עֲדֻלָּמִי
an Adullamite or native of Adullam
Definition
The term 'Adullamite' refers to a person from the ancient Canaanite city of Adullam. It is used exclusively in the Old Testament as a gentilic (patrial) noun to denote someone's origin from that specific location. In its biblical occurrences, it specifically identifies Hirah, a friend of Judah, as 'Hirah the Adullamite' (Genesis 38:1, 12, 20). The word carries no additional or varied meanings beyond this geographical designation.
Biblical Usage
This word is used only three times in the Old Testament, all within the narrative of Genesis 38. It consistently describes Judah's friend and associate, Hirah, specifying his origin from the town of Adullam. The usage is straightforward and serves a purely descriptive function to identify a character's background within the story of Judah and Tamar.
Etymology
The word is a patrial noun derived directly from the place name 'Adullam' (עֲדֻלָּם, H5725). Patrial nouns in Hebrew are formed to indicate origin or belonging to a specific location. 'Adullam' itself is thought to possibly mean 'retreat' or 'refuge,' which is fitting given its role as a cave stronghold for David (1 Samuel 22:1).
Semantic Range
In the ancient Near East, a person's identity was often closely tied to their city or region of origin. Labeling Hirah as 'the Adullamite' immediately provided the original audience with contextual information about his homeland. Adullam was a Canaanite city in the Shephelah (lowland) region, later incorporated into the territory of Judah (Joshua 15:35). This designation subtly places Hirah, and by extension Judah's interactions with him, within the context of Judah's relationships with the indigenous Canaanite populations.
There are no direct synonyms, as this is a proper gentilic noun. Related terms would be other patrial designations, such as: יְהוּדִי (Yehudiy, H3064) — a Judean or Jew, from the tribe/kingdom of Judah. גִּבְעָתִי (Givʻathiy, H1390) — a Gibeathite, from the city of Gibeah.
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
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