Who was Hoham in the Bible?

Hoham was the Amorite king of Hebron who allied with four other Canaanite kings to fight against Joshua and the Israelites. He is mentioned in the context of the conquest of Canaan, specifically in the battle where God caused the sun to stand still (Joshua 10:3).

What happened to King Hoham?

Hoham was defeated by Joshua's army at Gibeon and pursued. He and the other four allied kings hid in a cave at Makkedah, where Joshua trapped and later executed them, hanging their bodies on trees until evening (Joshua 10:16-27).

Why is Hoham significant in the Bible?

Hoham's defeat represents God's fulfillment of His promise to give the land of Canaan to Israel. His story illustrates the judgment on the Canaanite kings who opposed God's people and highlights Joshua's obedience and military success under God's command (Joshua 10:42).

Hoham

Old TestamentMaleKing

Hoham, the Amorite king of Hebron, was one of the five kings who formed an alliance against Joshua and the Israelites, but was ultimately defeated.

Hoham

Biography

Hoham was the Amorite king of Hebron during the Israelite conquest of Canaan under Joshua. He is introduced in Joshua 10:3 as one of five Canaanite kings who formed a coalition to punish the city of Gibeon after it made a peace treaty with Israel, a treaty the Gibeonites had obtained through deception. When Joshua received word of the Gibeonite appeal for aid, he led a rapid overnight march from Gilgal and launched a surprise assault. The LORD intervened dramatically, throwing the Canaanite armies into confusion and casting down great hailstones upon the fleeing forces (Joshua 10:11). Hoham and the other four kings fled and hid in a cave at Makkedah, where they were subsequently captured and executed by Joshua, a demonstration of the total victory God had promised Israel in the southern campaign.

Significance

Hoham's defeat embodies the central theological claim of the Joshua conquest narrative: the land of Canaan was given by divine grant, and Canaanite opposition, however formidable, could not prevail against God's determined purposes. His coalition's attempt to punish Gibeon for making peace with Israel inadvertently triggered one of the most supernaturally dramatic battles in the Old Testament, including the famous episode in which the sun and moon stood still (Joshua 10:12–14). Hoham thus serves as a foil for God's sovereign power over earthly kings. His story also reinforces the principle that those who oppose what God has purposed will ultimately fail, while those who align themselves with God's people, even imperfectly, as the Gibeonites did, may find unexpected protection and mercy.

Authority Records

Wikidata

Verse Appearances (1)

Josh

Josh 10:3

References

Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Individualised Proper Names with all References (TIPNR). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
Wikidata contributors (n.d.) Wikidata. Available at: https://www.wikidata.org. [CC0]
Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]

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