Person Old Testament
Gera
Gera was a descendant of Benjamin and an ancestor of Ehud, a left-handed judge who delivered Israel from Moabite oppression. Mentioned in 3 verses across 3 books, first at Genesis 46:21.
Why it matters. Descendant of Benjamin; ancestor of Ehud, a judge of Israel.
- Primary passages
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Gera
Gera is mentioned in several genealogical lists in the Old Testament. In Gen.46.21, he is listed as one of the sons of Benjamin who went down to Egypt with Israel (or 'Jacob') and his family. This places Gera as one of the founding members of the tribe of Benjamin. In Jdg.3.15, Gera is mentioned as an ancestor of Ehud, a left-handed Benjamite who was raised up by God to deliver Israel from the oppression of Eglon, king of Moab. Ehud's successful assassination of Eglon and his leadership in the subsequent battle against the Moabites brought peace to Israel for eighty years (Jdg.3.16-30). In 1Ch.8.5, Gera is again mentioned in the genealogy of Benjamin, confirming his role as a significant figure in the tribe's history. Although little is known about Gera himself, his inclusion in these genealogies highlights the importance of family lineage and tribal identity in ancient Israel.
Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.
Connections
No reviewed connections yet.
Family
Family links from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0). Where the dataset marks an identification as uncertain, the mark is kept. Matthew and Luke give different genealogies for Jesus; see the Lineage page, which never merges them.
Appears in Scripture
Named in 3 verses across 3 books. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.