538. Amam
Lexical Summary
Amam: Amam

Original Word: אֲמָם
Part of Speech: Proper Name Location
Transliteration: Amam
Pronunciation: ah-MAHM
Phonetic Spelling: (am-awm')
KJV: Amam
NASB: Amam
Word Origin: [from H517 (אֵם - mother)]

1. gathering-spot
2. Amam, a place in Israel

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Amam

From 'em; gathering-spot; Amam, a place in Palestine -- Amam.

see HEBREW 'em

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from the same as em
Definition
a place in S. Judah
NASB Translation
Amam (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
אֲמָם proper name, of a location in southern Judah Joshua 15:26 (ᵐ5L Ἀμαμ, so A, but B Σην).

Topical Lexicon
Geographical Setting

Amam is catalogued among the settlements of the Negev, the arid southern region of Judah that stretches toward Edom. Its association with nearby towns such as Shema and Moladah (Joshua 15:26) situates it in the same general corridor as Beer Sheba, an area defined by seasonal wadis, low rolling hills, and strategic caravan routes linking the Judean heartland with the desert fringe. Although its exact tell has not been conclusively identified, proposals cluster it southwest of Arad and east of modern Beer Sheba, fitting the arrangement of Joshua’s town list that moves west-to-east across the southern frontier.

Biblical Occurrence

Amam is mentioned a single time in Scripture:

“Amam, Shema, Moladah” (Joshua 15:26).

The verse stands within Joshua’s detailed register of forty-eight towns that formed Judah’s southern inheritance (Joshua 15:21–32). While the verse offers no narrative about Amam itself, its inclusion underlines the completeness of the allotment and the careful preservation of each clan’s possession.

Historical Context

1. Conquest and Allotment: The list in Joshua 15 reflects the period just after Israel’s entrance into the land, when territories were apportioned by lot. Amam’s placement among the Negev towns highlights Judah’s responsibility for a harsh but pivotal frontier that buffered Israel from Edom and served as a gateway for trade and migration.
2. Post-exilic Continuity: Although later Old Testament books do not revisit Amam, the persistence of surrounding sites like Moladah (Nehemiah 11:26) indicates that settlements in this cluster continued, or were at least remembered, after the Babylonian exile—reinforcing the ongoing linkage between land and covenant identity.

Role in Tribal Inheritance

Amam helped form the southernmost line of Judah’s territorial promise. Each listed town, no matter how obscure, testified that every tribe received a divinely fixed inheritance (Numbers 34:13). The meticulous survey demonstrates God’s faithfulness “not one of all the good promises that the Lord had made … failed” (Joshua 21:45). Amam’s solitary mention therefore contributes to the larger theology of land as gift, stewardship, and responsibility.

Theological and Ministry Reflections

• Faithfulness in the Small: Amam’s brief appearance models how Scripture values seemingly minor places and people. The Lord records what might appear insignificant to emphasize that every portion of His plan matters.
• Borderland Ministry: Judah’s Negev towns were outposts of covenant life amid wilderness pressures. Modern ministry in marginal or difficult regions can draw encouragement from the picture of Amam—planted in a hard environment yet included in God’s detailed concern.
• Heritage and Identity: Amam reminds believers that inheritance is anchored in God’s promise, not in the prominence of the locale. The ultimate fulfillment reaches beyond geographical boundaries to the “inheritance that is imperishable” (1 Peter 1:4).

Modern Identification and Archaeological Notes

Scholars suggest sites such as Khirbet Umm Amad or areas near Tell Malhata based on pottery, water sources, and proximity to Shema and Moladah, yet conclusive evidence remains pending. These proposals continue to affirm the biblical itinerary’s coherence with the physical landscape.

Key Insights for Ministry Today

1. Record and remember the small advances of God’s kingdom; no work is invisible to Him.
2. Cultivate resilience and hospitality in “border” contexts—geographical, cultural, or spiritual—following Judah’s mandate to secure the Negev.
3. Teach that God’s promises encompass every believer, echoing the inclusion of Amam in Judah’s allotment.

Amam, though briefly cited, enriches the tapestry of biblical geography and underlines the meticulous faithfulness of the Lord who assigns inheritances and remembers every community within His covenant people.

Forms and Transliterations
אֲמָ֥ם אמם ’ă·mām ’ămām aMam
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Joshua 15:26
HEB: אֲמָ֥ם וּשְׁמַ֖ע וּמוֹלָדָֽה׃
NAS: Amam and Shema and Moladah,
KJV: Amam, and Shema, and Moladah,
INT: Amam and Shema and Moladah

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 538
1 Occurrence


’ă·mām — 1 Occ.

537
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