Bible Location

Gutium (Goiim)

Old Testament

Also known as: Gutium state in Iran

Goiim appears in Genesis 14 as the realm or people ruled by Tidal, one of four eastern kings who campaigned against the cities of the Jordan plain. The Hebrew word can mean "nations," and some translations consequently describe Tidal simply as "king of nations."

Some scholars have proposed that Goiim refers to Gutium, a region and people associated with the Zagros Mountains east of Mesopotamia. This identification remains uncertain.

Because neither Tidal nor his realm can presently be securely identified from independent historical evidence, Goiim should not be presented as a firmly located biblical kingdom.

Biblical Significance

Genesis 14 identifies Tidal king of Goiim as one member of a coalition consisting also of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, and Chedorlaomer king of Elam.

The coalition campaigned westward after several kings of the Jordan plain rebelled against Chedorlaomer. Sodom and Gomorrah were defeated, and Lot was among those taken captive.

Abraham gathered his trained men, pursued the invading force, defeated it in a night attack, and rescued Lot and the other captives. Tidal and Goiim occur nowhere else by these names in the biblical narrative.

Historical Background

Gutium was a geographical designation associated broadly with peoples of the Zagros mountain region east and northeast of Mesopotamia. Gutian groups appear in Mesopotamian texts from the third millennium BC onward.

Because of similarities perceived between biblical Goiim and ancient names associated with Gutium, scholars have sometimes proposed that Tidal ruled a Gutian population or confederation.

Other interpretations understand the Hebrew expression more generically as "king of nations" or ruler of a coalition. Attempts to identify Tidal with known Anatolian or Mesopotamian rulers have likewise remained speculative.

Modern Identification

No secure modern location can be assigned to biblical Goiim. If the proposed connection with Gutium is correct, the name would point broadly toward the Zagros region of western Iran and northeastern Iraq.

That identification is not sufficiently certain to justify labeling Gutium as unquestionably the Goiim of Genesis 14.

AVWJ should therefore preserve the possible Gutium association while clearly identifying it as a scholarly proposal.

Scripture References

Gen. 14:1-3

Related Resources

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Sources

Bible: Genesis 14:1-17; ancient Mesopotamian references to Gutium and Gutian peoples; biblical reference works concerning Tidal and Goiim; historical studies of Genesis 14 and proposed ancient Near Eastern identifications