Interesting Facts

• Admah was one of the four cities in the plain established by men from the family of Ham.
• Like Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah had ruling judges who enforced cruel laws, such as the use of beds to torture travelers.
• One of the judges in Admah was named Zabnac.
• The people of Admah participated in the punishment of individuals who showed compassion to strangers, as evidenced by the story of the woman who offered bread and water to a traveler and was subsequently tortured and killed by bees.
• Admah was one of the cities attacked and plundered by Chedorlaomer and his allied kings.

Genealogy

• Admah was founded by one of the four men from the family of Ham who journeyed to the land of the plain.
• This man built the city and named it Admah after himself.
• The inhabitants of Admah were the descendants of this son of Ham, who settled and multiplied in the city.

Historical Context

Admah’s origins lie in the period following the dispersion of Noah’s descendants, as families branched out and established their own communities. Situated in the fertile plain alongside Sodom, Gomorrah, and Zeboyim, Admah’s early development would have been characterized by city-building and population growth within the Hamitic lineage. The cultural context that emerged in these cities of the plain, including Admah, was marked by a profound moral decline. This is evidenced by the establishment of wicked customs and laws, a stark lack of hospitality and compassion towards outsiders, and a general sinfulness that ultimately provoked divine judgment. The interconnectedness of these cities is apparent in their shared practices and their collective fate, suggesting a regional culture that deviated significantly from righteous conduct as understood in the broader narrative of Noah’s descendants.

Narrative

The narrative concerning Admah, while not as extensively detailed as that of Sodom or Gomorrah, reveals a city deeply entrenched in the same patterns of wickedness. The presence of a judge like Zabnac, who enforced the inhumane practice of the beds, highlights the institutionalization of cruelty within Admah. The tragic account of the woman in Admah who provided aid to a traveler illustrates the city’s extreme intolerance for acts of kindness towards strangers and the severe punishment meted out to those who defied their perverse social norms. This incident underscores a profound lack of compassion and a prioritization of their own self-serving laws over basic human decency. Furthermore, Admah’s involvement in the rebellion against Chedorlaomer and its subsequent defeat and plundering link its fate to the other sinful cities of the plain. Ultimately, Admah shared in the destruction brought upon Sodom and Gomorrah, indicating that its level of moral corruption was similarly deemed beyond redemption. The narrative of Admah serves as another stark reminder within the larger biblical account of the consequences of widespread societal depravity and the just judgment of the Divine against unrepentant wickedness.