Kamon (Bible) Explained

Kamon or Camon (in Hebrew: קָמוֹן, in Ancient Greek: Καμων, transliterated as Kamôn) is a place mentioned in the Bible. Located in Gilead, it is said that Jair was buried there.

It is not yet clear whether it is a real place or primarily a symbolic one.

History

Biblical account

According to the Book of Judges, Kamon is located in Gilead and is the place where Judge Jair is buried.[1] [2]

Sources

Kamon is mentioned only once in the Bible. While only one Hebrew name is given in the Masoretic text, both Καμων (Kamôn) and Ραμμω (Rhammô) are found in the Septuagint manuscripts.[3]

In the 19th century, Easton believed it was probably located on the slopes of Mount Carmel.[4] One possible etymology of the term could come from קָמָה (Qamāh), which means "to rise", possibly indicating that it was a fortified place situated on high ground. A place named Καμους (Kamous) was mentioned by Polybius and was conquered by Antiochus III.[5] It might be the same location.[6]

However, according to more recent research, the term might have a primarily symbolic meaning, deriving from the Greek Kαμίνος (Kaminos), which means "furnace".[7] [8] This interpretation is reinforced by Pseudo-Philo, who interprets a passage related to Jair by stating: "And in the fire in which you will die, there you will have a dwelling place."[9]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Les Juges - Chapitre 10 - שופטים . 2024-06-17 . mechon-mamre.org . 2021-06-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210614125715/https://mechon-mamre.org/f/ft/ft0710.htm . live .
  2. Web site: La Septante, Juges, chapitre 10 . 2024-06-17 . theotex.org.
  3. Book: Gesenius . Wilhelm . Hebrew and Chaldee lexicon to the Old Testament Scriptures; translated, with additions, and corrections from the author's Thesaurus and other works . Tregelles . Samuel Prideaux . 1857 . London, Bagster . Gerstein - University of Toronto.
  4. Web site: Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897)/Camon - Wikisource, the free online library . 2024-06-17 . en.wikisource.org . en . 2019-04-26 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190426195527/https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Easton%27s_Bible_Dictionary_(1897)/Camon . live .
  5. Web site: Polybius • Histories — Book 5 . 2024-06-17 . penelope.uchicago.edu . 2021-12-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211214132825/https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Polybius/5%2A.html#70 . live .
  6. Book: Niehoff, Maren R. . Judentum und Hellenismus . 2024 . Mohr Siebeck . 978-3-16-163536-6 . Weyel . Birgit . Lucas-Preis . Tübingen . 12 . Schumann . Daniel . Chaldekas . Matthew.
  7. Vette . Nathanael . 2020-12-28 . The Many Fiery Furnaces of Daniel 3: The Evolution of a Literary Model . Biblical Interpretation . 30 . 3 . 312–328 . 10.1163/15685152-2020002 . 1568-5152 . 2024-06-17 . 2022-12-26 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221226175808/https://brill.com/view/journals/bi/30/3/article-p312_003.xml . live .
  8. Book: Bailly . Anatole . Dictionnaire grec-français: Réd. avec le concours de E. Egger. Éd. rev. par L[ouis] Séchan et P. Chantraine. Avec, en app., de nouvelles notices de mythologie et religion par L. Séchan . Egger . E. . Séchan . Louis . Chantraine . Pierre . 1984 . Hachette . 978-2-01-001306-5 . Paris.
  9. James . M. R. . 1915 . Notes on Apocrypha . The Journal of Theological Studies . 16 . 63 . 403–413 . 10.1093/jts/os-XVI.4.403 . 23947991 . 0022-5185.

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