What is "gath"

Gath, Gat, or Geth (, wine press; ), often referred to as Gath of the Philistines, was one of the five Philistine city-states, established in northwestern Philistia. Gath is often mentioned in the Hebrew Bible and its existence is confirmed by Egyptian inscriptions.

Gath is mentioned in the El-Amarna letters as Gimti/Gintu, ruled by a king Shuwardata, and possibly by Abdi-Ashtart as well.

The site most favored as the location of Gath (variant "Geth," vide infra) is the archaeological mound or tell known as Tell es-Safi in Arabic and Tel Zafit in Hebrew (sometimes written Tel Tzafit), located inside Tel Zafit National Park, although a stone inscription disclosing the name of the city has yet to be discovered. Recent excavations at the site have produced dramatic evidence of a siege and subsequent destruction of the site in the late 9th century BC, which can be related to the biblical verse mentioning its capture by Hazael of Aram Damascus.

Gath can refer to:

• Gath (surname)
• Gath (city), the biblical city and home of Goliath
• Gath-hepher, a border town in ancient Israel
• Gath (magazine), the successor to Gairm, the most significant Scottish Gaelic magazine for its longevity and range
• Gath & Chaves, an Argentine luxury department store
• The pen name of journalist George Alfred Townsend
• G.A.T.H is the acronym for the American band Gregory and the Hawk
• A fictional nation-state in the TV series Kings, based on the biblical city
• GATH is an abbreviation for the "Georgia Theatre" in Athens, Georgia, a mid-size concert venue near the University of Georgia campus where many famous acts have played.

Gath is a surname that may refer to

• Alfredo Gath (1852–1936), Argentine businessman, co-founder of Gath & Chaves
• Conor Gath (born 1980), Irish hurler
• Kulan Gath, fictional character in Marvel Comics
• Mikael Gath (born 1976), Swedish ice hockey player
• Yoav Gath (born 1980), Israeli Olympic swimmer
• The pen name of journalist George Alfred Townsend