Admah and Zeboim

Biblical Text

Admah and Zeboim almost always appear paired with Sodom and Gomorrah.

• Genesis 10:19: In describing the border of the Canaanites, the text reads, "as thou goest, unto Sodom, and Gomorrah, and Admah, and Zeboim, even unto Lasha."
• Genesis 14:2, 8: Among the five kings who fought against four kings, including Chedorlaomer king of Elam, were "Shinab king of Admah" and "Shemeber king of Zeboiim." The five kings had served Chedorlaomer for twelve years, rebelled in the thirteenth year, and were defeated in battle in the Vale of Siddim. In this war Lot was taken captive, and Abraham rescued him (Genesis 14:12–16).
• Deuteronomy 29:23: Warning of the curse that would fall on a land that forsook the covenant, Moses cites as an example "the overthrow of Sodom, and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim, which the LORD overthrew in his anger, and in his wrath."
• Hosea 11:8: The words "how shall I make thee as Admah? how shall I set thee as Zeboim?" express God's unwillingness to abandon Ephraim (the northern kingdom of Israel).

Background

The two cities belonged to a group of cities in the plain of the Jordan, the lowland near the Dead Sea. Of the five cities named in Genesis 14, Bela, that is, Zoar, was spared from destruction at Lot's request (Genesis 19:20–23). Genesis 19 does not name Admah and Zeboim as having been destroyed along with Sodom and Gomorrah; their destruction becomes clear from Deuteronomy 29:23.

Their exact location is unknown. Some scholars place them south of the Dead Sea and others to its northeast, and attempts to identify them with particular sites vary from scholar to scholar.

As for the meaning of the names, some interpreters connect Admah with the Hebrew word for "ground, soil" (adamah) and Zeboim with "gazelle," but these explanations are not certain. The Zeboim in the territory of Benjamin mentioned in 1 Samuel 13:18 and Nehemiah 11:34 is regarded as a different place.

Significance in the Whole of Scripture

In the Old Testament, these two names serve as a byword for God's thorough judgment. Deuteronomy uses them as a warning to the covenant people. Hosea reverses the same image to emphasize the compassion of God, who will not leave a people deserving judgment to such a fate.

The New Testament does not mention Admah and Zeboim by name. However, Jude 1:7 says that "Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them" are "set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire," and these "cities about them" are generally understood to include the two cities. 2 Peter 2:6 likewise presents the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah as an example to the ungodly.

Interpretation and Points of Discussion

• Interpreters differ on how to read the expression "mine heart is turned within me" in Hosea 11:8. The Reformed tradition commonly reads it as describing God's character by analogy with human emotion (an anthropopathism), placing the emphasis on God's covenant faithfulness. Other interpreters lay greater stress on the text as revealing a genuine emotional response on God's part.
• Some scholars suggest that Hosea's choice of Admah and Zeboim rather than Sodom and Gomorrah reflects a tradition handed down in the northern kingdom of Israel.
• The statement that "four of the five cities were burned" is an inference drawn from Genesis 14 and 19 and Deuteronomy 29 taken together; it is not stated as such in any single text.