Original Word: מַעֲכָה
Part of Speech: proper name, masculine, feminine and of a people; feminine; feminine; of a people
Transliteration: Ma`akah
Pronunciation: mah-ak-AH
Phonetic Spelling: (mah-ak-aw')
KJV: Maachah, Maachathites See also H1038
NASB: Maacah, Maacath
Word Origin: [from H4600 (מָעַך - bruised)]

1. depression
2. Maakah (or Maakath), the name of a place in Syria, also of a Mesopotamian, of three Israelites, and of four Israelitesses and one Syrian woman

Maachah, Maachathites

Or Mamakath (Josh. 13:13) {mah-ak-awth'}; from ma'ak; depression; Maakah (or Maakath), the name of a place in Syria, also of a Mesopotamian, of three Israelites, and of four Israelitesses and one Syrian woman -- Maachah, Maachathites. See also Beyth Ma'akah.

see HEBREW ma'ak

see HEBREW Beyth Ma'akah

Word Origin
from maak
Definition
an Isr. name, also a non-Isr. name, also a region in Syria
NASB Translation
Aram-maacah* (1), Maacah (21), Maacath (1).

מַעֲכָה proper name, masculine, feminine and of a people 1. masculine ᵐ5 Μ(ο)ωχα, Μα(α)χα:

a. son of Nahor by his concubine רְאוּמָה Genesis 22:22 (J), ancestor of people see

3. b. father of חָנָן, a hero of David 1 Chronicles 11:43.

c. Simeonite name 1 Chronicles 27:16.

d. father of Achish 1 Kings 2:39 (see מָעוֺךְ above).

2. feminine ᵐ5 Μ(ο)ωχα, Μααχα, etc.:

a. Geshurite princess, wife of David, mother of Absalom, 2 Samuel 3:3 = 1 Chronicles 3:2.

b. daughter of Absalom, wife of Rehoboam, mother of Abijam, 1 Kings 15:2; 2Chronicles 11:20,21,22; read also ׳מ2Chronicles 13:2 (so ᵐ5 ᵑ6) for ᵑ0 מִיכָיָה, where called daughter of Uriel of Gibeah (on this difficulty see Be Öttli, and compare c).

c. mother of Asa, and called also daughter of Absalom (as b) 1 Kings 15:10, compare 1 Kings 15:13 2Chronicles 15:16, (on this difficulty see Th Kmp: in Kau).

d. concubine of Caleb according to 1 Chronicles 2:48.

e. wife of Machir 1 Chronicles 7:16, compare 1 Chronicles 7:15 (corrupt, see Be).

f. wife of (יעיאל), father of Gibeon, 1 Chronicles 8:29; 1 Chronicles 9:35.

3. of a people, ᵐ5 Μοοχα, Μωχα, Μα(α)χα; dwelling west of Bashan, near Soba, and Geshur (compare especially adjective, of a people below), 2 Samuel 10:6,8 = 1 Chronicles 19:7, ׳אֲרַם מ 1 Chronicles 19:6 (compare Genesis 22:24 above); = מַעֲכָת Joshua 13:13 (+ גְּשׁוּר), ᵐ5 ὀ Μαχατει, Μαχαθι. — אָבֵל בֵּית מַעֲכָה see below בַּיִת, p. 112 above, and אָבֵל, p. 5.

מַעֲכָת see above מַעֲכָה

3

Overview

Maacah (Strong’s Hebrew 4601) appears twenty-three times in the Old Testament and functions as (1) a personal name for both men and women, (2) the name of an Aramean kingdom and its king, and (3) the designation of a clan or family within Israel. The occurrences span the Patriarchal period through the divided monarchy, touching Genesis, Joshua, Samuel–Kings, and Chronicles. Together they display how one name threads through covenant history, intersecting with royal lineage, military conflict, and spiritual reform.

Early Genealogical Usage

Genesis 22:24 records Maacah as the youngest son born to Nahor by his concubine Reumah. His inclusion among the sons of Abraham’s brother highlights the broader family network from which later Near-Eastern peoples and kingdoms emerged.

A Border People and Kingdom

Joshua 13:13 lists “the Geshurites or the Maacathites” whom Israel failed to dispossess. This people group occupied territory just northeast of the Sea of Galilee, forming a small Aramean kingdom often allied with Geshur. Centuries later the same polity hired mercenaries against David:
• “The Arameans of Beth-rehob and Zobah—twenty thousand foot soldiers—and the king of Maacah with one thousand men” (2 Samuel 10:6).

That coalition was defeated, fulfilling the pattern that resistance to the Lord’s anointed ultimately fails.

Royal Women in David’s House

1. Maacah daughter of Talmai king of Geshur became one of David’s wives and the mother of Absalom (2 Samuel 3:3; 1 Chronicles 3:2). Through her, an Aramean princess enters Judah’s royal line, illustrating the diplomatic marriages of the era. Her son Absalom later rebels, reminding readers that foreign alliances cannot secure covenant blessing apart from obedience.

2. Generations later, another Maacah shapes the southern kingdom. Rehoboam “took eighteen wives … and Maacah daughter of Absalom” (2 Chronicles 11:21). She bore Abijah, whom Rehoboam appointed crown prince (2 Chronicles 11:22). Thus Maacah became queen mother under both Abijah and Asa. Yet her influence turned idolatrous:

“He also removed his grandmother Maacah from the position of queen mother because she had made an obscene Asherah pole” (1 Kings 15:13; 2 Chronicles 15:16).

Asa’s reform underscores the priority of covenant fidelity over family privilege; no office is exempt from God’s standards.

Tribal and Clan References

• Caleb’s concubine Maacah bore Sheber and Tirhanah (1 Chronicles 2:48).
• Machir’s wife Maacah named her son Peresh (1 Chronicles 7:16).
• Jeiel, “father of Gibeon,” had a wife Maacah (1 Chronicles 8:29; 9:35).
• Shephatiah son of Maacah led the tribe of Simeon in David’s military organization (1 Chronicles 27:16).

These scattered notes preserve the presence of Maacah-named individuals across Judah, Manasseh, Benjamin, and Simeon, witnessing to the reliability and detail of the biblical genealogies.

A Title for the King of Gath

Achish “son of Maacah, king of Gath” shelters Shimei’s runaway servants (1 Kings 2:39). Philistine royalty bore the name as a patronymic, showing that Maacah was also recognized outside Israel as a prestigious lineage.

Spiritual and Ministry Significance

1. Godly leadership requires addressing idolatry even within one’s household. Asa’s deposition of Queen Mother Maacah models courageous reform.
2. The varied bearers of the name demonstrate that lineage, culture, or gender neither guarantee covenant faithfulness nor preclude usefulness in God’s plan.
3. The geopolitical Maacah reminds readers that incomplete obedience (Joshua 13:13) can sow future conflict (2 Samuel 10; 1 Chronicles 19).
4. Scripture’s precise preservation of this name across eras affirms the unity and historical trustworthiness of the biblical record.

Key References

Genesis 22:24; Joshua 13:13; 2 Samuel 3:3; 2 Samuel 10:6 – 8; 1 Kings 2:39; 1 Kings 15:2, 10, 13; 1 Chronicles 2:48; 1 Chronicles 7:15 – 16; 1 Chronicles 8:29; 1 Chronicles 11:43; 1 Chronicles 19:6 – 7; 2 Chronicles 11:20 – 22; 2 Chronicles 15:16.

Summary

Maacah spans ethnic groups, royal courts, and clan lists, weaving through Scripture as a reminder that God’s redemptive purposes advance amid complex human relationships and that covenant faithfulness outweighs political calculation or familial ties.

וּמַֽעֲכָ֔ה וּמַֽעֲכָת֙ ומעכה ומעכת מַֽעֲכָה֙ מַעֲכָ֔ה מַעֲכָ֖ה מַעֲכָ֞ה מַעֲכָ֣ה מַעֲכָ֤ה מַעֲכָֽה׃ מַעֲכָה֙ מעכה מעכה׃ ma‘ăḵāh ma·‘ă·ḵāh maaChah ū·ma·‘ă·ḵāh ū·ma·‘ă·ḵāṯ ūma‘ăḵāh ūma‘ăḵāṯ umaaChah umaaChatInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts