Boy Old & New Testament Known
Hamor
an ass; clay; dirt
חֲמוֹר Ἐμμόρ cha.mor
Hamor (Hebrew: חֲמוֹר, cha.mor) means “an ass; clay; dirt”, by traditional interpretation. It appears in 13 verses across 4 books of the Bible. In United States birth records the name is below the reporting threshold. Appears with Abimelech in Judges 9.
The bearer in scripture
One person in scripture bears this name.
-
Hamor
Scripture against society
The two measures, side by side
At a glance
- Verses
- 13 across 4 books
- Bearers
- 1 one person only
- Testament
- Both
- Era
- Patriarchal
Using it today
In United States birth records this name is below the reporting threshold. The Social Security Administration does not publish counts under five, so a name given to four children looks the same as one given to none.
In scripture
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| First appears | Genesis 33:19 |
| Last appears | Acts 7:16 |
| Cross-references | 157 linked passages |
Names connected to this one
- Shechem co-occurrence Appears with Shechem in Genesis 34.
- Dinah co-occurrence Appears with Dinah in Genesis 34.
- Zebul co-occurrence Appears with Zebul in Judges 9.
- Ebed co-occurrence Appears with Ebed in Judges 9.
- Gaal co-occurrence Appears with Gaal in Judges 9.
- Abimelech co-occurrence Appears with Abimelech in Judges 9.
- Israel co-occurrence Appears with Israel in Genesis 34.
- Gideon co-occurrence Appears with Gideon in Judges 9.
Origin & meaning
A man living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.33.19;
father of: Shechem (H7927H)
Also named: Emmor (Ἐμμόρ "Hamor" G1697)
§ Hamor = "he-ass"
the Hivite prince of the city of Shechem when Jacob entered Palestine
Hamor, a Hivite prince, was the father and founder of Shechem and negotiated with Jacob's sons after Shechem's assault on Dinah.
The biblical story
Hamor was a Hivite who founded the city of Shechem during the time of the patriarchs. His son was called Shechem, after whom the city was named (Gen.33.19). When Israel (or 'Jacob') and his family settled near Shechem, Hamor's son Shechem assaulted Jacob's daughter Dinah (Gen.34.2). Hamor and Shechem sought to arrange a marriage between Shechem and Dinah and proposed that their people intermarry with Jacob's family (Gen.34.8-10). Jacob's sons, Simeon and Levi, deceitfully agreed on the condition that all the men of Shechem be circumcised (Gen.34.13-24). However, while the men of Shechem were recovering from the circumcision, Simeon and Levi attacked the city, killed Hamor and Shechem, and rescued Dinah (Gen.34.25-29). The land that Jacob had purchased from Hamor became a possession of the Israelites and was later allocated to the tribe of Manasseh (Jos.24.32). In the time of the judges, Gaal son of Ebed challenged Abimelech's rule in Shechem, invoking the memory of Hamor as the city's ancestral leader (Jdg.9.28). In Act.7.16, Stephen mentions that Abraham bought a tomb from the sons of Hamor in Shechem, which may refer to the same transaction or a separate one.
Key verses
Hamor appears in 13 verses. Here are some of the most notable:
-
And he bought a parcel of a field, where he had spread his tent, at the hand of the children of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for an hundred pieces of money.
Genesis 33:19 -
And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her, and lay with her, and defiled her.
Genesis 34:2 -
And Shechem spake unto his father Hamor, saying, Get me this damsel to wife.
Genesis 34:4 -
And Hamor the father of Shechem went out unto Jacob to commune with him.
Genesis 34:6 -
And Hamor communed with them, saying, The soul of my son Shechem longeth for your daughter: I pray you give her him to wife.
Genesis 34:8
Show all 13 references
Genesis (10)
- Genesis 33:19
- Genesis 34:2
- Genesis 34:4
- Genesis 34:6
- Genesis 34:8
- Genesis 34:13
- Genesis 34:18
- Genesis 34:20
- Genesis 34:24
- Genesis 34:26
Joshua (1)
- Joshua 24:32
Judges (1)
- Judges 9:28
Acts (1)
- Acts 7:16