חׇרְמָה
Chormah, a place in Palestine
Definition
Chormah is a proper noun referring to a significant place in the southern region of ancient Palestine, within the territory allotted to the tribe of Judah and later to Simeon. Its name, meaning 'devoted' or 'destruction,' originates from the root word for 'devote to destruction,' reflecting its historical fate. In Numbers 21:3, the Israelites, after a victory, 'utterly destroyed' the Canaanite cities there and renamed the place Hormah, fulfilling an earlier event where they were defeated after presumptuously attacking against God's command (Numbers 14:45, Deuteronomy 1:44). It appears in later texts as an inhabited town within tribal lists (Joshua 15:30, 19:4).
Biblical Usage
The name Chormah is used exclusively as a geographical location in historical and descriptive passages. It appears in narratives of Israel's wilderness journey and conquest (Numbers, Deuteronomy), in conquest summaries (Joshua 12:14), in tribal territorial allotments (Joshua 15:30, 19:4), and in accounts of post-conquest settlement (Judges 1:17). It is also listed among David's administrative cities (1 Samuel 30:30). Its usage consistently marks it as a town in the Negev region, associated with both military defeat and eventual victory for Israel.
Etymology
Derived from the Hebrew root חָרַם (ḥāram, H2763), meaning 'to devote,' 'to ban,' or 'to utterly destroy.' The name is a noun form meaning 'a devoted thing' or 'destruction.' It signifies something set apart for complete destruction, often in a religious or covenantal context, which directly corresponds to the city's narrative in Numbers 21:3.
Semantic Range
The place name Chormah serves as a powerful geographical memorial to God's holiness and the serious consequences of disobedience versus the victory found in obedience. Its initial naming after a defeat (Numbers 14:45) stands as a warning against presumptuous action without God's presence. Its renaming after a later, God-sanctioned victory (Numbers 21:3) demonstrates how God can redeem a place of failure into a place of triumph when His people follow His commands. It illustrates the biblical theme of 'devotion to destruction' (ḥērem) as an act of divine judgment.
In ancient Near Eastern warfare, particularly within the covenant context of Israel, the concept of ḥērem (the root of Chormah) involved completely destroying a conquered city and its inhabitants, dedicating it to the deity. Naming a location 'Chormah' permanently etched this act of divine judgment or consecration into the cultural and physical landscape. It served as a lasting public monument and reminder of a significant historical and religious event.
None directly applicable as a proper place name. The root concept is shared with: חֵרֶם (ḥērem, H2764) — the noun meaning 'a thing devoted, banned, or under destruction.'
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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