GAZA, or AZZAH otv ; Sept. Tai-ci), one of the most ancient towns of Palestine, and the capi tal and stronghold of the Philistines. his situated in a sandy plain three miles from the sea, on the southern frontier of Palestine, in lat. 31° 29', and long. 34.* 33' (Van de Velde, .Memoir, 66).
Gaza was an important city even before the time of Abraham. We are told in Gen. x. that the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon, as thou comest to Gerar, nnto Gaza.' Its earliest inhabi tants of whom we find any mention, though pro bably not the aborigines, are the Avinz, who appear to have lived in a semi-nomad state, roving over the neighbouring plain and desert. They v.Tre attacked and driven northward by the Caph tonm, who came forth out of Caphtor, and they dwelt in their stead' (Deut. ii. 23, with Josh. xiii. 2, 3. See Keil's note on the latter passage). The Caphtorim and Philistines were identical, or at least different families of the same tribe who after wards amalgamated and formed the powerful nation of whom we read so much in the Bible (comp. Deut. 23 ; Amos ix. 7 ; Gen. x. ; Jer. xlvii. 4. CAPHTOEIM ; PHILISTINES). The time of the conquest of Gaza by the Philistines is not known. It must have been long before Abraham's time ; for they were then firmly established in the COM). try, and possessed of great power (Gen. xxi. 32). Gaza was from the first their principal stronghold.
It was the key of Philistia, and was exposed to the attack of every hostile invader from Egypt, and from the warlike Amalekites who roamed over the desert of Tih. Gaza formed the limits of Joshua's conquests on the south-west. Whether he cap tured the city itself is uncertain, though it would seem frotn chap. xi. 22 that he did not. Both city and territory fell to the lot of Judah, and were taken by that powerful tribe ; but the Philistines even at that remote period had chariots of iron, and the Israelites were unable to withstand the as-aults of these in the open plain, and were thus forced to retire to the mountains (Judg. IS, 19). Gaza never afterwards came into their possession. Gaza is sometimes employed in Scripture to denote the limits of the Israelitish territory in this direc tion, just as Dan, and Beersheba, and Kadesh were at other directions (Judg. vi. 4 ; Josh. x. 41, etc.) Samson visited Gaza in one of his adventurous in cursions in Philistia. The story of the attempt to imprison him in the city, and his escape, carrying with him gate, posts, bar, and all,' is well known.
The tradition still lingers on the spot. A venera ble Musiem pointed out to the writer the site of Samson's gate, and the hill-top to which he carried it. There can be little doubt that the latter is cor rect. It is the highest point of a ridge of hills, a mile east of the town, and commands a wide view over the whole plain away to the distant mountains that encircle FIebron (Judg. xvi. r, seq.) It was to Gaza the Philistines took Samson when Delilah betrayed him ; and the tragic close of his eventful life has given to the city an imperishable fame. Gaza was always included in those tenible judg ments pronounced by the later prophets on the great cities of Philistia ; and which are deserving of such special notice from the remarkable minute ness with which they have been fulfilled (See Keith on the Prophecies, 37th ed. ; Hana'book for Sin. and Pal.) Baldness is come upon Gaza' (Jer. xlvii. 5) ; I will set a fire upon the walls of Gaza, which shall devour the palaces thereof ' (Amos i. 7) ; "The king shall perish from Gaza' (Zech. ix. 5). A single glance at the modern town is sufficient to shew how completely its glory, and its power, and its strength, have dcparted.
After the capture of Tyre, Alexander the Great be sieged Gaza. It must have been at that time a place of great strength, for his Greek engineers acknow ledged their inability to invent engines of sufficient power to batter its massive walls. Alexander him self was severely wounded in a sortie of the garri son ; and it was only after a five months' siege the city was taken (Arrian, Exped. Alexand. ii. 26, 27 ; Quintus Curt. iv. 6, 7). Strabo states that A exander destroyed Gaza, and that it remained deserted until his day (Geogr. xvi. p. 522). This however is an error, for the city is often referred to during the wars of the Maccabees. It was visited by Jonathan, and successfully withstood his assault, though he did it much damage (i Maccab. xi. 6i). It remained during these troublous times the princi pal fortress of southern Palestine (xiii. 43 ; Joseph. Antiq. xiii. 5. 5). About B.C. 96 it was captured by Alexander Jannzeus after a year's siege, and razed to the ground (Joseph. Antiy. xiii. 13. 3). Gabinius, governor of Syria, rebuilt it (xiv. 5. 3) ; and Augustus gave it to Herod the Great ; but at his death it was annexed to the province of Syria fxv. 7. 3 ; xvii. 1. 4). About A. n. 65 Gaza was laid in ruins by the Jews, in revenge for the mas sacre of their brethren in Cxsarea 7nd.