Ham'math {\\eh.Chammath',V''lZ'n,u-arm&\>nngs; Scjit. 'Ajid?; V. r. [l)y incorporation of the following name] '<2jt(«3'«raK-^c', Vulg. Kmath), one of the "fenced cities" of Xaphtali, mentioned between Zer and Rak- kath (.Josh, xix, 35) ; generally thought to be the hot .•spring referred to by Joscplms {War, iv, 1, 3) under the name Ammnus (>ini.iaovi:), near Tilierias {Ant. xviii, 2, 'A) ; which latter is, no doubt, the same with the famous warm baths still found on the shore a little south of Ti- berias, and called J/ummam Tuburiijeh ("Bath of Tibe- rias"); properly llammath-rakkath (? the Yumim of < Jen. xxxvi, 24). See Eji.maus. They have been fully described by Kobinson {ReseaTxhes, iii, 258 sq. : see also Ilackett's Script. Illust. p. 315). I'liny, speaking of the Sea of (Jalilee, says, " Ab occiilente Tiberiade, aquis ca- lidis salubri" {/li.it. j\at. v, 15). Spacious baths were built over the principal spring by Ibrahim Pasha ; but, like everything else in Palestine, "they are falling to ruin. Ancient ruins are strewn around it, and can be traced along the shore for a considerable distance; these were recognised by Irby and jMangles (p. 80, b) as the remains of Vespasian's camp (.Josephus, War, i, 4, 3). There are also three smaller warm springs at this place. The wa- ter lias a temperature of 144^ Fahr.; the taste is ex- tremely salt and bitter, and a strong smell of sulphur is emitted. The whole surrounding district has a volcanic aspect. The warm fountains, the rocks of trap and Java, and the frequent earthquakes, prove that the ele- mcnt.s of destruction are still at work beneath the sur- face. It is said that at the time of the great earthquake of 1837 tlie (luantity of water issuing from the springs was greatly increased, and the temperature much higher than ordinarily (Porter. Ildwlbook fur ,s'. „„,/ /'. ii 4-23- Thomson. Land and Book; ii, Ci;; Wilson, y,„/..,/.v If'thl Bible, ii, 397 ; IJcland, I'abrst. p. 302, 703).' 'I'lds sj.ot is also mentioned in the Talmud (Sdnvarz, /V(/(-.«.7. j). 182) as being situated one mile from Tiberias (Liglitfoot, 0pp. ii, 221). The JIam.motii-dou of Josh, xxi, 32 is probably the same place. SeellEMATir; IIammon.
The llinnalh ';/V,VK/f/m, however, located by the Tal- mudists (see Lightfont, ilt.) at the mouth of the .Jordan IS a different place (see also Zunz, Appendix to Beni. of Fudela, 11,403); doubllcs.s the Amatiia (q. v.) of jose- phus (.!«/. X, .5, 2), and tlic modern Amateh on the ■i arnudi (Van de VcUle, Map).
Hammed'atha (Heb. Ilammedatha', Xmsn- Sept. 'A/((i«-«0oc,Vu]g. .l»M/f/((^//«.«, but both somerimes omit), father of the infamous llaman (q. v.), and com- monly designated as "the Agagite" (Esth. iii, 1, lO; ■'" '^^.^ ''^^). though also without that title (ix, 10)'
Vlll, 0
By Gesenius {Lex. 1855, p. 539) the name is taken 'to be
Medatha, preceded by the definite article: but Fiirst {Lex. s. v.), with more probability, identities it with the Zendic ha6m6dafa,i. e. "given by Horn," one of the Izeds. For other explanations, see Simonis {Onomasti- con, p. 586), who derives it from a Persian word mean- ing "double." For the termination, compare Ahiua- THA. B.C. ante 474.
Ham'melech (lleb. ham-Me'lek, T)^^!i, which is merely T^s/q, vie'lek; king, -with the article prefixed: Sept. translates o f3a(n\(vc,Vu\g. Amelech),the father of Jerahmeel, which latter was one of those commanded by Jehoiakim to arrest Jeremiah and Baruch (Jer. xxxvi, 2(5). B.C. ante G05. It is doubtful whether this was the same with the Hammelech, father of Malchiah, into whose dungeon Jeremiah M^as afterwards cast (Jer. xxxviii, G). B.C. ante 589. Others, however, regard the word in both cases as an appellative, referring in the first passage to Jehoiakim, and in the latter to Zedekiah. Compare Hammoleketji.
Ham-menuchoth. See Manahethite,
Hammer, an indispensable tool designated by sev- eral Heb. terms: I. Pattish' ('i:3i:22, connected etymo- logically with Ttaruacno, to strike), which was used by the gold-beater (Isa. xU, 7, Sept, a(pvpa) to overlay with silver and " smooth" the surface of the image, as well as by the quarryman (Jer. xxiii, 29, Sept. TreXvc,) ; met- aphorically of Babylon as a destructive agent (Jer. 1, 23, Sept. (Tcpiipa). This seems to have been the heaviest instrument of the kind for hard blows. 2. Makkahah' (n2|5^), properly a tool for hollowing, hence a stone- cutter's mallet (I Kings vi, 7), and generally any work- man's hammer (Judg. iv, 21 [where the form is r3|5p, makke'bethl ; Isa. xliv, 12; Jer. x, 4). In Isaiah the Sept. uses r'cpiTpov, a. gimlet, in all the rest G(pi)pa ; Vulg. malleus. See M.vccABiEUS. 3. Ilalmufh' (nilicbri), used only in Judg. v, 26; Sept. o-^Cpa, Vulg. mallei [q. d. ni'abin] ; and then with the addition of the word " workmen's" by way of explanation, as this is a poet- ical word, used instead of the preceding more prosaic term. The pins of the tent of the Bedouin are gener- ally of wood, and are driven into the ground by a mal- let, which is i)robably the " hammer" referred to in this passage (Thomson, Land and Book, ii, 149). Dr. Hack- eft observes (Amer. ed. of Smith's Bid. s. v.) that " it is spoken of as ' the hammer,' being the one kept for that purpose ;" but the Hebrew term used in Judg. v, 26 (to which he refers) is without the art., which is employed, however, with that found in Judg. iv, 21. See Naii>. 4. A kind of hammer, named mappets' ("I'Q^), Jer. Ii, 20 (A.V. "battle-axe"), or mephits' (f'^S^), Prov. xxv, 18 (A.V. "maul"), was used as a weapon of war. 5. Only in the plur. {rSl2h'^^,ke?jlapp6th', ScpUXa^vTiipia, A'ulg. ascice), a poetic term equivalent to the preceding (Psa. Lxxiv, G). See Handickaft.