Kamon or Camon (in
Hebrew: קָמוֹן, in
Ancient Greek: Καμων, transliterated as Kamôn) is a place mentioned in the
Bible. Located in
Gilead, it is said that
Jair was buried there.
It is not yet clear whether it is a real place or primarily a symbolic one.
History
Biblical account
According to the
Book of Judges, Kamon is located in Gilead and is the place where Judge
Jair is buried.[1][2]
In the 19th century,
Easton believed it was probably located on the slopes of
Mount Carmel.[4] One possible etymology of the term could come from קָמָה (Qamāh), which means "to rise", possibly indicating that it was a fortified place situated on high ground.[3] A place named Καμους (Kamous) was mentioned by
Polybius and was conquered by
Antiochus III.[5] It might be the same location.[6]
However, according to more recent research, the term might have a primarily symbolic meaning, deriving from the
Greek Kαμίνος (Kaminos), which means "furnace".[7][8] This interpretation is reinforced by
Pseudo-Philo, who interprets a passage related to Jair by stating: "And in the fire in which you will die, there you will have a dwelling place."[7][9]
^Bailly, Anatole; Egger, E.; Séchan, Louis; Chantraine, Pierre (1984). Dictionnaire grec-français: Réd. avec le concours de E. Egger. Éd. rev. par L[ouis] Séchan et P. Chantraine. Avec, en app., de nouvelles notices de mythologie et religion par L. Séchan. Paris: Hachette.
ISBN978-2-01-001306-5.