr. 11:32), suggesting a nearby geographic feature or district. Gaash is therefore best understood as a biblical place-name used for historical and geographical reference, not as a theological term.",
  "background_biblical_context": "Gaash appears in Old Testament passages that locate Joshua’s burial and refer to a related geographic feature in the same region. Its value is primarily historical and geographical, helping readers situate events in the tribal territory of Ephraim.",
  "background_historical_context": "The name belongs to Israel’s settled geography in the land of Canaan. It likely identified a local hill, district, or ravine system in Ephraim, though the exact site is not securely identified today.",
  "background_jewish_ancient_context": "For ancient Israel, place-names such as Gaash anchored covenant history in real locations. The mention of Joshua’s burial near Gaash would have reinforced the memory of Israel’s conquest and settlement.",
  "key_texts_primary": [
    "Joshua 24:30",
    "Judges 2:9"
  ],
  "key_texts_secondary": [
    "2 Samuel 23:30",
    "1 Chronicles 11:32"
  ],
  "original_language_note": "Hebrew place-name; the exact etymology is uncertain.",
  "theological_significance": "Gaash has little direct doctrinal content, but it contributes to the Bible’s historical credibility by tying major events to identifiable places.",
  "philosophical_explanation": "As a place-name, Gaash reminds readers that biblical revelation is rooted in real history and geography, not abstract ideas alone.",
  "interpretive_cautions": "Do not treat Gaash as a theological term or build doctrine from it. The precise modern location is uncertain, and the expression “ravines/brooks of Gaash” is a geographic reference, not a separate doctrine or symbol.",
  "major_views_note": "No major interpretive dispute affects the basic identity of Gaash as a place-name, though its exact location is debated.",
  "doctrinal_boundaries": "Gaash should be read as historical geography, not as a doctrinal category or symbolic name with hidden theological meaning.",
  "practical_significance": "Biblical place-names like Gaash help readers see that Scripture is rooted in concrete places, peoples, and events.",
  "meta_description": "Gaash is a biblical place-name in Ephraim, linked to Joshua’s burial area and mentioned again in connection with David’s mighty men.",
  "public_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/gaash/",
  "json_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/data/dictionary/gaash.json",
  "final_disposition": "PUBLISH_CANONICAL"
}