Lexical Summary
Admah: Admah
Original Word:אַדָמָה
Part of Speech:Proper Name Location
Transliteration:Admah
Pronunciation:ad-maw'
Phonetic Spelling:(ad-maw')
KJV: Admah
NASB:Admah
Word Origin:[contracted forH127 (אֲדָמָה - land)]
1. earthy
2. Admah, a place near the Dead Sea
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Admah
Contracted for'adamah; earthy; Admah, a place near the Dead Sea -- Admah.
see HEBREW'adamah
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom the same as
adamDefinitiona city near Sodom and Gomorrah
NASB TranslationAdmah (5).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
Genesis 10:19;
Genesis 14:2,8;
Deuteronomy 29:22;
Hosea 11:8.
Topical Lexicon
Name and IdentificationAdmah stands among the five “cities of the plain” with Sodom, Gomorrah, Zeboiim, and Bela (Zoar). Although lesser-known than Sodom and Gomorrah, every occurrence links it inseparably to that coalition of prosperous but morally corrupt city-states that occupied the fertile valley south of the Dead Sea.
Geographical Setting
Genesis 10:19 traces the Canaanite border “toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim,” moving from northwest to southeast. The sequence implies a site near the southeastern Dead Sea basin, now submerged or buried beneath layers of salt and sediment deposited by the catastrophe recorded inGenesis 19. Tentative identifications include Numeira and areas just north of modern-day Safi in Jordan, where ash, sulfur, and collapse layers mirror the biblical description of fiery overthrow.
Historical Portrait
1. Political Activity (Genesis 14:2, 8) – King Shinab of Admah joins four neighboring rulers in rebellion against Chedorlaomer. Their united resistance attests to Admah’s civic organization and shared economic interests with the other towns of the valley.
2. Devastation Recalled (Deuteronomy 29:23) – Moses warns Israel that covenant infidelity will render the land “like the overthrow of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, which the LORD overthrew in His fierce anger”. Admah’s annihilation thus becomes a paradigm of divine judgment.
3. Prophetic Warning (Hosea 11:8) – “How could I make you like Admah?” laments the Lord. The memory of Admah intensifies Hosea’s call to repentance while revealing God’s anguish over the prospect of judgment.
Theological Significance
• Justice and Mercy – Admah personifies uncompromising justice; yet Hosea’s plea shows God’s desire to relent, foreshadowing the grace fully manifested in Christ.
• Corporate Accountability – The shared fate of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim underscores that a community’s culture can invite either blessing or catastrophe.
• Covenant Reminder – Deuteronomy anchors Admah’s ruin in the covenant framework: obedience brings life; rebellion, desolation.
Archaeological Insights
Excavations at Numeira and Tall el-Hammam reveal evidence of a sudden, high-temperature destruction layer dated to the Middle Bronze Age. While identification remains debated, the findings demonstrate that a thriving urban network once existed in the region and experienced violent termination consistent with the biblical narrative.
Pastoral and Ministry Applications
• Call to Holiness – Admah warns modern believers not to normalize sin under the guise of prosperity.
• Intercessory Burden – Abraham’s negotiations for the cities (implicitly including Admah) model persistent prayer for endangered societies.
• Evangelistic Urgency – The certainty of judgment, coupled with Hosea’s portrayal of divine reluctance, drives gospel proclamation: “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts” (Hebrews 3:15).
• Assurance of God’s Reign – The rise and fall of Admah affirm that no culture is beyond the reach of God’s sovereign oversight.
Summary
Mentioned only five times, Admah supplies a compact yet vivid case study of cultivated affluence cut short by moral collapse and divine wrath. Its memory threads through Torah and Prophets as a warning, a teaching tool, and a backdrop for grace—demonstrating God’s unwavering commitment to righteousness and His persistent offer of mercy to all who will heed His word.
Forms and Transliterations
אַדְמָ֗ה אַדְמָ֣ה אַדְמָה֙ אדמה וְאַדְמָ֥ה ואדמה כְאַדְמָ֔ה כאדמה ’aḏ·māh ’aḏmāh adMah cheadMah ḵə’aḏmāh ḵə·’aḏ·māh veadMah wə’aḏmāh wə·’aḏ·māh
Links
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Strong's Numbers •
Englishman's Greek Concordance •
Englishman's Hebrew Concordance •
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