Hamul

Biblical Record

Hamul appears in Scripture in only three genealogical passages.

• Genesis 46:12: This passage lists Jacob's household as it went down into Egypt. After naming the sons of Judah, it records, "and the sons of Pharez were Hezron and Hamul."
• Numbers 26:21: This passage records the second census, taken in the plains of Moab. Among the descendants of Perez, it lists "of Hamul, the family of the Hamulites" alongside the family of the Hezronites.
• 1 Chronicles 2:5: The genealogy of the descendants of Judah records, "The sons of Pharez; Hezron, and Hamul."

The text says nothing about his life or deeds.

Significance in Scripture

The name Hamul identifies the origin of one family, or clan, within the tribe of Judah. Because the census in Numbers lists the Hamulites separately, his descendants evidently formed a distinct group among the tribes of Israel.

The genealogy leading to David and to Jesus passes not through Hamul but through his brother Hezron (Ruth 4:18–19; Matthew 1:3; Luke 3:33). The name Hamul does not appear in the New Testament.

Interpretation and Debate

Genesis 46 lists those who entered Egypt with Jacob. Perez was the son Judah fathered by Tamar (Genesis 38), yet the list also includes Perez's sons, Hezron and Hamul. Interpreters therefore differ over whether the two had already been born at that time. Some take the list literally. Others offer various explanations, including the view that the list fills the places of Er and Onan, who had died, in order to set the family line in order.

In the Korean Church

Sermons and Sunday school lessons devoted specifically to Hamul are rare; his name is encountered mainly as part of a genealogy during reading through the Bible. In the Korean Revised Version and the New Korean Revised Version, a search for "하물" (Hamul) also returns the adverb "하물며" ("how much more"), so care is needed when looking up the relevant verses.