חֻמְטָה
𐤇𐤌𐤈𐤄
Chumetah
H2547 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A proper noun designating a locality in the southern hill country, noted among the settlements allotted to the tribe of Judah. The word identifies a geographic place rather than carrying an independent lexical meaning beyond its toponymic function.
Semantic Range
proper name of a location, toponym; Humtah/Chumta as an inhabited place in Judahite territory
Root / Etymology
From the root חָמֵט (חמט), which has an uncertain meaning but is sometimes associated with ideas such as 'to seize' or possibly 'to be low,' although the specific derivation and semantic connection to the place name is unclear. The feminine suffix -ה likely forms a geographic or nominal derivative.
Historical & Contextual Notes
חֻמְטָה (Chumṭâh) occurs in Joshua 15:54 as one of the towns listed in the southern region associated with the inheritance of the Judahite tribe during the compilation of territorial boundaries in the First Temple period. The exact location is uncertain, and its name appears only in the context of regional enumeration. The rendering 'Humtah' or 'Chumta' in English Bibles is a transliteration, and the name is not used again in later biblical periods nor clearly identified in post-biblical tradition. The association of the root חמט as 'low' is proposed in some lexica but is uncertain due to the rare occurrences and unclear base meaning. The term reflects an ancient regional identifier and does not function as a common noun. English translations often simply transliterate the name, reflecting the uncertain meaning and lack of later historical identification.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
feminine of חֹמֶט; low; Chumtah, a place in Palestine; Humtah.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
חמט (ḥ-m-ṭ) — uncertain; possibly to seize, to grasp, or to be low
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H2546 | חֹמֶט | ground-creeping lizard |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H2547-01 |
וְ/חֻמְטָ֗ה | vechumetah | HC/Np |
and Humtah | and Humtah | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H2547-01 |
Joshua 15:54 | וְ/חֻמְטָ֗ה | vechumetah | HC/Np |
and Humtah | and Humtah |