Gareb

Gareb (meaning: a scab) appears in two distinct contexts in Scripture. As a personal name, Gareb the Ithrite was one of David's thirty mighty men — the elite warriors listed in the Davidic military roster of 2 Samuel 23:38 and 1 Chronicles 11:40. His tribal designation as an Ithrite connects him to the Jairite or Ithrite clans of the Judean hill country. Beyond his inclusion in this prestigious list, nothing further is recorded of his deeds or background.

As a place name, the hill of Gareb appears in Jeremiah's prophecy of Jerusalem's restoration: the rebuilt city will extend to the hill of Gareb and then turn to Goah (Jeremiah 31:39), describing the expansion of the holy city in the eschatological age. The hill of Gareb's precise location within or around Jerusalem is unknown, though the context suggests it lay to the northwest of the city. Whether the personal name and the place name share a common etymology or refer to the same individual's territory is uncertain, but both appear in passages of significance for the Davidic era and the future hope of Jerusalem.