Difference between revisions of "Hamath"

<p> The chief city of upper Syria, in the valley of the Orontes, commanding the whole valley, from the low hills which form the watershed between the [[Orontes]] and the Liturgy, to the defile of [[Daphne]] below Antioch; this was "the kingdom of Hamath." An Hamitie race (&nbsp;Genesis 10:18). Akin to their neighbours the Hittites. "The entering in of Hamath," indicates that it (the long valley between [[Lebanon]] and Antilebanon) was the point of entrance into the land of [[Israel]] for any invading army, as the [[Assyrians]] and Babylonians, from the N. The southern approach to [[Hamath]] from Coelosyria between [[Libanus]] and [[Antilibanus]] formed the northern limit to Israel's inheritance (&nbsp;Numbers 13:21; &nbsp;Numbers 34:8; &nbsp;Joshua 13:5). </p> <p> It was an independent kingdom under [[Tou]] or [[Toi]] in David's time; Toi sent presents to David who had destroyed the power of Hadarezer, Toi's enemy (&nbsp;2 Samuel 8:9-11). [[Tributary]] to [[Solomon]] who built "store cities" in it (&nbsp;2 Chronicles 8:4) as staples for the trade which passed along the Orontes valley. [[Mentioned]] as an ally of the [[Syrians]] of [[Damascus]] in the [[Assyrian]] inscriptions of Ahab's time. [[Jeroboam]] II "recovered Hamath" (&nbsp;2 Kings 14:25); but it was subjugated soon by [[Assyria]] (&nbsp;2 Kings 18:34; &nbsp;Amos 6:2; &nbsp;Amos 6:14), Who calls it "Hamath the great." Solomon's feast congregated all Israel "from the entering in of Hamath unto the river of Egypt" (&nbsp;1 Kings 8:65). The same point from which Solomon's kingdom began was the point from which, according to Amos' prophecy, began the triumph of Israel's foes for Israel's sin. From [[Antiochus]] [[Epiphanes]] it afterward got the name Epiphaneia. </p> <p> It has resumed its old name little changed, Hamah; remarkable for its great waterwheels for raising water from the Orontes for the gardens and houses. The '''''Alah''''' or "high land" of Syria abounds in ruins of villages, 365 according to the Arabs. Hamath stones have been found, four blocks of basalt inscribed with hieroglyphics, first noticed by [[Burckhardt]] in 1810; the characters in cameo raised from two to four lines, not incised, as other [[Syrian]] inscriptions. The names of Thothroes III and Amenophis I are read by some scholars in them. Burton thinks these inscriptions form a connecting link between picture writing and alphabetic writing. Probably they were Hittite in origin. </p>

<p> [[Hamath]] ( ''Hâ'Math'' ), ''Fortress, Citadel.'' A city of Syria. It was founded by a son of Canaan, &nbsp;Genesis 10:18; &nbsp;Numbers 34:8, and was situated in the valley of the Orontes. It was 165 miles in a straight line north of Jerusalem; was visited by the spies, &nbsp;Numbers 13:21, and it is frequently noticed as the northern boundary of Palestine. &nbsp;Numbers 34:8; &nbsp;Joshua 13:5. Its king, Toi, blessed David for his victory over Zobah, &nbsp;2 Samuel 8:9-12; Solomon extended his kingdom to Hamath, &nbsp;1 Kings 8:65; &nbsp;2 Chronicles 8:4, and built store-cities in that region; afterward the city and country became independent, but were again subdued by Jeroboam II. &nbsp;2 Kings 14:25. 28. It was taken by the Assyrians, &nbsp;2 Kings 18:34; &nbsp;Isaiah 10:9; Amos calls it "Hamath the great," and speaks of its desolation. &nbsp;Amos 6:2. Its modern name is Hamah, and it is now a place of 30,000 inhabitants. </p>

<p> ''''' hā´math ''''' ( חמת , <i> ''''' ḥămā̄th ''''' </i> ; Ἡμάθ , <i> ''''' Hēmáth ''''' </i> , Αἱμάθ , <i> ''''' Haimáth ''''' </i> ; Swete also has <i> ''''' [[Hemath]] ''''' </i> ): The word signifies a defense or citadel, and such designation was very suitable for this chief royal city of the Hittites, situated between their northern and southern capitals, [[Carchemish]] and Kadesh, on a gigantic mound beside the Orontes. In &nbsp; Amos 6:2 it is named Great Hamath, but not necessarily to distinguish it from other places of the same name. </p> 1. Early History <p> The Hamathite is mentioned in &nbsp; Genesis 10:18 among the sons of Canaan, but in historic times the population, as the personal names testify, seems to have been for the most part Semitic. The ideal boundary of Israel reached the territory, but not the city of Hamath (&nbsp; Numbers 34:8; &nbsp;Joshua 13:5; &nbsp;Ezekiel 47:13-21 ). David entered into friendly relations with Toi, its king (&nbsp;2 Samuel 8:9 ), and Solomon erected store cities in the land of Hamath (&nbsp;2 Chronicles 8:4 ). In the days of Ahab we meet with it on the cuneiform inscriptions, under the name <i> ''''' mat hamatti ''''' </i> , and its king Irhuleni was a party to the alliance of the Hittites with Ben-hadad of Damascus and Ahab of Israel against Shalmaneser II; but this was broken up by the battle of Qarqar in 854 bc, and Hamath became subject to Assyria. Jeroboam Ii attacked, partially destroyed, and held it for a short time (&nbsp;2 Kings 14:28; &nbsp;Amos 6:2 ). In 730 bc, its king Eniilu paid tribute to Tiglath-pileser, but he divided its lands among his generals, and transported 1,223 of its inhabitants to Sura on the Tigris. In 720, Sargon "rooted out the land of Hamath and dyed the skin of Ilubi'idi (or Jau-bi'idi) its king, like wool" and colonized the country with 4,300 Assyrians, among whom was Deioces the Mede. A few years later [[Sennacherib]] also claims to have taken it (&nbsp;2 Kings 18:34; &nbsp;2 Kings 19:13; &nbsp;Isaiah 36:19; &nbsp;Isaiah 37:13 ). In &nbsp;Isaiah 11:11 , mention is made of Israelites in captivity at Hamath, and Hamathites were among the colonists settled in Samaria (&nbsp;2 Kings 17:24 ) by [[Esarhaddon]] in 675 bc. Their special object of worship was Ashima, which, notwithstanding various conjectures, has not been identified. </p> 2. Later History <p> The Hamathite country is mentioned in &nbsp;1 [[Maccabees]] 12:25 in connection with the movements of [[Demetrius]] and Jonathan. The Seleucids renamed it <i> ''''' Epiphaneia ''''' </i> (Josephus, <i> Ant </i> , I, vi, 2), and by this name it was known to the [[Greeks]] and the Romans, even appearing as Paphunya in [[Midrash]] <i> ''''' Ber [[Rab]] ''''' </i> chapter 37. Locally, however, the ancient name never disappeared, and since the Moslem conquest it has been known as Hama. Saladin's family ruled it for a century and a half, but after the death of Abul-fida in 1331 it sank into decay. </p> 3. Modern [[Condition]] <p> The position of Hama in a fruitful plain to the East of the Nusairiyeh Mountains, on the most frequented highway between [[Mesopotamia]] and Egypt, and on the new railway, gives it again, as in ancient times, a singular significance, and it is once more rising in importance. The modern town is built in four quarters around the ancient citadel-mound, and it has a population of at least 80,000. It is now noted for its gigantic irrigating wheels. Here, too, the Hittite inscriptions were first found and designated Hamathite. </p> 4. [[Entering]] in of Hamath <p> In connection with the northern boundary of Israel, "the entering in of Hamath" is frequently mentioned (&nbsp;Numbers 13:21; &nbsp;1 Kings 8:65 , etc., the American Standard Revised Version "entrance"). It has been sought in the Orontes valley, between [[Antioch]] and Seleucia, and also at <i> ''''' Wādy Nahr el ''''' </i> - <i> ''''' Bārid ''''' </i> , leading down from Homs to the [[Mediterranean]] to the North of Tripoli. But from the point of view of Palestine, it must mean some part of the great valley of [[Coele-Syria]] ( <i> ''''' Biqa'a ''''' </i> ). It seems that instead of translating, we should read here a place-name - "Libo of Hamath" - and the presence of the ancient site of Libo (modern <i> ''''' Leboué ''''' </i> ) 14 miles North-Northeast of Baalbek, at the head-waters of the Orontes, commanding the strategical point where the plain broadens out to the North and to the South, confirms us in this conjecture. </p>