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אַדְמָה

𐤀𐤃𐤌𐤄

Ademah

H126 noun

SILEX Entry

Root אדם to be red, earth, soil, ground

Definition

Admah, a proper place name designating a city located in the southern Jordan Valley region, appearing among the 'cities of the plain' associated with the Dead Sea. In biblical narrative, Admah is a geographical entity, not a descriptive term. The name may originally convey the sense of 'red earth' or 'earthy ground,' reflecting the typical composition of the region's soil, though in all biblical attestations it functions specifically as a toponym rather than a descriptive term for soil or earth.

Semantic Range

proper name for a city (Admah); possibly underlying sense of 'earthy' or 'red ground' in etymology, but strictly used as a place name in the Hebrew Bible

Root / Etymology

From the Hebrew root א־ד־ם (אדם), 'to be red' or 'earth, soil.' אַדְמָה is a feminine singular noun with a definite article and suffix added. As a toponym, the form is likely derived from the root referring to earth or soil, but in its usage as a city name, it primarily serves a nominal, not descriptive, function.

Historical & Contextual Notes

Admah appears principally in Genesis 10:19; 14:2, 8; Deuteronomy 29:23; Hosea 11:8, always as the name of a city destroyed along with Sodom, Gomorrah, and others. Its placement along with Sodom, Gomorrah, and Zeboiim situates it historically in the traditions around the Dead Sea Plain, associated with divine judgment and destruction. The meaning of the name is not discussed in the narrative; its association with the root for 'earth' or 'red soil' may have originated from the region's visible landscape but is not exploited in the text itself. The Septuagint transliterates the name (Αδμα), and although older translations sometimes used the English form 'Admah,' there is no tradition using the term 'Jew' or making an ethnic/religious connection to the later people or religions in this context. The city has not been positively identified archaeologically; its mention is purely in geographic and literary lists, both in the patriarchal narratives and in later reflections on the destruction of the cities of the plain (e.g., Hosea 11:8, where Admah serves as a symbol of destruction and divine wrath alongside Zeboiim and Sodom).

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

contracted for אֲדָמָה; earthy; Admah, a place near the Dead Sea; Admah.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

אדם (ʾ-d-m) — to be red, earth, soil, ground

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1157 בְּעַד in the human being
H119 אָדַם they became red
H120 אָדָם human being
H121 אָדָם Adam
H122 אָדֹם reddish

Word Forms

3 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H126-01 אַדְמָ֗ה ademah HNp Admah Admah Ademah 3
H126-02 כְ/אַדְמָ֔ה kheademah HR/Np like Admah like Admah like Ademah 1
H126-03 וְ/אַדְמָ֥ה veademah HC/Np and Admah and Admah and Ademah 1

Occurrences in Scripture

5 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H126-03 Genesis 10:19 וְ/אַדְמָ֥ה veademah HC/Np and Admah and Admah and Ademah
H126-01 Genesis 14:2 אַדְמָ֗ה ademah HNp Admah Admah Ademah
H126-01 Genesis 14:8 אַדְמָה֙ ademah HNp of Admah Admah Ademah
H126-01 Deuteronomy 29:22 אַדְמָ֣ה ademah HNp Admah Admah Ademah
H126-02 Hosea 11:8 כְ/אַדְמָ֔ה kheademah HR/Np like Admah like Admah like Ademah
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