Original Word: חַמַּת
Part of Speech: Proper Name Location
Transliteration: Chammath
Pronunciation: kham-math'
Phonetic Spelling: (klam-math')
KJV: Hammath
Word Origin: [a variation for the first part of H2576 (חַמּוֹת דּוֹאר - Hammoth-dor)]

1. hot springs
2. Chammath, a place in Israel

Hammath

A variation for the first part of Chammoth Do'r; hot springs; Chammath, a place in Palestine -- Hammath.

see HEBREW Chammoth Do'r

I. חַמַּת proper name, of a location (hot spring) — town in Naphtali Joshua 19:35 (perhaps = חַמּוֺן

2 see Di); ᵐ5 Ωμαθαδακεθ (= חַמַּת רַקַּת), A Αμαθ, ᵐ5^L Αμμαθ; Jos^{Ant. xviii, 2}. 3 Αμμαθους (ed. Niese), compare Id.^{BJ. iv, 1}0.3Guthe^{ZPV 1891, xiii, 284}; probably = Talmud „amata Nbr^{Géogr. du Talm. 207} (with hot springs), 35 minutes south of Tiberias, see Rob^{BR ii, 385} Buhl^{ZPV xiii, 1890, 39 f.} Guthe^l. with GASm^{Geogr, 450} (Furrer^{ZPV ii, 1878, 55; xiii, 1890, 194 ff.} and others say north of Tiberias); see חַמֹּת דּאֹר, חַמּוֺן below & above

II. חַמַּת proper name, masculine father of the house of Rechab 1 Chronicles 2:55.

חַמַּת proper name, of a location see below חמם.

חֵן, חֵנָדָד, חַנָּה see below חנן.

Biblical Occurrences

• Joshua 19:35 names Hammath among the “fortified cities” allotted to Naphtali: “The fortified cities were Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Chinnereth”.
• 1 Chronicles 2:55 traces certain Kenite scribes to “Hammath, the father of the house of Rechab,” linking the place (or patriarch) with the Rechabites, later celebrated for their faithfulness in Jeremiah 35.

Geographical Setting and Archaeological Insights

Hammath is generally identified with the thermal-spring site on the southwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, just south of modern Tiberias. Excavations at Hamat-Tiberias have uncovered a Roman-period bath complex and a fourth-century synagogue renowned for its mosaic zodiac floor. While these remains post-date Joshua, they attest to continuous occupation around the hot springs that probably gave the city its name. Its proximity to the Sea of Galilee placed it on important north–south trade routes and offered strategic value as a “fortified city” guarding Naphtali’s southern boundary.

Role within Israel’s Tribal Inheritance

The inclusion of Hammath in Naphtali’s list of strongholds highlights the tribe’s mixed topography: fertile basins, freshwater access, and defensible sites. Hammath’s hot springs would have provided both practical benefits—health, cleansing, and commerce—and a reminder of God’s provision in the land (Deuteronomy 8:7). The network of fortified cities in Joshua underscores the orderly distribution of territory and Israel’s responsibility to occupy and steward the inheritance promised to Abraham (Genesis 15:18-21).

Connection to the Kenites and the House of Rechab

1 Chronicles 2:55 situates Hammath within Judah’s genealogies, describing Kenite scribes dwelling at Jabez who “came from Hammath.” The wording allows two complementary possibilities:

1. Hammath as an earlier ancestor—“father of the house of Rechab.” This would place him in the Kenite line that attached itself to Israel through Moses’ father-in-law (Judges 1:16).
2. Hammath as a place of origin for the clan, later personified as an eponymous “father.” Either way, the verse links Hammath to the Rechabites whose fidelity to ancestral commands earned divine commendation centuries later (Jeremiah 35:18-19). The association illustrates how obedience rooted in one generation can influence entire communities and how Israel’s history weaves together diverse peoples under the covenant.

Theological Reflections

1. God integrates places and peoples for His redemptive purposes. A fortified Naphtalite city becomes, in another text, the formative environment of a Kenite clan famed for covenant loyalty—showing that geography and genealogy serve divine design.
2. The hot springs of Hammath testify to the Creator’s provision of healing resources in the land, prefiguring the spiritual “healing of the nations” (Revelation 22:2).
3. The Rechabites’ steadfast obedience, traced back through Hammath, contrasts with Israel’s periodic unfaithfulness, underscoring the call to covenant faithfulness for every generation (Deuteronomy 6:4-9).

Ministry Applications

• Stewardship of God-given resources: As Hammath’s springs refreshed body and trade, believers are to harness God’s gifts—material, relational, or spiritual—for kingdom service (1 Peter 4:10).
• Heritage of obedience: Hammath’s link to the Rechabites urges families and congregations to cultivate traditions that reinforce scriptural obedience, remembering that today’s choices shape tomorrow’s testimony (2 Timothy 1:5).
• Strategic presence: Like Hammath among Naphtali’s fortifications, local churches occupy God-assigned places to guard truth and extend grace in their communities (Philippians 2:15-16).

Modern Relevance

Visitors to Hamat-Tiberias can still feel the heat of the springs and view the synagogue mosaic, tangible reminders that Scripture’s geography is real history. Such encounters affirm the reliability of the biblical record and invite worship of the Lord who plants His people, then and now, in “pleasant places” (Psalm 16:6) so that they might be a fortified witness to His glory.

וְחַמַּ֖ת וחמת מֵחַמַּ֖ת מחמת mê·ḥam·maṯ mechamMat mêḥammaṯ vechamMat wə·ḥam·maṯ wəḥammaṯInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts