Hamath

Hamath in the Bible

Hamath appears in several books of the Old Testament. Its occurrences fall into four broad categories.

• Boundary of the land: The twelve spies searched the land "as men come to Hamath" (Numbers 13:21). Numbers 34:8 sets the northern border of the Promised Land at "the entrance of Hamath." Hamath also appears in the boundaries of the restored land that Ezekiel saw in his vision (Ezekiel 47:16-17; 48:1).
• The monarchy: When David defeated Hadadezer king of Zobah, Toi king of Hamath sent his son to congratulate him (2 Samuel 8:9-10). Solomon attacked and captured Hamath-zobah and built store cities (cities for stockpiling supplies) in Hamath (2 Chronicles 8:3-4). Jeroboam II restored the territory of Israel "from the entering of Hamath unto the sea of the plain" (the Arabah). This was done according to the word the Lord had spoken through Jonah the son of Amittai, of Gath-hepher (2 Kings 14:25, 28).
• The Assyrian period: The king of Assyria resettled people from Hamath in Samaria, where they made a god called Ashima (2 Kings 17:24, 30). The Rabshakeh taunted Hezekiah: "Where are the gods of Hamath, and of Arpad?" (2 Kings 18:34). Isaiah 10:9 likewise lists Hamath among the cities that fell to Assyria.
• Prophecy and judgment: Amos cited "Hamath the great" in rebuking Israel's pride (Amos 6:2, 14). Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon executed the sons of Zedekiah and the officials of Judah at Riblah in the land of Hamath (2 Kings 25:6-7, 20-21). In Genesis 10:18, Hamath also appears as the name of one of the clans descended from Canaan.

Background

Hamath was a strategic crossroads on the middle Orontes River, situated on the route linking Damascus in the south with the regions to the north. It is generally identified with the modern city of Hama in Syria. The name is sometimes interpreted as meaning "fortress," though this is uncertain. According to Assyrian records, in the mid-ninth century BC the king of Hamath joined Damascus, King Ahab of Israel, and others in resisting Assyria. Hamath is believed to have been conquered by Assyria in the late eighth century BC.

Significance in the Bible as a Whole

In the Old Testament, Hamath symbolizes the farthest northern limit Israel could reach. The expression "from the entering in of Hamath unto the river of Egypt" (1 Kings 8:65) functioned almost as an idiom for all Israel. At the same time, the fall of Hamath is cited as evidence that human strength and foreign gods are powerless before a great empire. Hamath does not appear directly in the New Testament. However, Jonah, who prophesied the restoration of Israel's territory as far as Hamath, is understood to be the same person Jesus mentions in Matthew 12:41.

Interpretation and Debated Points

• Meaning of "the entrance of Hamath": The Korean Revised Version renders the Hebrew lebo hamath as "the entrance of Hamath" (KJV "the entering in of Hamath"). Some scholars regard lebo as a proper place name corresponding to a location in present-day Lebanon and read the phrase as "Lebo-hamath." On this reading, the location of the boundary line shifts.
• "Which belonged to Judah" in 2 Kings 14:28: Some interpret this phrase as referring to rule during the reigns of David and Solomon. Others see it as reflecting a difficulty in the textual tradition, so scholarly explanations vary.
• Hamath-zobah: Opinions differ on whether this term refers jointly to Hamath and Zobah or is a distinct place name.