The city of Hamath was situated in the north of Lebanon, at the end of the Lebanon ranges and on the edge of the Syrian plain. In the time of David its leaders were friendly with Israel (2 Samuel 8:9-10), and in the time of Solomon it was controlled by Israel (2 Chronicles 8:3-4). After Solomon’s death it regained its independence, but it again came briefly under Israelite control during the reign of Jeroboam II (2 Kings 14:25).
At the northern end of the Lebanon ranges was a prominent gap known as ‘the entrance of Hamath’, where Lebanon opened on to the plains of Syria. This gap, or pass, marked Israel’s ideal northern boundary (Joshua 13:5; Amos 6:14), but only in times of unusual growth and prosperity was it the actual boundary (2 Kings 14:25). (For further details see LEBANON.)