Place Old Testament
Giah
Giah was a place near Gibeon where Joab and Abishai pursued Abner after the battle at the pool of Gibeon. Mentioned once in Scripture, at 2 Samuel 2:24.
Why it matters. Location near Gibeon where Joab and Abishai pursued Abner.
- Primary passages
- Location
- 31.869, 35.343 (approximate, within about 2 km)
Coordinates from STEPBible TIPNR (palopenmaps.org link). Approximate; not independently verified.
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Giah
Giah is a location mentioned only once in the Bible, in 2Sa.2.24. It was situated near Gibeon, a prominent city in Benjamin's territory just north of Jerusalem.
The context of the reference to Giah is the aftermath of a battle between the forces of David and Ishbosheth, Saul's son, at the pool of Gibeon. Abner, the commander of Ishbosheth's army, was retreating after being defeated. Joab and Abishai, David's generals and brothers, pursued Abner and his men.
The text states that the pursuit continued "on the road to the wilderness of Gibeon" and that "the sun was going down when they came to the hill of Ammah, which is before Giah on the way to the wilderness of Gibeon" (2Sa.2.24, ESV).
No further details are provided about Giah. It seems to have been a known landmark on the road from Gibeon toward the wilderness area to the east. The mention of the "hill of Ammah" suggests Giah was located in hilly terrain.
Apart from this single reference, Giah is not mentioned elsewhere in the Bible or in any known extra-biblical sources. Its exact location remains unknown, though it can be generally placed in the vicinity of Gibeon, probably to the east.
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.
Appears in Scripture
Named in 1 verse across 1 book. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.
2 Samuel (1 verse)