Hamor חֲמוֹר
A Hivite prince, father of Shechem.
Who is Hamor in the Bible?
Hamor was a Hivite prince who founded the city of Shechem during the time of the patriarchs (Genesis 33:19). His son, also named Shechem, sexually assaulted Jacob's daughter Dinah, prompting Hamor to negotiate with Jacob's sons for a marriage arrangement and propose intermarriage between their peoples (Genesis 34:2-10). Jacob's sons Simeon and Levi agreed to the proposal on the condition that all the men of Shechem be circumcised, but then used this moment of vulnerability to attack the city, killing both Hamor and his son while rescuing Dinah (Genesis 34:13-29). The land Jacob purchased from Hamor later became an important possession for Israel and the burial place of Joseph (Joshua 24:32). Hamor's story illustrates the dangers of assimilation and the lengths Jacob's family would go to protect their honor and separation from surrounding peoples.
Biography
Hamor was a Hivite who founded the city of Shechem during the time of the patriarchs. His son was called Shechem, after whom the city was named (Gen.33.19). When Israel (or 'Jacob') and his family settled near Shechem, Hamor's son Shechem assaulted Jacob's daughter Dinah (Gen.34.2). Hamor and Shechem sought to arrange a marriage between Shechem and Dinah and proposed that their people intermarry with Jacob's family (Gen.34.8-10). Jacob's sons, Simeon and Levi, deceitfully agreed on the condition that all the men of Shechem be circumcised (Gen.34.13-24). However, while the men of Shechem were recovering from the circumcision, Simeon and Levi attacked the city, killed Hamor and Shechem, and rescued Dinah (Gen.34.25-29). The land that Jacob had purchased from Hamor became a possession of the Israelites and was later allocated to the tribe of Manasseh (Jos.24.32). In the time of the judges, Gaal son of Ebed challenged Abimelech's rule in Shechem, invoking the memory of Hamor as the city's ancestral leader (Jdg.9.28). In Act.7.16, Stephen mentions that Abraham bought a tomb from the sons of Hamor in Shechem, which may refer to the same transaction or a separate one.
Family
In Scripture
4 biblical books ; 3 with study contentGenesis 5 verses
- Genesis 33:19
"And the plot of ground where he pitched his tent, he purchased from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for a hundred pieces of silver."
Study Genesis → - Genesis 34:2
"When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the region, saw her, he took her and lay with her by force."
Study Genesis → - Genesis 34:4
"So Shechem told his father Hamor, “Get me this girl as a wife.”"
Study Genesis → - Genesis 34:6
"Meanwhile, Shechem’s father Hamor came to speak with Jacob."
Study Genesis → - Genesis 34:8
"But Hamor said to them, “My son Shechem longs for your daughter. Please give her to him as his wife."
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Joshua 1 verse
- Joshua 24:32
"And the bones of Joseph, which the Israelites had brought up out of Egypt, were buried at Shechem in the plot of land that Jacob had purchased from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for a hundred pieces of silver. So it became an inheritance for Joseph’s descendants."
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Judges 1 verse
- Judges 9:28
"Then Gaal son of Ebed said, “Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jerubbaal, and is not Zebul his officer? You are to serve the men of Hamor, the father of Shechem. Why should we serve Abimelech?"
Acts 1 verse
- Acts 7:16
"Their bones were carried back to Shechem and placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought from the sons of Hamor at Shechem for a price he paid in silver."
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Names & Aliases
| Form | Language | Script |
|---|---|---|
| Named | Hebrew | חֲמוֹר |
| Greek | Greek | Ἐμμόρ |
Hamor
, and the burial place of Joseph when his body was removed from Egypt to Canaan (Jos 24:32). "The men of Hamor" were inhabitants of Shechem, and suffered a great loss under Abimelech, a prince over Israel (Jud 9:22-49). Dinah, Jacob's daughter, was criminally treated by Hamor, who requested her to be given to him in marriage, in which plan he had the cooperation of his father, Shechem. The sons of Jacob rejected their proposition and laid a scheme by which the inhabitants of the city were circumcised, and in the hour of helplessness slew all the males, thus wreaking special vengeance upon Hamor and his father Shechem. It is mere conjecture to claim that Hamor and Dinah were personifications of early central Palestinian clans in sharp antagonism, and that the course of Simeon and Levi was really the treachery of primitive tribes. Because the word Hamor means "an ass" and Shechem "a shoulder," there is no reason for rejecting the terms as designations of individuals and considering the titles as mere tribal appellations.
Byron H. Dement
ham'-ran.
See HEMDAN.
ham'-u-el, ha-mu'-el.
See HAMMUEL.
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