אַמָּה (am.mah)
am.mah
Ammah
N:N--LQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- N:N--L
Word Overview
The noun ammah appears in Scripture as a proper name for a specific geographical location: a hill situated near Gibeon. This usage is recorded exclusively in 2 Samuel 2:24, where it serves as the setting for a narrative involving Joab and Abner. In this context, the word identifies the terrain rather than functioning as a unit of measurement.
While ammah commonly denotes a cubit—the standard ancient Hebrew measure based on the length from elbow to fingertip—this particular entry highlights its rare application as a place name. The sources confirm that in 2 Samuel, the term refers strictly to this hill, distinguishing it from the more frequent lexical meaning of linear distance.
Understanding this distinction prevents confusion when reading the text. Readers encountering ammah in 2 Samuel should recognize it as a landmark rather than a measurement, anchoring the historical event in a specific physical location near Gibeon.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
When we read Scripture, we often expect words to carry their most common meanings. The Hebrew word ammah usually refers to a cubit, a standard unit of measurement based on the length from elbow to fingertip. Yet in this single occurrence, it points to a hill near Gibeon. This shift reminds us that God’s Word is grounded in real places and real history, not just abstract concepts.
For your faith, this detail invites you to slow down. It encourages careful reading and attention to context. When a word takes on an unexpected role, it asks us to look closer at the scene. Here, the terrain itself becomes part of the story, anchoring the actions of Joab and Abner in a specific landscape.
May this reminder help you approach your own Bible study with patience and curiosity. Let each unusual detail draw you deeper into the narrative, trusting that every place and name has been included for a reason. You are invited to sit with these moments, letting them shape your understanding of God’s unfolding plan through history.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- Ammah1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- אַמָּ֔ה1×
Key Verses
-
II Samuel 2:24
But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner. The sun went down when they had come to the hill of Ammah, that lies before Giah by the way of the wilderness of Gibeon.
This verse uniquely uses ammah as a proper name for a hill near Gibeon, distinguishing it from its common meaning as a unit of measurement.