Admah

Admah is a city mentioned in the Hebrew Bible as one of the cities of the plain, along with Sodom, Gomorrah, Zeboiim, and Zoar. The narrative of its destruction is linked to the events surrounding Sodom and Gomorrah in the book of Genesis, where the four cities are described in the context of divine judgement.

The name Admah is of Hebrew origin and is often thought to be related to the word for earth or ground, such as adama. This etymology suggests a possible connection to a geographic feature or soil type, though the exact significance of the name is not clearly established in ancient sources.

The precise location of Admah remains uncertain. In biblical geography it is placed in the vicinity of the Dead Sea, in the southern part of the land of Canaan, but no archaeological site has been universally identified as Admah. Consequently, researchers offer various hypotheses about its location, all lacking decisive evidence.

Biblical references to Admah appear in several passages. It is named in Genesis 14:2 as part of a coalition of kings that includes Sodom and Gomorrah. In Deuteronomy 29:23 and in Hosea 11:8, Admah is cited in later prophetic and evaluative contexts as part of language describing destruction or as a comparative example alongside Zeboiim.

Admah is typically discussed within studies of the Cities of the Plain, a group that includes Sodom, Gomorrah, Zeboiim, and Zoar. Its mention serves to illustrate biblical geography, themes of divine judgement, and the broader narrative framework of the region in ancient Near Eastern literature.