Hebrew word · H126

אַדְמָה

'admah

Admah

Proper names of two cities of the plain near the Dead Sea, listed with Sodom and Gomorrah. They are distinct from the common noun ʾadamah, 'ground'.

Appears 5 times in 5 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

§ Admah = "red earth"

city in the Siddim valley

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Hosea 11:8

Range of meaning

Proper names of two cities of the plain near the Dead Sea, listed with Sodom and Gomorrah. They are distinct from the common noun ʾadamah, 'ground'.

Against the English

All versions transliterate the names. Modern readers usually do not recognize them, so the force of the comparison (total, curse-level destruction) is lost unless it is explained.

Used elsewhere in the period

Gen 10:19 (the Canaanite borders); Gen 14:2, 8 (their kings, Shinab and Shemeber, fight beside the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah); Deut 29:23 (Heb 29:22): the covenant curse on an unfaithful Israel, whose land will be 'brimstone and salt… like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the LORD overthrew in his anger and wrath'. They appear nowhere else.

Where it appears

Genesis · 3

  1. Genesis 10:19 וְאַדְמָ֥ה and Admah

    and the borders of Canaan extended from Sidon toward Gerar as far as Gaza, and then toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha.

  2. Genesis 14:2 אַדְמָ֗ה Admah

    went to war against Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar).

  3. Genesis 14:8 אַדְמָה֙ Admah

    Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) marched out and arrayed themselves for battle in the Valley of Siddim

Deuteronomy · 1

  1. Deuteronomy 29:23 אַדְמָ֣ה Admah

    All its soil will be a burning waste of sulfur and salt, unsown and unproductive, with no plant growing on it, just like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the LORD overthrew in His fierce anger.

    Here: One of the five cities of the plain (Gen 10:19; 14:2, 8). Its destruction is not described in Gen 19, but it is assumed here and in Hos 11:8.

Hosea · 1

  1. Hosea 11:8 כְאַדְמָ֔ה like Admah

    How could I give you up, O Ephraim? How could I surrender you, O Israel? How could I make you like Admah? How could I treat you like Zeboiim? My heart is turned within Me; My compassion is stirred!

    Here: 'Like Admah'. Admah was one of the cities of the plain wiped out with Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 10:19; 14:2; Deut 29:23). It stood for destruction so complete that nothing was left to rebuild.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.