Gur-ba'al (Hob. id.
âּåּøàּáִּòִì
, sojourn of Baal; Sept.
ðÝôñá
, Vulg. Gurbaal), a place in Arabia, successfully attacked by Uzziah (B.C. 803) (2Ch_26:7); hence on the confines of Judaea; probably so called from having a temple of Baal. From the rendering of the Sept., Calmet infers that it was in Arabia Petraea. Arabian geographers mention a place called Baal on the Syrian road, north of E1-Medineh (Marasid, s.v.). The Targum reads "Arabs living in Gerar" — suggesting
âּøø
instead of
âּåּø
. SEE GERAR. The ingenious conjectures of Bochart (Phaleg, ii, 22) respecting the Mehunim, who are mentioned together with the "Arabians that dwelt in Gur-Baal," may be considered as corroborating this identification (compare 1Ch_4:39 sq.; see Ewald, Isr. Gesch. i, 322). SEE MEHUNIM.