5981. Ummah

Lexical Summary

Ummah: Ummah

Original Word: עֻמָּה
Part of Speech: Proper Name Location
Transliteration: `Ummah
Pronunciation: oo-mah'
Phonetic Spelling: (oom-maw')
KJV: Ummah
NASB: Ummah
Word Origin: [the same as H5980 (עוּמָּה - alongside)]

1. association
2. Ummah, a place in Israel

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

Ummah

The same as ummah; association; Ummah, a place in Palestine -- Ummah.

see HEBREW ummah

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
of uncertain derivation
Definition
a city in Asher, perhaps the same as NH5910
NASB Translation
Ummah (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

II. עֻמָּה proper name, of a location Joshua 19:30, see עַכּוֺ.

Topical Lexicon

Geographical Setting

Ummah is listed among the settlements of the tribe of Asher along the northwestern coastline of ancient Canaan. Situated between the Mediterranean Sea and the hills of Upper Galilee, the site lay in a fertile strip known for olive groves, vineyards, and maritime trade routes that linked Tyre and Acco. Neighboring places named with it—Aphek and Rehob—suggest proximity to the Plain of Acco, a region that enabled both agriculture and commerce.

Biblical Occurrence

Joshua 19:30: “Ummah, Aphek, and Rehob—twenty-two cities, with their villages.” This single reference appears within the catalog of Asher’s inheritance (Joshua 19:24-31), a passage that records the distribution of the Promised Land among the tribes after the conquest under Joshua.

Historical Background

1. Allocation of Land: The listing of Ummah forms part of the formal apportionment conducted at Shiloh. The procedure affirmed God’s covenant promise first given to Abraham (Genesis 15:18-21) and reiterated through Moses (Deuteronomy 1:8).
2. Border Dynamics: Asher’s coastal allotment exposed its towns to lingering Canaanite influence (Judges 1:31-32). Though Ummah is not named in the later failure list, its nearness to Achzib and Acco suggests it shared the mixed population that resulted when Asher “did not drive out” all inhabitants.
3. Economic Setting: The tribe’s seafront territory opened doors for trade with Phoenicia. Cities like Ummah likely served as small ports or supply depots, contributing to Asher’s noted abundance of “rich food” (Genesis 49:20).

Theological Significance

• Covenant Faithfulness: The mention of even minor towns testifies that no detail of God’s promise was overlooked; every boundary was divinely marked out (Joshua 18:6).
• Obedience and Occupation: Ummah reminds readers that inheriting promises requires faithful stewardship. Asher’s incomplete conquest foreshadowed later spiritual compromises that arose from cohabitation with idolatrous cultures.
• Unity in Diversity: Though small, Ummah contributed to the tribal mosaic that constituted Israel’s national identity. The collective roster underlines the truth that each community, however obscure, had a role in redemptive history.

Archaeology and Identifications

Scholars have proposed linking Ummah with modern Khirbet el-Mansura or Tell Keisan’s environs, based on geographical fit with Aphek and Rehob. Pottery from the Late Bronze and Iron Ages discovered in these mounds suits the period of settlement described in Joshua. No conclusive inscription naming the town has surfaced, but agricultural terraces and coastal road remnants align with the biblical portrait of a productive corridor.

Ministry Applications

• God knows every locality and individual in His covenant family; obscurity does not equate to insignificance (Luke 12:6-7).
• Spiritual inheritance must be possessed, not merely assigned; believers are called to “take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold” of them (Philippians 3:12).
• Community life flourishes when even the smallest “Ummah” fully embraces its part in God’s redemptive plan, encouraging modern congregations to honor every member’s contribution (1 Corinthians 12:22-26).

Forms and Transliterations

וְעֻמָ֥ה ועמה veuMah wə‘umāh wə·‘u·māh

Englishman's Concordance

Joshua 19:30
HEB: וְעֻמָ֥ה וַאֲפֵ֖ק וּרְחֹ֑ב
NAS: [Included] also [were] Ummah, and Aphek
KJV: Ummah also, and Aphek, and Rehob:
INT: also Ummah and Aphek and Rehob

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 5981
1 Occurrence

wə·‘u·māh — 1 Occ.