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Bible Lexicons
Old Testament Hebrew Lexical Dictionary Hebrew Lexicon
Strong's #522 - אַמָּה
- Brown-Driver-Briggs
- Strong
Ammah = “a cubit”
1) a hill near Gibeon
- Book
- Word
IV. אַמָּה proper name, of a location hill near Gibeon, גִּבְעַתאַֿמָּה 2 Samuel 2:24.
אַמָּה prop. i.q. אֵם, but always metaph. of the beginning, head, and foundation of a thing. Specially
(1) it is the mother of the arm, i.e. the fore-part of the arm; cubitus, ulna, the fore-arm, Deuteronomy 3:11. Hence
(2) The name of a measure, a cubit, an ell. Comp. the Lat. cubitus, ulna, also Germ. Elle, whence Ellenbogen, Gr. πῆχος and πυγῶν, Arab. ذِرَاعُ, Egypt. ⲙⲁⲥⲓ. The method of numbering cubits is this: אַמָּתַיִם “two cubits,” Exodus 25:10, 17 Exodus 25:17שָׁלשׁ אַמּוֹת 27:1, and so on as far as ten; in the later Hebrew אַמּוֹת שָׁלשׁ 2 Chronicles 6:13 with numbers higher than ten, in the more ancient Hebrew, thus, תֲמִשִּׁים אַמָּה Genesis 6:15 in the later, חֲמִשִׁים אַמּוֹת Ezekiel 42:2, or אַמּוֹת עֶשְׂרִים 2 Chronicles 3:4. Also to numerals of all kinds, and both in more ancient and later Hebrew it is joined by בְּ: אַרְבַּע בָּאַמָּה “four by cubit,” i.e. four cubits; מֵאָה בָאַמָּה “a hundred cubits,” Exodus 27:9, 18 Exodus 27:18, 36:15 38:9. The common Hebrew cubit was six palms, nor should the opinion be heeded which makes it only four; a larger cubit of seven palms ἑπταπάλαιστος, is mentioned Ezekiel 40:5, 43:13, comp. 2 Chronicles 3:3 [“this agrees with the royal cubit of the Babylonians (Herod i. 178) and Egyptians; see Bœckh, Metrol. Untersuch. p. 212, seq. 265, seq.” Ges. add.] and the remarks in Thes. p. 110, 113.-Metaph. Jeremiah 51:13, “thy end is come, the measure of thy rapine,” i.e. the time when God setteth bounds and measure to thy wicked gain.
(3) i.q. אֵם No. 6, metropolis, 2 Samuel 8:1, “and David took the bridle of the metropolis from the hand of the Philistines,” i.e. he subjected the metropolis of the Philistines to himself. Comp. the Arabian proverb “to give one’s bridle to any one,” i.e. to submit to his will. Schult. on Job 30:11, and Har. Cons. iv., p. 24. See Geschichte der Hebr. Sprache, p. 41.
(4) foundation. Isaiah 6:4, אַמֹּות הַסִּפִּים “the foundations of the threshold.” Comp. أُمَّاتُ, أُمَّهَاتُ, roots, beginning.
(5) [Ammah], pr.n. of a hill, 2 Samuel 2:24.
אַמָּה pl. אַמָּין f. Ch. a cubit, Daniel 3:1; Ezra 6:3 Syr. ܐܰܡܳܐ, ܐܰܡܬܐܳ, pl. ܐܰܡܝܺܢ.
