Original Word: חָרְמָה
Part of Speech: Proper Name Location
Transliteration: Chormah
Pronunciation: khor-MAH
Phonetic Spelling: (khor-maw')
KJV: Hormah
NASB: Hormah
Word Origin: [from H2763 (חָרַם - To ban)]

1. devoted
2. Chormah, a place in Israel

Hormah

From charam; devoted; Chormah, a place in Palestine -- Hormah.

see HEBREW charam

Word Origin
from charam
Definition
"asylum," a place in Simeon
NASB Translation
Hormah (9).

חָרְמָה proper name, of a location (asylum, compare Arabic id., Wetzst^ZKW see 1884, 115) — a royal city of Canaanites, in the South, in tribe of Simeon Numbers 14:45 (J E; article only here see Di), Numbers 21:3 (J) where name explanation from Israel's devoting Canaanites of Arad to destruction; Joshua 15:30; Joshua 19:4 (P), Deuteronomy 1:44; Joshua 12:14 (D), 1 Samuel 30:30; 1 Chronicles 4:30; originally called צְפַת Judges 1:17, where name is said to have been changed to Hormah because Judah and Simeon (after death of Joshua) devoted its inhabitants to destruction, see Di Numbers 21:3. — On site see צְפַת.

Designation and sense

Hormah is the name given to both a city and its surrounding region in the southern highlands of Canaan, most commonly associated with the Negev of Judah. The name recalls the idea of something “devoted” or “put under the ban,” a reminder of decisive encounters between Israel and its enemies.

Geographical setting

Positioned between Beersheba and the ascent of Akrabbim, Hormah lay on the southern approaches to the hill country. It eventually marked the borderland shared by Judah and Simeon (Joshua 15:30; Joshua 19:4), and its strategic location made it a frequent flashpoint in clashes with Amalekites and Canaanites who guarded routes toward the Sinai and Arabia.

Narrative survey of the nine occurrences

• Numbers 14:45; Deuteronomy 1:44 – After the unbelieving generation rejected the promise of conquest, “the Amalekites and Canaanites… struck them down all the way to Hormah”. The location thus became a reminder of judgment for presumption without divine mandate.
• Numbers 21:3 – Decades later, the next generation sought the LORD’s help against Canaanite raiders. “And the LORD heard Israel’s plea and delivered up the Canaanites. Israel devoted them and their cities to destruction; so they named the place Hormah”. What had once symbolized defeat was transformed into a monument of victory when fought in obedience.
• Joshua 12:14 – Listed among the thirty-one kings defeated under Joshua, the ruler of Hormah testifies that the conquest extended through the Negev as promised to Abraham.
• Joshua 15:30; Joshua 19:4; 1 Chronicles 4:30 – Hormah belonged first to Judah’s inheritance, then was shared with Simeon inside Judah’s larger allotment, illustrating tribal cooperation in occupying the south.
• Judges 1:17 – “Judah went with his brother Simeon, and they struck the Canaanites living in Zephath and devoted the city to destruction. So it was called Hormah”. The account echoes Numbers 21, placing further emphasis on obedience, unity, and the practice of the ban.
• 1 Samuel 30:30 – In the days of David, Hormah (listed with towns such as Bethel and Hebron) received part of the spoil taken from Amalek. The verse underscores ongoing Amalekite pressure in the Negev and David’s policy of sharing gains with allied elders.

Historical significance

1. Marker of covenant faithfulness. The two contrasting episodes (Numbers 14 and Numbers 21) frame Hormah as a lesson: failure when fighting in the flesh, triumph when relying on the LORD.
2. Southern defense line. As a frontier town, Hormah helped secure Judah’s back door against desert tribes. Its repeated appearance in military lists shows its strategic value from the conquest era through the monarchy.
3. Prototype of the herem principle. The name itself preserves the practice of devoting captured cities to God for destruction or exclusive use, a practice intended to safeguard Israel from idolatry and syncretism during initial settlement.

Archaeological and scholarly notes

Proposed identifications include Tel Masos, Tel Sera‘, and Tell el-Khuweilfeh. Each site controls approaches from the Arabah into the central hills, matching biblical descriptions. While no single proposal is unanimous, excavations reveal Late Bronze and Iron I occupation layers consistent with Israel’s early presence in the south.

Ministry reflections

• Hormah cautions believers against faithless presumption. The defeat recorded in Numbers 14 parallels any attempt to wage spiritual battle without submission to God’s word.
• Conversely, Hormah encourages confident obedience. When Israel sought the LORD’s direction (Numbers 21), victory followed. The place name thus embodies both warning and assurance.
• The transfer of spoil to Hormah in 1 Samuel 30 models generosity within the covenant community, anticipating New Testament principles of sharing (Philippians 4:15-17).
• As part of Judah and Simeon’s inheritance, Hormah underscores God’s fidelity in allotting tangible territory, foreshadowing the believer’s secured inheritance in Christ (1 Peter 1:4).

Related themes and passages

• Herem (devotion to destruction): Leviticus 27:28-29; Deuteronomy 20:16-18.
• Amalek’s hostility: Exodus 17:8-16; Deuteronomy 25:17-19.
• Lessons from the wilderness generation: Hebrews 3:7-19; 1 Corinthians 10:1-12.

Summary

Hormah stands as a geographical memorial recording both the cost of disobedience and the triumph of faith-filled obedience. From the edge of the wilderness to the days of David, its account weaves together judgment, mercy, and covenant fulfillment, encouraging God’s people to trust wholly in His direction and power.

בְּחָרְמָ֛ה בחרמה הַֽחָרְמָֽה׃ החרמה׃ וְחָרְמָֽה׃ וּבְחָרְמָ֖ה ובחרמה וחרמה׃ חָרְמָֽה׃ חָרְמָה֙ חרמה חרמה׃ bə·ḥā·rə·māh bechareMah bəḥārəmāh chareMah ha·ḥā·rə·māh ḥā·rə·māh HachareMah haḥārəmāh ḥārəmāh ū·ḇə·ḥā·rə·māh ūḇəḥārəmāh uvechareMah vechareMah wə·ḥā·rə·māh wəḥārəmāhInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts