GATJLANITIS (gaulIn-its). See GOLAN.
GAZA (gA'zi), (Heb. az-zaw, stronghold).
Gaza lies on the road leading from Akabah to Hebron, which passes along nearly the whole length of the great Wady-el-Arabah. It is on the seacoast, in lat. 3rd. 2orn, long. 34d. 29m. (Robin son), in the country of the Philistines (Josh. xv: the Egyptians, probably Pharaoh-Necho (Jer. xlvii ; comp. Herod. ii :159). The prophets speak in severe terms against it (Jer. xlvii:5; Amos i:6, 7; Zeph ii:4; Zech. ix:5). After the destruction of Tyre it sustained a siege of two months against Alexander the Great (Joseph. Antiq. xi:8, 4)• Jonathan Maccabaeus Mace. xi:61) destroyed its suburbs; Simon Maccabxus (1 Mace. xiii :43) took the city itself, though not without extraordinary efforts. Alexander Jan melts spent a year in besieging it and punishing its inhabitants (Antiq. xiii :13. 3). The place was rebuilt by Gabinius (Antiq. xiv :5, 3). It wasamong the cities given by Augustus to Herod (Antiq. xv :7, 3), after whose death it was united to the province of Syria (Antiq. xvii 4).
Gaza is celebrated for the exploit recorded of Samson (Judg. xvi:1-3), who 'took the doors of tile gate of the city, and the two posts, and went away with them, bar and all, and put them on his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of a hill firm is before Hebron.' The Philis
tines afterwards took Samson, and put out his eyes, and brought him to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass, and he did grind in the pris on-house: he, however, pulled down the temple of Dagon, god of the Philistines, and slew, to gether with himself, 'all the lords of the Philis tines,' besides men and women (Judg. xvi:21-30). It was near Gaza—on the road from Jerusalem to that place—that Philip baptized the eunuch 'of great authority under Candace, queen of the Ethi opians' (Acts viii :26, sq.).
Gaza lay some distance from the sca (Arrian, ii :26), though it had a port on the sea, called 'Gaza on the sea,' called also Majuma (6 Mato4Lat), which Constantine called Constantia, from the name of his son, giving it, at the satne time, municipal rights. Julian took away this name and ordered it to be called the port of Gaza. Subsequent emperors restore() the name and the privileges of the place. It was afterwards called the sea-coast of Gaza. (Literature, Porter, Handbk. of Syria and Palest. i. 262. ff.; Gage's Trans]. of Ritter, Geog. of Palest.; Van de Veldc. Syria and Palest. ii. 179-189; Thomsost, Land and Book, ii. 331 ff.)