מַעֲלֶה19 H0131
Adummim (place name: 'the red [ascent]'), a mountain pass
The Ascent of Adummim, a steep pass on the road from the Jordan Valley up to Jerusalem, marking the boundary between Benjamin and Judah (Joshua 15:7, 18:17). The name means 'red [ascent],' possibly from the reddish rock formations or desert soil. Modern identification points to Tal'at ed-Damm (meaning 'ascent of blood'), the steep climb from Jericho toward Jerusalem. This dangerous route through wilderness and cliffs became notorious—Jesus's parable of the Good Samaritan is set on this very road.
Senses
1. sense 1 — The Ascent of Adummim served as a fixed geographic marker in tribal boundary descriptions. Located south of the Valley of Achor, it marked the critical climb from the Jordan depression up to the Judean hills. The name's reference to 'red' aligns with the modern Arabic name (Tal'at ed-Damm), suggesting continuity of designation. This route's isolation and danger made it ideal for the parable of the Good Samaritan—a priest and Levite would naturally travel this road from Jericho to Jerusalem, and bandits would naturally prey on vulnerable travelers in the desolate stretches. 2×
AR["أدُمّيمَ", "أَدُمّيمَ"]·ben["আদুম্মীমের"]·DE["Adummim"]·EN["Adummim"]·FR["Adummim"]·heb["אדומים"]·HI["अदुम्मीम", "अदुम्मीम-की"]·ID["Adumim"]·IT["Adummim"]·jav["Adumim"]·KO["아둘밌의", "아둠밈의"]·PT["Adummim"]·RU["Адуммим"]·ES["Adumim"]·SW["Adumimu"]·TR["Adummimin"]·urd["ادمیم-کی"]
Related Senses
G3588 1. definite article (18298×)H0853 1. definite direct object marker (10915×)G2532 1. (8312×)H3068 1. YHWH (the divine name) (6522×)H0834a 1. relative pronoun (who/which/that) (4839×)H3588a 1. causal: because, for (3498×)G1161 1. and (2806×)H3478 1. Israel (proper name and nation) (2507×)G4771 1. you (plural address) (1853×)H1931 1. personal pronoun he/she/it (1431×)G3739 1. relative pronoun who/which/that (1149×)H1732 1. David (proper name) (1075×)H2088 1. this, this one (demonstrative) (1059×)G1063 1. (1047×)G3778 1. this thing, these things (1003×)H???? 2. (1002×)G2424 1. (924×)G3754 1. that (content clause) (881×)H2009 1. presentative particle: behold, look (881×)H0589 1. I (first person singular pronoun) (874×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
מַעֲלֶה19 n.m. Is 15:5 ascent;—מ׳ Ne 12:37; cstr. מַעֲלֵה Jos 10:10 + 14 times; מַעֲלָו֯ Ez 40:31, 34, 37; 1. ascent of hill or city: Ju 8:13; 1 S 9:11, to the royal sepulchres (in Jerus.) 2 Ch 32:33; מ׳ הַזֵּיתִית 2 S 15:30 (v. זַיִת 3); מ׳עַקְרַבִּים = Scorpion-pass, on S. border of Pal., Ju 1:36; Nu 34:4; Jos 15:3 (both P), i.e. prob. the Naḳb eṣ-ṣafâ SW. from Dead Sea BuhlGeogr. 16, 66 Di and…