Lexical Summary Ham: Ham Original Word: הָם Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Ham Of uncertain derivation; Ham, a region of Palestine -- Ham. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originof uncertain derivation Definition a place in Pal. NASB Translation Ham (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs הָ֑ם proper name, of a location only in הַזּוּזִים בְּהָ֑ם Genesis 14:5; not otherwise known; Vrss בָּהֶם; JerQuaest. in libr. Genes. בְּחֹם; Ol conjectures בַּחֲמָת; Tu Di think perhaps old name of Rabbath Ammon. Topical Lexicon Designation and Occurrence The proper noun הָם (Strong’s Hebrew 1990) appears once in Scripture, Genesis 14:5, as the locale where the invading coalition of eastern monarchs “struck the Zuzites in Ham” (Genesis 14:5). As a toponym it designates a specific settlement or district east of the Jordan River during the patriarchal era. Geographical Identification Most scholars locate Ham within the Transjordan highlands, probably between the upper Jabbok and Arnon Rivers. The mention of the Zuzites there links the site to the later‐mentioned Zamzummim, a Rephaim‐related people dispossessed by the Ammonites (Deuteronomy 2:19-20). The region therefore lies within, or immediately adjacent to, the future territory of Ammon. Archaeological surveys have uncovered several Bronze Age tells in this corridor, corroborating the plausibility of a settled center contemporaneous with Abram. Historical Context Genesis 14 records an international campaign led by Kedorlaomer of Elam. His forces first subdued the giant clans along the King’s Highway—Rephaim, Zuzim, and Emim—before descending on the Cities of the Plain. Ham stands as a waypoint in that advance, demonstrating that Mesopotamian hegemony reached well into Canaan and the Transjordan during the early second millennium B.C. The terse reference also attests to pre‐Israelite sociopolitical structures in the land later promised to Abraham’s descendants (Genesis 15:18-21). Biblical Interconnections 1. Zuzim/Zamzummim parallel – The lone mention of Ham anchors the identity of the Zuzim to a definable locale, supporting the equation of the Zuzim (Genesis 14:5) with the Zamzummim (Deuteronomy 2:20). Theological and Ministry Insights • Sovereignty of God in history: The fleeting note about Ham affirms that every geopolitical shift—however obscure—is woven into the providential narrative preparing the way for the covenant people. Practical Applications • Disciplemaking: Use Genesis 14’s mention of Ham to showcase how even minor biblical details illuminate God’s overarching redemptive plan, encouraging confidence in the totality of Scripture. Forms and Transliterations בְּהָ֑ם בהם bə·hām beHam bəhāmLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Genesis 14:5 HEB: וְאֶת־ הַזּוּזִ֖ים בְּהָ֑ם וְאֵת֙ הָֽאֵימִ֔ים NAS: and the Zuzim in Ham and the Emim KJV: and the Zuzims in Ham, and the Emims INT: Ashteroth-karnaim and the Zuzim Ham and the Emim Shaveh |
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