Humtah
Humtah is an ancient city mentioned in the Old Testament, located in the region of Judea in modern-day Israel. Known today as Tel Rumeida. It appears across 1 verse in Scripture.
Biblical History
Humtah is a city listed among the settlements of the tribe of Judah in the hill country district, as recorded in Joshua 15:54. It appears in a cluster of towns that includes Hebron and its surrounding villages, placing it in the central Judean highlands. The name Humtah may derive from a Hebrew word related to "fortress" or "walled place," suggesting a defended settlement in the rugged hill country. Though mentioned only once in Scripture, Humtah belonged to the heartland of Judah's tribal inheritance, a region of profound biblical significance. The hill country of Judah was where Abraham had sojourned, where David ruled from Hebron before capturing Jerusalem, and where many of the patriarchal narratives unfolded. The detailed enumeration of towns like Humtah in Joshua 15 served a practical administrative purpose in defining Judah's territorial claims, while also testifying to the fulfillment of God's promise to give the land to Abraham's descendants. Every named village represented a concrete expression of covenant faithfulness.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
Humtah has been tentatively identified with Khirbet Humta or with the area near Tel Rumeida, the ancient tell of Hebron, in the southern Judean hills. The identification remains uncertain due to the difficulty of matching ancient names to modern sites in a region with dense settlement history. The surrounding area near Hebron has been extensively surveyed, revealing numerous small Iron Age settlements consistent with the pattern described in Joshua 15. Tel Rumeida itself has been excavated, uncovering remains from the Early Bronze Age through the Iron Age, including massive Middle Bronze Age walls. If Humtah was a separate settlement near Hebron, it likely functioned as one of the satellite villages that supported the larger urban center.
Verse Appearances (1)
Josh
Sources: ISBE Encyclopedia · OpenBible Geocoding (CC BY) · Pleiades Gazetteer View all →