Lexical Summary Gizri: Gizrite Original Word: גִּזְרִי Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Gezrites (in the m patrial from Gezer; a Gezerite (collectively) or inhabitants of Gezer; but better (as in the text) by transposition Girziy {gher-zee'}; patrial of Griziym; a Grizite (collectively) or member of a native tribe in Palestine -- Gezrites. see HEBREW Gezer see HEBREW Griziym NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originanother reading for Girzi, q.v. Gichon Definition see NH1521. Brown-Driver-Briggs גִּזְרִי adjective, of a people 1 Samuel 27:8 Qr (Kt והגרזי) compare Dr. גִּרְזִי Kt, גִּזְרִי (q. v.) Qr adjective, of a people 1 Samuel 27:8. Topical Lexicon Biblical Occurrence “Now David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites; from ancient times these people had lived in the land extending to Shur and Egypt.” (1 Samuel 27:8) Historical Background and Ethnology The Girzites (also rendered “Gezrites”) are mentioned only once, yet the context is illuminating. They appear among peoples who had occupied the south-western fringe of Canaan “from ancient times,” suggesting a long-standing, pre-Israelite presence. Their grouping with the Geshurites and Amalekites links them to nomadic or semi-nomadic tribes that moved between the Negev, the coastal plain, and the desert of Shur. Several proposals about their identity have been advanced: Whatever their precise lineage, Scripture treats them as a distinct people group still occupying territory promised to Israel but never fully subdued in the days of Joshua or the Judges (Joshua 13:2-3; Judges 1:19, 27-36). Geographic Setting The phrase “extending to Shur and Egypt” places the Girzites in the arid corridor between the Philistine Plain and the Sinai Peninsula. This borderland lay outside Philistine city-states yet within striking distance of Egypt’s northeastern frontier, making it a crossroads for caravans, raiders, and shepherds. The wilderness environment explains their apparent mobility and their capacity either to ally with or harass neighboring peoples. Place in the Narrative of David 1. Instrument of Divine Judgment. Saul’s failure to carry out the LORD’s command to “blot out the memory of Amalek” (1 Samuel 15:1-3; Deuteronomy 25:17-19) left hostile enclaves in the south. David’s campaigns begin to remedy that neglect, signifying God’s continued resolve to establish a holy people in a holy land. Theological Significance • Covenant Faithfulness. The presence of the Girzites underscores how incomplete obedience in earlier generations left room for lingering opposition. David’s actions illustrate the necessity of thorough commitment to God’s mandates (Joshua 23:12-13). Ministry and Devotional Applications 1. Unfinished Business. Just as ancient Israel’s partial obedience left pockets of resistance, believers today must not tolerate “little” sins that can metastasize (Hebrews 12:1). Key References for Further Study Genesis 20; Genesis 26 – Gerar and its region. Deuteronomy 7:1-5; Deuteronomy 25:17-19 – Commands regarding Canaanite nations and Amalek. Joshua 13:2-6 – Unconquered territories. 1 Samuel 15; 1 Samuel 27 – Saul’s failure and David’s raids. Psalm 22:27-28; 1 Corinthians 15:24-25 – God’s universal kingship and final triumph. Forms and Transliterations וְהַגִּזְרִ֖י והגזרי vehaggizRi wə·hag·giz·rî wəhaggizrîLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance 1 Samuel 27:8 HEB: [וְהַגִּרְזִי כ] (וְהַגִּזְרִ֖י ק) וְהָעֲמָלֵקִ֑י KJV: the Geshurites, and the Gezrites, and the Amalekites: INT: about the Geshurites Gezrites and the Amalekites for 1 Occurrence |