Kamon (Bible)

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,^[1] both Καμων (Kamôn) and Ραμμω (Rhammô) are found in the Septuagint manuscripts.^[2]^[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.^[3] 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."^[7]^[9]

References

^ ^a ^b "Les Juges - Chapitre 10 - שופטים". mechon-mamre.org. Archived from the original on 2021-06-14. Retrieved 2024-06-17.
^ ^a ^b "La Septante, Juges, chapitre 10". theotex.org. Retrieved 2024-06-17.
^ ^a ^b Gesenius, Wilhelm; Tregelles, Samuel Prideaux (1857). Hebrew and Chaldee lexicon to the Old Testament Scriptures; translated, with additions, and corrections from the author's Thesaurus and other works. Gerstein - University of Toronto. London, Bagster.
^ "Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897)/Camon - Wikisource, the free online library". en.wikisource.org. Archived from the original on 2019-04-26. Retrieved 2024-06-17.
^ "Polybius • Histories — Book 5". penelope.uchicago.edu. Archived from the original on 2021-12-14. Retrieved 2024-06-17.
^ Niehoff, Maren R. (2024). Weyel, Birgit (ed.). Judentum und Hellenismus. Lucas-Preis. Translated by Schumann, Daniel; Chaldekas, Matthew. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck. p. 12. ISBN 978-3-16-163536-6.
^ ^a ^b Vette, Nathanael (2020-12-28). "The Many Fiery Furnaces of Daniel 3: The Evolution of a Literary Model". Biblical Interpretation. 30 (3): 312–328. doi:10.1163/15685152-2020002. ISSN 1568-5152. Archived from the original on 2022-12-26. Retrieved 2024-06-17.
^ Bailly, Anatole; Egger, E.; Séchan, Louis; Chantraine, Pierre (1984). 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. Paris: Hachette. ISBN 978-2-01-001306-5.
^ James, M. R. (1915). "Notes on Apocrypha". The Journal of Theological Studies. 16 (63): 403–413. doi:10.1093/jts/os-XVI.4.403. ISSN 0022-5185. JSTOR 23947991.

[:0-1] "Les Juges - Chapitre 10 - שופטים". mechon-mamre.org. Archived from the original on 2021-06-14. Retrieved 2024-06-17.

[:1-2] "La Septante, Juges, chapitre 10". theotex.org. Retrieved 2024-06-17.

[:2-3] Gesenius, Wilhelm; Tregelles, Samuel Prideaux (1857). Hebrew and Chaldee lexicon to the Old Testament Scriptures; translated, with additions, and corrections from the author's Thesaurus and other works. Gerstein - University of Toronto. London, Bagster.

[4] "Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897)/Camon - Wikisource, the free online library". en.wikisource.org. Archived from the original on 2019-04-26. Retrieved 2024-06-17.

[5] "Polybius • Histories — Book 5". penelope.uchicago.edu. Archived from the original on 2021-12-14. Retrieved 2024-06-17.

[6] Niehoff, Maren R. (2024). Weyel, Birgit (ed.). Judentum und Hellenismus. Lucas-Preis. Translated by Schumann, Daniel; Chaldekas, Matthew. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck. p. 12. ISBN 978-3-16-163536-6.

[:3-7] Vette, Nathanael (2020-12-28). "The Many Fiery Furnaces of Daniel 3: The Evolution of a Literary Model". Biblical Interpretation. 30 (3): 312–328. doi:10.1163/15685152-2020002. ISSN 1568-5152. Archived from the original on 2022-12-26. Retrieved 2024-06-17.

[8] Bailly, Anatole; Egger, E.; Séchan, Louis; Chantraine, Pierre (1984). 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. Paris: Hachette. ISBN 978-2-01-001306-5.

[9] James, M. R. (1915). "Notes on Apocrypha". The Journal of Theological Studies. 16 (63): 403–413. doi:10.1093/jts/os-XVI.4.403. ISSN 0022-5185. JSTOR 23947991.

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