Helam

Helam
חֵילָם
Helam
Coordinates: 33°3′4.32″N 35°29′59.63″E / 33.0512000°N 35.4998972°E / 33.0512000; 35.4998972Coordinates: 33°3′4.32″N 35°29′59.63″E / 33.0512000°N 35.4998972°E / 33.0512000; 35.4998972
Region poss. located ≈ 55 km (34 mi)[1] due E of the Sea of Galilee.[2]
Affiliation present-day Alma, Israel

Helam (Hebrew: חֵילָם,[3] ḥêlām;[2] meaning "stronghold", or "place of abundance"[4]) is a Hebrew Bible place name,[5][2] where King David’s army defeated the military forces of the Syrian King Hadadezer under his army chief Shobach (2 Sam. 10:15-19). Some scholars associate Helam with "Alema" mentioned in the Apocryphal book of First Maccabees (5:26, JB).[6] Thus, it may be plausible to link Helam to modern ʽAlma, Israel as possibly a district rather than a city.[7] It is located about 55 km (34 mi)[1] due E of the Sea of Galilee.[2]

Battle at Helam

At Helam, the forces of Hadadezer were under the command of Shobach (Shophach). They met those of David and were defeated. Shobach died on the battle field.[8] Immediately afterward, Hadadezer’s vassals made peace with Israel (2 Sam. 10:17-19; 1 Chr. 19:17-19). In the conflict 40,000 Syrian horsemen were killed. Perhaps in order to escape through rough terrain, these horsemen dismounted and were slain as footmen.[9] The difference in the number of Syrian charioteers killed in battle is usually attributed to scribal error, the lower figure of 700 charioteers being considered the correct one.[10]

For the spoils of war, David took much copper from Betah (apparently also called Tibhath) and Berothai (perhaps the same as Cun), the two cities of Hadadezer’s realm. He also took the gold shields belonging to Hadadezer’s servants, probably the vassal kings.[10] All of the spoils taken from the war, were brought to Jerusalem and dedicated to Jehovah.[8][11] David also captured many of Hadadezer’s horses, horsemen, chariots, and footmen. The variation in the enumeration of these at 2 Samuel 8:4 and 1 Chronicles 18:4 may also have arisen through scribal error, while in the Greek Septuagint both passages indicate that 1,000 chariots and 7,000 horsemen were captured.[12] The power of the Ammonites and the Syrians were finally broken, and David's empire expanded to the Euphrates (2 Sam. 10:15-19; 2 Chr. 19:15-19).[8]

See also

Footnotes

  1. 1 2 Insight 1988, p. 1085.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Eerdman's 2000, p. 571.
  3. ↑ Strong's H2431 - Cheylam
  4. ↑ Easton 1894, p. 321.
  5. ↑ Easton 1894, p. 321, a place east of the Jordan and west of the Euphrates, in Gilead.
  6. ↑ Eerdman's 2000, p. 571: LXX Eze. 47:16; 48:1 places Helam between Damascus and Hamath. Suggestions for its location include Haleb (Aleppo) and Alamatha (near the old Roman city of Nicephorium) on the Euphrates.
  7. ↑ Eerdman's 2000, p. 571, per Philip R. Drey in association with David Noel Freedman.
  8. 1 2 3 Easton 1894, p. 303.
  9. ↑ Insight 1988, p. 1015: notes a comparison of "horsemen" at 2 Sam. 10:18 and "men on foot" at 1 Chr. 19:18.
  10. 1 2 Insight 1988, p. 1015.
  11. ↑ Insight 1988, p. 1015: 2 Sam. 8:7, 8; 1 Chr. 18:7, 8; cf 2 Sam. 10:19.
  12. ↑ Insight 1988, p. 1015: 1 Chronicles 18:4 perhaps preserves the original reading. However, it may be noted that what are commonly viewed as scribal errors in the account of David’s conflict with Hadadezer, may simply reflect other aspects of the war or different ways of reckoning.

References

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Easton, Matthew George (1897). "Helam". Easton's Bible Dictionary (New and revised ed.). T. Nelson and Sons. 

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