GERGESENES, or Girgashites, an ancient people of the land of Canaan. Their habitation was beyond the sea of Tiberias, where we find some footsteps of their name in the City of Gergesa upon the Lake of Tiberias. The Jewish Doctors inform us, that when Joshua first came into Gemar. Ierosol. tit. Schebiit. c. 6. Maimon. Halac Mel. c. 6.the Land of Canaan, the Gergesenes took a resolution rather to forsake their country, than to submit to the Hebrews. The Rabbins are of opinion, that Joshua proposed the following conditions to the Canaanites, flight, subjection, or war. The Gergesenes resolved to fly; and accordingly retired into Africk. The Gibeonites submitted to a state of servitude; and the other Canaanites made war.
They do not tell us in particular, what part of Africk the Gergesenes retired to; but there is a very old tradition, that many of the Canaanites removed thither, when Joshua entred into the Land of Promise. Procop. de Bello Vandal. l. 2. c. 10.Procopius says, that they withdrew at first into Egypt, and from thence dispersed into different places of Africk, where they possessed several Cities; and that still in his time, there were two large pillars of white stones to be seen in the City of Tingis, erected near the great fountain, with an inscription in Phœnician characters to this purpose: We are some of those people, who fled before that robber Joshua the son of Nun.
Thalmudici, Perek Cheloth.The Hebrew Doctors relate farther, that the Gergesenes came with their complaints to Alexander the Great, demanding of him the restitution of their country, which the Hebrews, as they asserted, had usurped from them. Alexander directed, that the Jews should be cited, in order to give their answer to this accusation. Accordingly they appeared, and in their defence maintained, that they not only were in no way indebted to the Gergesenes; but that, on the contrary, being slaves and fugitives, they ought to be restored to them, together with all the damages, which they had sustained by their flight for so many ages. They proved the first head; namely, that the Gergesenes, being descended from Canaan, were slaves according to the sentence Genes. ix. 25.pronounced by Noah, against Canaan. Cursed be Canaan, a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren. Their flight was not disputed; so that there was nothing more to do, but to give sentence in favour of the Hebrews. But the Gergesenes did not think it proper to stay and hear their own condemnation; so went away, and gave up their cause.
I do not set down this relation as unquestionable history. It is a Rabbinical story, which proves this, viz. that they believed the Gergesenes to have fled out of the land of Canaan, when Joshua entred it. Nevertheless it is certain, that a good number of them staid behind, since Joshua Josh. xxiv. 11.himself informs us, that he subdued the Gergesenes or Girgashites; and they, whom he overcame, were certainly on this side Jordan. It may be therefore, that they who fled into Africk, were the Gergesenes who dwelt beyond the sea of Tiberias, and that the others continued in the country. See our Dissertation concerning the Land into which the Canaanites fled, printed before the book of Joshua.