Original Word: לַחְמָס
Part of Speech: Proper name
Transliteration: Lachmac
Pronunciation: lakh-MAHS or lakh-MAHM
Phonetic Spelling: (lakh-maws')
KJV: Lahmam
NASB: Lahmas
Word Origin: [from H3899 (לֶחֶם - bread)]

1. food-like
2. Lachmam or Lachmas, a place in Israel

Lahmam

Probably by erroneous transcription for Lachmam {lakh-mawm'}; from lechem; food-like; Lachmam or Lachmas, a place in Palestine -- Lahmam.

see HEBREW lechem

Word Origin
from lacham
Definition
a place in Judah
NASB Translation
Lahmas (1).

לַחְמָס proper name, of a location in Judah (2 Samuel 3:2 Manuscripts לחמם); — Joshua 15:40 ᵐ5 Μαχες, A ᵐ5^L Λαμ(μ)ας; perhaps = El-laµm, approximately 13 miles west-northwest from Hebron, Kn^{on the passage} PEF^{Mem.iii. 261} Buhl^{Geogr. 192}.

Name and Geographic Setting

Lachmas (rendered “Lahmam” in the Berean Standard Bible) was one of the towns allotted to the tribe of Judah in the Shephelah—the rolling lowlands that stretch between the Judean hill country and the Philistine coastal plain. Its placement in the roster of Joshua 15 situates it between Cabbon and Kithlish, just north-east of Lachish and south-west of the Beth Shemesh–Bethlehem corridor. While no identification is universally accepted, the ruin-mound Khirbet el-Lahm (approximately 6 km south-west of modern Beth Shemesh) and Tell el-Lakhma (near today’s Kibbutz Gal-On) are the two chief proposals. Both lie within the fertile valleys that provided Judah with grain and pasture, underscoring the Shephelah’s strategic importance as a buffer zone against Philistia.

Biblical Occurrence

Joshua 15:40 lists Lachmas among sixteen Shephelah towns forming part of Judah’s inheritance: “Cabbon, Lahmam, Kithlish”. The larger passage (Joshua 15:20–63) catalogues the entire territory given to Judah, tracing the southern, eastern, northern, and western borders before naming individual towns. The inclusion of even modest villages like Lachmas affirms the meticulous faithfulness of God to fulfill His covenant promise of land (Genesis 12:7; Deuteronomy 1:8).

Historical Context

During the Late Bronze to Early Iron Age transition, the Shephelah served as an agricultural heartland and a military frontier. Fortified hubs such as Lachish guarded the coastal approaches, while satellite villages—including Lachmas—supported them with produce, livestock, and manpower. Archaeological strata from nearby sites consistently reveal olive presses, grain silos, and defensive walls, illustrating the blend of agrarian prosperity and martial vigilance that characterized Judah’s lowlands.

Theological Significance

1. Covenant Fulfilment: Every named town in Joshua 15 is a tangible witness to the Lord’s oath to Abraham. The specificity of the list—including Lachmas—highlights that divine promises descend to the level of villages and family plots, not merely great cities.
2. Corporate Identity: Lachmas belonged to Judah, yet the town’s security depended on the tribe’s collective obedience (Joshua 23:6-13). The Shephelah narrative reminds God’s people that individual communities flourish only when the covenant body remains faithful.
3. Spiritual Geography: Scripture often uses physical landscapes to mirror spiritual realities. The Shephelah, lying between highlands and coast, illustrates the believer’s call to stand between holiness (symbolized by Jerusalem’s hills) and worldly pressure (the Philistine plain). Lachmas’ presence there embodies the need for steadfastness in transitional spaces.

Lessons for Ministry and Discipleship

• Value the “small places.” Modern ministry can overlook obscure settings, yet Joshua records them because God treasures every community. Pastors and missionaries serving in rural or unseen locales participate in the same divine narrative that once included Lachmas.
• Steward the inheritance. Just as the Judahites were to cultivate and defend their allotted towns, churches are called to guard sound doctrine (2 Timothy 1:14) and cultivate the spiritual gifts entrusted to them (1 Peter 4:10).
• Stand as a frontier people. The Shephelah model exhorts believers to live missionally at cultural boundaries, engaging without compromising, much as Lachmas stood between Judah’s heartland and Philistine influence.

Summary

Though mentioned only once, Lachmas anchors a broader biblical tableau of covenant fidelity, geographic intentionality, and communal responsibility. By preserving the memory of such a village, Scripture encourages every generation to recognize God’s concern for the seemingly minor details of His redemptive plan and to serve faithfully wherever He has placed them.

וְלַחְמָ֖ס ולחמס velachMas wə·laḥ·mās wəlaḥmāsInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts