Bible Dictionary
Geber
Geber was the name of an official connected with Solomon’s administrative districts east of the Jordan. The name means “man” or “strong one,” and one reference may read “Ben-geber,” meaning “son of Geber.”
Definition
Geber, meaning “man,” “manly,” or “strong one,” is associated with officials in Solomon’s administration. One reference may read “Ben-geber,” meaning “son of Geber.”
Biblical Usage
Geber is connected with the officers who supplied food for Solomon’s household. Their districts lay east of the Jordan, in parts of Gilead and the former kingdoms of Sihon and Og.
Historical Background
The name occurs in descriptions of Solomon’s administrative districts. The precise reading and arrangement of the officials’ names presents some difficulty in the supplied material.
Scripture References
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Easton's Bible Dictionary
A valiant man, (1 Kings 4:19), one of Solomon’s purveyors, having jurisdiction over a part of Gilead, comprising all the kingdom of Sihon and part of the kingdom of Og (Deut. 2; 31).
Smith's Bible Dictionary
(manly).
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>ge'-ber (gebher, "man," "strong one"):</p><p>(1) According to 1Ki 4:13 the King James Version the father of one of the 12 officers who provided food for Solomon and his household (but here the Revised Version (British and American) "Ben-geber"). His district lay to the Northeast of Jordan.</p><p>(2) Another, and the last in the list of Solomon's commissariat officers (1Ki 4:19). His district was also East of the Jordan, but probably to the South of that named in connection with the official of 4:13 (the Revised Version (British and American) "Ben-geber"). According to the rendering of English Versions of the Bible, he is said to have been "the only officer that was in the land." Unless the text, which presents some difficulties, is corrupt, as some suppose, it probably means that this large region was assigned to one official because less able than the others to furnish the required supplies.</p><p>Benjamin Reno Downer</p>