hormah Summary and Overview

banning; i.e., placing under a "ban," or devoting to utter destruction. After the manifestation of God's anger against the Israelites, on account of their rebellion and their murmurings when the spies returned to the camp at Kadesh, in the wilderness of Paran, with an evil report of the land, they quickly repented of their conduct, and presumed to go up "to the head of the mountain," seeking to enter the Promised Land, but without the presence of the Lord, without the ark of the convenant, and without Moses. The Amalekites and the Canaanites came down and "smote and discomfited them even unto Hormah" (Num. 14:45). This place, or perhaps the watch-tower commanding it, was originally called Zephath (Judg. 1:17), the modern Sebaiteh. Afterwards (Num. 21:1-3) Arad, the king of the Canaanites, at the close of the wanderings, when the Israelites were a second time encamped at Kadesh, "fought against them, and took some of them prisoners." But Israel vowed a vow unto the Lord utterly to destroy the cities of the Canaanites; they "banned" them, and hence the place was now called Hormah. But this "ban" was not fully executed till the time of Joshua, who finally conquered the king of this district, so that the ancient name Zephath became "Hormah" (Josh. 12:14; Judg. 1:17).

(a place laid waste), or ZEPHATH, #Jud 1:17| was the chief town of a king of a Canaanitish tribe on the south of Israel, which was reduced by Joshua, and became a city of the territory of Judah, #Jos 15:30; 1Sa 30:30| but apparently belonged to Simeon. #1Ch 4:30|

HOR'MAH (place desolated), a royal city of the Canaanites; assigned to Simeon. Num 14:45; Num 21:1-3; Deut 1:44; Josh 12:14; Josh 19:4. It was first known as Zephath or "watch-tower," Judg 1:17; was destroyed after the Conquest; was rebuilt. 1 Sam 30:30; 1 Chr 4:30. Robinson identified Zephath with the pass es-Sufah, but Palmer and Drake, with greater certainty, locate it at Sebaiteh, the equivalent for the Hebrew "watch-tower." The ruins are 500 yards long by 200 or 300 yards wide, and comprise churches, a tower, and two reservoirs of water. The streets can also be traced. It is about 20 miles from 'Ain Gadis (Kadesh), and a ruined fort 3 miles from the town commands the only pass through which the city could be approached. Palmer suggests that the fortress was the sephath, or "watch-tower," and Sebaista the city. Conder suggests Horun as ancient Hormah, but until further exploration Palmer's view seems the most probable.

Joshua (Joshua 12:14) struck its king. In ancient times, Zephath (Judges 1:17). Capital of a Canaanite tribe in S. Israel. Taken by Judah and Simeon (Judges 1:17). Judah appropriated it (Joshua 15:30; 1 Samuel 26:30). But Simeon's territory was so blended with that of Judah that elsewhere it is enumerated among Simeon's towns (1 Chronicles 4:30). In Numbers 14:45 it is called Hormah by anticipation. After Israel's unbelief, consequent on the spies' report, and subsequent presumptuous advance toward Canaan, in defiance of the Lord who no longer would go with them since they had refused to go when He invited them, the Amalekites from the hill "smote them and discomfited them even unto Hormah" Then followed the wandering in the wilderness for 38 years. Then they came again to Hormah (Numbers 21:3), i.e. the place under the ban (Leviticus 27:28-29), devoted to destruction. "Zephath" is compared with es Safah on the S.E. frontier of Canaan, the pass by which Israel probably ascended from the Et Tih desert and the Arabah. Rowlands however identifies it with Sebatah where are extensive ruins, and near is a ruined fortress El Meshrifeh, the presumed site of the "watchtower." The site suggested in the Speaker's Commentary is some miles E. of Sebatah, namely, Rakhmah, an anagram of Hormah, the more permanent name. Israel marching N.N.W. from the Arabah, past Rakhmah or Hormah, would come to the wide plain, es Sir, the "Seir" of Deuteronomy 1:44. Twenty miles' further march would have brought them to Arad royal city (Numbers 21:1); but before they could reach it the king drove them back to Hormah Numbers 15-19 belong to the dreary period of the 38 years' wandering after a year spent at Sinai; Numbers 20 presents them at the same point they started from 38 years before, Kadesh, in the 40th year; Numbers 21 introduces Arad assailing Israel and taking prisoners, then defeated by Israel in answer to prayer, and Hormah utterly destroyed. Israel not wishing to remain there marched S.E. The Canaanites reoccupied the place and restored it under the old name Zephath. Not until northern Canaan was subdued did Israel reach it again in the extreme S., and Joshua conquered the king. Finally under the judges Judah and Simeon consummated the ban of Moses and his contemporaries on it, so that henceforth its name was permanently Hormah. This sets aside the objection to Numbers 14:45 and Numbers 21:3 as if these passages were post-Mosaic because of Judges 1:17.