מִכְמָס
Mikmas or Mikmash, a place in Palestine
Definition
Mikmas (also spelled Mikmash) is a proper noun referring to a town in the territory of Benjamin, located about 7 miles northeast of Jerusalem. It is best known as the site of a significant military confrontation in 1 Samuel 13-14, where King Saul and his son Jonathan faced the Philistine army. The town is also listed among the places where returning exiles settled after the Babylonian captivity (Ezra 2:27, Nehemiah 11:31). Its location on a strategic ridge overlooking a steep valley made it an important geographical and military point.
Biblical Usage
The word is used exclusively as a place name in the Old Testament, appearing 11 times. Its primary context is in 1 Samuel 13-14, detailing the battles between Israel and the Philistines (e.g., 1 Samuel 13:2, 13:5, 13:23). It later appears in post-exilic lists documenting the return of Israelites to their ancestral towns (Ezra 2:27, Nehemiah 11:31). All occurrences are in historical narratives.
Etymology
The name מִכְמָס (Mikmâç) is derived from the Hebrew root כָּמַס (kāmas, H3647), meaning 'to store up, to hide, to hoard.' This suggests the town's name may have originally conveyed a sense of a 'hidden' or 'stored' place, possibly referring to its secluded or fortified geographical setting. Variant spellings like מִכְמָשׁ (Mikmāsh) appear in Nehemiah 11:31.
Semantic Range
Mikmas is theologically significant as the backdrop for God's deliverance of Israel through Jonathan's act of faith in 1 Samuel 14:6-15. This event highlights that victory comes not from human military strength but through trust in God's power. The town's mention in the exile return lists (Ezra, Nehemiah) also underscores God's faithfulness in restoring His people to the Promised Land, fulfilling His covenant promises.
In its ancient Near Eastern context, Mikmas was a fortified town controlling a key pass (the Wadi Suweinit) on an important north-south route. Its strategic military value is why the Philistines garrisoned there (1 Samuel 13:23). For Israelites, it was part of the tribal inheritance of Benjamin. Its post-exilic repopulation reflects the cultural practice of returning to ancestral lands to reestablish community and identity.
No direct synonyms as a proper place name. Geographically related terms include: גֶּבַע (Gebaʿ, H1387) — a nearby Benjamite town often mentioned in conjunction with Mikmas (e.g., 1 Samuel 13:3).
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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