חַמֹּת דֹּאר
Chammath-Dor, a place in Palestine
Definition
Chammath-Dor (חַמֹּת דֹּאר) is a proper noun referring to a specific location in ancient Israel, identified as a town or settlement within the territory of Naphtali. Its name, meaning 'hot springs of Dor,' suggests it was known for its thermal springs near the coastal city of Dor. In the biblical record, it is listed among the cities given to the Levites from the tribe of Naphtali, as recorded in Joshua 21:32. This single reference is its only occurrence, and it is not mentioned in any other narrative or prophetic context, indicating it was a specific, known place but not a central location in biblical events.
Biblical Usage
This word is used only once in the Old Testament, in Joshua 21:32, within a list of cities allotted to the Levitical families. It appears in the context of the distribution of the Promised Land, specifically among the cities given from the tribe of Naphtali to the Gershonite Levites. There are no other usages or patterns, as it functions solely as a geographical identifier in this administrative list.
Etymology
The name is a compound of two Hebrew words. The first part, חַמֹּת (Chammoth), is the plural construct form of חַמָּה (chammah, H2535), meaning 'heat' or 'sun,' and by extension 'hot spring.' The second part, דֹּאר (Dôr, H1756), is the name of the well-known Canaanite coastal city, Dor. Thus, the name literally translates to 'hot springs of Dor,' describing a location characterized by thermal waters in the vicinity of Dor.
Semantic Range
In its original setting, the name Chammath-Dor would have immediately conveyed a geographical and possibly economic feature—a place with natural hot springs. Thermal springs were often valued in the ancient Near East for their perceived therapeutic or ritual purposes. Its inclusion in the Levitical city list (Joshua 21:32) integrates it into the system of Israel's tribal and religious organization, showing how even smaller, feature-named locations were part of God's provision for the priestly tribe.
דּוֹר (Dôr, H1756) — The primary coastal city, whereas Chammath-Dor is a subsidiary location associated with it. חַמָּה (chammah, H2535) — The root word for 'heat' or 'hot spring,' describing the feature, not the place itself.
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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