Mount Amana
Mount Amana (אֲמָנָה, a-mā'na, a-mä'na,[1] uh-may'nuh[2]) is an ancient name for the southern Anti-Lebanon Mountains.
Geography[edit]
Mount Amana is at the southern end[3][4] of the Anti-Lebanon Mountains,[5][6][7][1] near the source of the river Abana.[3][8][4][9] Paul Haupt identifies this mountain as Jabal az-Zabadany, northwest of Damascus.[8]
Mount Amana is often confused with Mount Amanus, also known as Mount Hor, at the north end of the Syrian plain.[a]
Notable mentions[edit]
Mount Amana is mentioned in Song of Songs (4:8) along with Lebanon, Senir, and Mount Hermon.[1] Senir, Mount Hermon, and Amana are all prominent mountains on the northern end of Israel[10] in the Anti-Lebanon Mountains.[11] In this era, Lebanon referred to both the Lebanese Mountains and the Anti-Lebanese mountains without referring to any particular peak.[12] A targum on this verse reads "They that dwell on the river Amana shall offer thee a gift."[7]
The "mountains of Sanir and Amana" are also mentioned in the Book of Jubilees as lying within the inheritance of Shem (8:21), or more specifically, Arpachshad (9:4).
Winckler was the first scholar to suggest that the Mount Ammananu referred to in the inscriptions of Tiglath-pileser III should be understood as identical with Amanah,[13][14] a claim which has been confirmed by more recent scholarship.[15][16]
Tacitus records that a triumphal arch was erected on Mount Amana (possibly Mount Amanus) in honor of Germanicus after his death.[17]
Amana River[edit]
In the Masoretic Text of the Hebrew Bible, the name "Amana" is given in the margin to 2 Kings 5:12 as an alternate reading of Abana,[6][3] and contemporary scholars prefer the reading Amana,[15][9] following the targum.[9] This river flows through Damascus and is currently known as the Barada.[6][8][16][11][18][19]
Meanings[edit]
The name Amana means "constant",[2][1] "firm",[1] "faith",[20] "truth",[20] "credulity",[20] or "a nurse".[20] It was translated in the Septuagint as πιστεως,[1][additional citation(s) needed] meaning "trust", "fidelity", or "faithfulness"[21][better source needed]
Notes[edit]
- ^ eg. Orr 1915, p. 113; Robinson 1835, p. 51; Schwarz 1850, p. 19
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f Orr 1915, p. 113.
- ^ a b Douglas, Tenney & Silva 2011, p. 55.
- ^ a b c Easton 1897.
- ^ a b Rand 2015.
- ^ Freedman & Myers 2000, p. 49.
- ^ a b c Walton, Matthews & Chavalas 2012, p. 391.
- ^ a b Wells & Calmet 1817, p. 269, Abana.
- ^ a b c Haupt 1902, p. 8.
- ^ a b c Gill 1763.
- ^ Bloch & Bloch 1995, p. 13.
- ^ a b Cogan 1984, p. 255.
- ^ Ikeda 1978.
- ^ Cogan 1984, p. 256.
- ^ Winckler 1892, p. 131, n. 1.
- ^ a b Cogan 1984.
- ^ a b Kraeling 2008, p. 46.
- ^ Tacitus 1876.
- ^ Haparchi 1852.
- ^ Porter 1855.
- ^ a b c d Wells & Calmet 1817, p. 276, Amana.
- ^ "Strong's Greek: 4102. πίστις (Pistis) -- faith, faithfulness".
Sources[edit]
- Bloch, A.; Bloch, C. (1995). The Song of Songs: A New Translation with an Introduction and Commentary. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-22675-3. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
- Cogan, M. (1984). "'... From the Peak of Amanah'". Israel Exploration Journal. 34 (4): 255–259. JSTOR 27925953.
- Douglas, J.D.; Tenney, M.C.; Silva, M. (2011). "Amana". Zondervan Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Zondervan. ISBN 978-0-310-49235-1. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
- Easton, Matthew George (1897). . Easton's Bible Dictionary (New and revised ed.). T. Nelson and Sons.
- Haparchi, I. (1852) [1322]. Edelmann, Ẓ.H. (ed.). ספר כפתור ופרח (in Hebrew). Berlin: Yulius Zittenfeld. p. 21.
- Freedman, D.N.; Myers, A.C. (2000). "Amana". Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible. Amsterdam University Press. p. 49. ISBN 978-90-5356-503-2. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
- Gill, J. (1748–63). Exposition of the Old Testament. 4 Kings 5.12. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
- Haupt, P. (1902). Biblical Love-ditties: A Critical Interpretation and Translation, of the Song of Solomon. Chicago, IL: Open Court. p. 8. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
- Ikeda, Y. (1978). "Hermon, Sirion and Senir". Annual of the Japanese Biblical Institute. 4: 32–44.
- Kraeling, E.G.H. (2008). Aram and Israel: The Aramaeans in Syria and Mesopotamia. Wipf & Stock Publishers. ISBN 978-1-60608-394-9. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
- Orr, J. (1915). "Amana". The International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia. Vol. 1. Howard-Severance Company. p. 113. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
- Porter, J.L. (1855). Five Years in Damascus. Vol. I. London: John Murray. pp. 255–278.
- Rand, W.W. (2015). "Amana". The Bible Dictionary. Harrington, Delaware: Delmarva. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
- Robinson, E. (1835) [1728]. "Amana". In Calmet, A.A. (ed.). Calmet's Dictionary of the Holy Bible. Crocker and Brewster. p. 51. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
- Schwarz, Joseph (1850). A Descriptive Geography and Brief Historical Sketch of Palestine. Translated by Leeser, Isaac. New York: A. Hart.
Tacitus (1876) [116]. . Book 2, Chapter 83..- Walton, J.H.; Matthews, V.H.; Chavalas, M.W. (2012). The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament. InterVarsity Press. ISBN 978-0-8308-6608-3. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
- Wells, E.; Calmet, A.A. (1817). Sacred Geography; or, A Companion to the Holy Bible. Calmet's Dictionary of the Holy Bible (Revised ed.). Charlestown: Samuel Etheridge, Jr. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
- Winckler, H. (1892). Alttestamentliche Untersuchungen. Leipzig: E. Pfeiffer.
