Hamath
/ˈhæməθ/noun
Hamath was an ancient city and kingdom in the region of modern-day western Syria, frequently mentioned in the Hebrew Bible and Assyrian records.
Did you know?The city appears in both biblical texts and Assyrian royal inscriptions, including records of its defeat by the Assyrian king Sargon II.
Etymological Timeline
Iron Age
Northwest Semitic
Ḥamath
“The ancient name of the Syrian city; its precise original meaning is debated, with proposed connections to words for heat or a fortified place.”
8th Century BCE
Assyrian
Amattu / Hamath
“An important Syrian kingdom recorded in Assyrian royal inscriptions during imperial campaigns.”
5th–3rd Century BCE
Hebrew
Ḥămāṯ
“The city of Hamath, described in biblical geographical and historical passages.”
4th–1st Century BCE
Greek
Ἐπιφάνεια (Epiphaneia)
“The city was renamed Epiphaneia during the Hellenistic period, probably in honor of Antiochus IV Epiphanes.”
1st–4th Century CE
Latin
Epiphania
“The Roman-era form of the Hellenistic name.”
Modern English
English
Hamath
“The conventional English form of the ancient city’s Semitic name, preserved especially through biblical translation.”