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Admah
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Admah
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According to the Bible, Admah (Heb. אַדְמָה) was one of the five cities of the Vale of Siddim.[1] It was destroyed along with Sodom and Gomorrah.[2] It is supposed by William F. Albright to be the same as the "Adam" of Joshua 3:16.[3] The location of Admah is unknown,[4] although Bryant G. Wood a proponent of the southern theory for the Cities of the Plain identified the site with Numeira,[5] but later changed it to Khirbat al-Khanazir Jordan,[6] although it was only a cemetery during the Bronze Age [7] and proponents of the northern theory for the Cities of the Plain identify the site with Tel Nimrin, Jordan.[8]

The town is mentioned figuratively in the Bible, in Deuteronomy[9] and Book of Hosea.[10]

There has also been some conjecture that Admah is mentioned in the Ebla tablets as the Eblaite word "ad-ma" or "ad-mu-utki" = (Town of) Admah.[11][12]

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Admah

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Admah (Hebrew: אַדְמָה‎, ʾAḏmā) was one of the five ancient Canaanite cities of the plain, located in the , in the plain near the Dead Sea, as described in the . It is primarily known for its destruction by , along with Sodom, Gomorrah, and Zeboiim, due to the wickedness of their inhabitants, an event narrated in Genesis 19:24–25 and explicitly referenced in Deuteronomy 29:23. The city's king, Shinab, is mentioned as part of a coalition that rebelled against Mesopotamian overlords in Genesis 14:2. In biblical geography, Admah is listed among the territorial boundaries of the Canaanites in Genesis 10:19, extending from toward , Gaza, Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim as far as Lasha. Its name, meaning "red earth" or "ground," may derive from the reddish soil of the region. Later prophetic texts invoke Admah's overthrow as a for and desolation, such as in 11:8, where God expresses reluctance to fully destroy as he did Admah and Zeboiim. Archaeological evidence for Admah remains elusive, with no site definitively identified, though it is associated with the Dead Sea plain alongside potential locations for its sister cities.

Biblical Account

The Cities of the Plain in Genesis

In the biblical narrative of Genesis, Admah is depicted as one of the five cities of the Plain, a fertile region in the near the , collectively known as the Cities of the Plain. These cities—Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Bela (also called Zoar)—formed a geopolitical alliance in the Vale of Siddim, which is identified as the area around the Salt Sea (). The territorial boundaries of the Canaanites are described as extending from Gaza as far as Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, reaching to Lasha, highlighting Admah's position within this well-defined Canaanite heartland. The narrative in Genesis 14 portrays these cities as a confederacy under the rule of their respective kings, who initially submitted to the Mesopotamian king and his allied rulers from , , Ellasar, and Goiim for twelve years. In the thirteenth year, the kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Bela rebelled against this vassalage, prompting a by 's in the fourteenth year. Admah's king, Shinab, is explicitly named among the rebel leaders, alongside Bera of Sodom, Birsha of Gomorrah, Shinab of Admah, Shemeber of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (Zoar). The conflict culminated in the , where the allied kings of the five cities mobilized against Chedorlaomer's forces in the valley filled with tar pits. During the battle, the kings of fell into the tar pits, while those of Admah, Zeboiim, and Bela fled to the mountains, marking a decisive defeat for the confederacy and leaving their cities vulnerable to plunder. This geopolitical context underscores Admah's role as a key player in the regional power dynamics of the plain. Earlier in Genesis, the fertility of the Plain is emphasized as a factor in its allure and settlement, described as well-watered everywhere like the garden of the Lord or the land of Egypt, particularly before its later destruction. Abraham's nephew Lot chose to dwell in this lush Jordan Valley, pitching his tents near Sodom, which positioned the cities—including Admah—within a prosperous, irrigated landscape conducive to urban development.

The Destruction by Fire and Brimstone

In the biblical narrative, the destruction of Admah forms part of the divine judgment pronounced upon the cities of the plain due to their pervasive wickedness. Following the angelic visitors' encounter with Lot in Sodom, where they witness the inhabitants' demand to violate the guests—an act emblematic of inhospitality and moral corruption—the angels urge Lot to flee with his family before the impending catastrophe. This collective sin, inferred to encompass Admah and the other cities through their alliance and shared regional identity, justifies the judgment without individual specification for Admah. The theological foundation for this event is laid in Abraham's in the preceding chapter, where he pleads with to spare the cities if even ten righteous people can be found among them, establishing a criterion of communal that implicitly applies to Admah as one of the implicated settlements. agrees but ultimately finds the threshold unmet, leading to the execution of . The narrative underscores that the destruction targets the urban centers and their fertile surroundings, reflecting a holistic condemnation of the societal order. The climactic sequence unfolds in Genesis 19:24-25, where "the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the Lord out of heaven," extending explicitly to Admah and Zeboiim, while Zoar is spared at Lot's request as a place of refuge. This cataclysm overturns the cities, reducing them to ruins and rendering the land barren, with the ground covered in brimstone and salt to ensure infertility—a totality echoed later in Deuteronomy 29:23 as a perpetual desolation. Lot's wife, looking back despite warnings, becomes a pillar of salt amid the fleeing, symbolizing the peril of attachment to the condemned way of life, though Admah itself receives no such individualized aftermath in the text. The immediate consequences emphasize irreversible devastation: the once-prosperous plain, known for its pits and agricultural bounty, is transformed into a wasteland, with smoke rising like that from a furnace as a visible sign of divine intervention. This event not only eradicates the physical structures of Admah and its sister cities but also severs their role in the regional alliances previously noted, marking a definitive end to their narrative presence in the Genesis account.

Later Biblical Allusions

In Deuteronomy 29:23, Admah is invoked alongside as an exemplar of , depicting the land as transformed into a barren waste of , salt, and desolation—overturned by the Lord's fierce anger—to serve as a stark warning against 's covenant unfaithfulness. This imagery reappears in 11:8, where God rhetorically questions the possibility of treating "like Admah" or "like Zeboiim," employing Admah as a for utter to underscore divine reluctance and mercy amid threats of destruction. Later prophetic texts extend the Admah-Sodom pairing to illustrate exemplary judgments on other nations; for instance, 13:19 likens Babylon's impending fall to the overthrow of (with their neighbors, including Admah), symbolizing irreversible desolation under God's wrath. Similarly, 49:18 applies the motif to , portraying its ruin as akin to that of Sodom, Gomorrah, and adjacent cities like Admah, emphasizing perpetual uninhabitability as . Through these references, evolves from a historical in the Genesis narrative to an enduring archetype in prophetic , embodying the totality of God's punitive power while highlighting tensions between justice and compassion.

Location and Archaeology

Geographical Setting

Admah was located in the Vale of Siddim, as described in Genesis 14:3, a situated south of the Dead Sea within the [Jordan Rift Valley](/page/Jordan_Rift Valley), forming a low-lying plain characterized by its tectonic instability and proneness to seismic events along the Dead Sea Transform fault system. This valley, part of the broader Levantine rift, provided a strategic corridor for ancient trade routes connecting to , underscoring the area's historical significance. Biblical texts depict the broader plain including Admah as exceptionally fertile and well-watered, comparable to the garden of the or the land of , with abundant and from nearby water sources that supported intensive prior to its reported desolation. In stark contrast, post-biblical destruction accounts portray the landscape as barren and uninhabitable, emphasizing a dramatic environmental shift. Admah shared this setting with neighboring cities such as , collectively known as the cities of . The region's natural features prominently included proximity to the Dead Sea—referred to as the Salt Sea—and the Jordan River, which deposited sediments and facilitated water supply for the fertile lowlands. Abundant asphalt pits, or bitumen deposits, dotted the Vale of Siddim, as noted in Genesis 14:10, where these natural seeps of petroleum product were exploited for waterproofing, construction, and trade, enhancing the area's economic role. Geologically, the Jordan Rift Valley's subtropical climate, with warm temperatures and seasonal rainfall, historically enabled diverse crops like grains, fruits, and palms, though its rift structure predisposed it to earthquakes and resultant sinkholes, aligning with biblical references to an "overturned" terrain.

Proposed Sites and Evidence

The traditional scholarly view places Admah in the southern region, as part of the cluster of cities in the Vale of Siddim, near the proposed sites for Sodom at and Gomorrah at . This identification aligns with the geographical descriptions in ancient texts and the presence of Early settlements in the area, including fortified sites with evidence of sudden destruction. Archaeologist proposed an alternative identification of Admah with the biblical "" mentioned in 3:16, locating it near the at Tell ed-Damiye (modern Damiya), based on linguistic and topographical similarities between the names and the site's position opposite . This northern suggestion contrasts with the southern theories but has not gained widespread acceptance due to discrepancies with the broader regional context of the cities of . Khirbat al-Khanazir, a site in , has been proposed as a candidate for Admah due to its proximity to the Dead Sea plain. The site features a with over 250 tombs dating to the Early Bronze Age. Excavations indicate it was primarily a burial ground rather than a settlement. In northern theories, some scholars have considered Tel Nimrin in the , which shows occupation layers but lacks specific destruction evidence linking it to Admah. Archaeological evidence for Admah remains indirect and tied to nearby sites, with no definitive ruins identified. At , excavations uncovered Early III destruction layers, including burnt structures and evidence of a catastrophic circa 2350-2300 BCE, potentially correlating with the biblical timeline in some chronologies. The from the third millennium BCE reference "ad-ma," interpreted by scholar as a likely mention of Admah, indicating early or diplomatic ties in the . Despite these proposals, there is no scholarly consensus on Admah's location, as noted by biblical scholar Merrill C. Tenney, with ongoing debates over dating—archaeological evidence often predating traditional biblical chronologies by centuries—and the possibility that seismic activity or rising levels submerged potential sites.

Cultural and Religious Significance

In Jewish Tradition

In post-biblical Jewish texts, Admah is frequently grouped with as one of the "cities of the plain" destroyed for their collective moral failings, serving as an emblem of communal and in literature. The expands on the vices of these cities, drawing from :49 to emphasize , excess, , and refusal to the poor and needy, portraying Admah's destruction as a consequence of societal rather than individual acts alone. narratives amplify the biblical account by describing inhospitality, , and ethical perversion as part of a broader pattern of communal depravity that warranted . These interpretations underscore Admah as a cautionary symbol against collective ethical failure, where the entire community shares responsibility for systemic sins like exploitation and lack of charity. Some midrashim distinguish sins among the cities, attributing to Admah's king a particular hatred of , contrasting with the human cruelty emphasized for . In the Talmud and later rabbinic writings, Admah is cited in discussions of repentance to highlight the limits of divine mercy when communal sin goes unaddressed, often contrasted with the successful repentance of in the . The Babylonian Talmud ( 109a-b) details laws in Sodom that punished generosity and protected the wicked, illustrating irreversible communal corruption that precluded teshuvah () for the cities of the plain, unlike Nineveh's collective turnaround described in 16a. This contrast emphasizes that while God desires repentance, persistent societal immorality, as in Admah, leads to irreversible judgment. Furthermore, 11:8—"How shall I make thee as Admah? how shall I set thee as Zeboim?"—is invoked to demonstrate God's internal conflict and ultimate mercy toward , sparing it the fate of Admah despite similar sins, as God's overrides strict . Liturgical references to Admah appear in penitential contexts, recalling its destruction as a warning against , , and communal neglect during high holiday prayers and fast days. In (penitential poems recited before and ), the overthrow of Admah alongside Sodom symbolizes the consequences of forsaking ethical norms, urging worshippers to reflect on and seek to avoid similar desolation (as echoed in the High Holiday machzorim drawing from Deuteronomy 29:22-23). These allusions reinforce Admah's role in fostering ethical awareness, portraying its barren aftermath as a for spiritual if and persist. Medieval Jewish scholars, such as , interpret Admah's barrenness as a perpetual curse, linking it to themes of and redemption in their commentaries on relevant biblical verses. on 11:8 explains Admah and Zeboiim as cities utterly destroyed with (referencing Genesis 14:20), underscoring God's merciful reluctance to inflict the same irreversible doom on , which represents hope for redemption through teshuvah amid -like suffering. Similarly, on Deuteronomy 29:23, describes the land's transformation into "brimstone, and salt, and burning" as an enduring symbol of divine wrath against communal , yet one that points to eventual restoration if repents, tying Admah's fate to the broader narrative of Jewish and return.

In Christian Interpretation

In , the destruction of Admah, alongside , serves as an implicit exemplar of divine judgment against sexual immorality and ungodliness in the . The of 2 Peter 2:6 describes how God "condemned the cities of by turning them into ashes," presenting their overthrow as a warning of the fate awaiting the ungodly, with Admah included among the ruined cities of the plain as per Deuteronomy 29:23. Similarly, Jude 1:7 states that Sodom, Gomorrah, and the surrounding cities "indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire," serving as an exhibit of eternal fire as punishment, encompassing Admah's fate to underscore the consequences of rejecting God's moral order. Early Church Fathers interpreted Admah's destruction through allegorical and moral lenses, emphasizing divine against heresy and sin. Origen, in his writings, referenced the Sodom narrative to illustrate God's judgment on wickedness, applying it to refute heretics who distorted scripture and faced similar spiritual ruin. Augustine, in , linked the fiery overthrow of to God's righteous retribution for vices like and unnatural lusts, connecting it to the broader theme of original sin's corruption and the need for to avert such . During the , highlighted Admah in his commentary on 11:8, portraying it as a symbol of utter desolation that God mercifully withholds from Israel, contrasting the city's total ruin with the forgiving heart of God to illustrate unmerited grace amid deserved judgment. In contemporary evangelical thought, Admah's story reinforces warnings against societal decay, including and , as seen in discussions of the cities of as archetypes of cultural rebellion inviting divine intervention. Eschatologically, Admah prefigures the final judgment in Christian interpretation, paralleling the sudden in 18, where a once-prosperous entity is destroyed in one hour for its abominations, echoing the brimstone overthrow as a type of God's ultimate wrath on unrepentant evil. This symbolism, drawn from 2 Peter's use of the Sodom event as a preview of end-times destruction, urges believers toward holiness in anticipation of Christ's return.
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