Hoham was the king of Hebron during Joshua's time. He was one of five Amorite kings who formed an alliance to attack Gibeon after the Gibeonites had made peace with Israel. The coalition was defeated by Joshua in the famous battle where God threw large hailstones from heaven and the sun stood still.
Hechos clave
The Alliance Against Gibeon
Hoham joined forces with four other Amorite kings—Adoni-Zedek of Jerusalem, Piram of Jarmuth, Japhia of Lachish, and Debir of Eglon—to punish Gibeon for making peace with Israel.
1When Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had captured Ai and devoted it to destruction, doing to Ai and its king as he had done to Jericho and its king, and that the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were living among them,
5Then the five kings of the Amorites—the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon—joined forces and marched up with all their armies. They took up positions against Gibeon and attacked it.
The five Amorite kings marched up with their armies and camped against Gibeon and made war on the city. The Gibeonites sent word to Joshua at Gilgal, asking for help.
5Then the five kings of the Amorites—the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon—joined forces and marched up with all their armies. They took up positions against Gibeon and attacked it.
6The men of Gibeon sent word to Joshua at the camp in Gilgal: "Do not abandon your servants. Come up to us quickly, save us, and help us, for all the Amorite kings of the hill country have joined forces against us."
The Lord struck the Amorites with confusion before Israel, and Joshua inflicted a great defeat on them at Gibeon. God threw large hailstones from heaven upon the fleeing enemies, and more died from the hail than from the sword.
10The LORD threw them into confusion before Israel, who struck them down in a great slaughter at Gibeon, pursued them along the road up to Beth-horon, and cut them down as far as Azekah and Makkedah.
11As they fled before Israel down the descent of Beth-horon, the LORD hurled great hailstones on them from the sky all the way to Azekah, and they died. More of them died from the hailstones than from the swords of the Israelites.
12On the day the LORD gave the Amorites over to the Israelites, Joshua spoke to the LORD, and in the sight of Israel he said: "Sun, stand still over Gibeon, and moon, over the Valley of Aijalon."
13So the sun stood still and the moon halted until the nation had taken vengeance on its enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jashar?* The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed its setting for about a full day. [*Footnote: Jashar means "the upright one"; the book is an ancient collection of songs no longer preserved.]
Hoham and the other four kings fled and hid in a cave at Makkedah. Joshua ordered that large stones be rolled in front of the cave's opening to keep them trapped while the pursuit of the enemy continued.
19But you—do not stop. Pursue your enemies and attack them from behind. Do not let them reach their cities, for the LORD your God has given them into your hand."
20When Joshua and the Israelites had finished inflicting a crushing defeat on them, until they were wiped out—though a few survivors escaped to the fortified cities—
After the enemy was defeated, the five kings were brought out of the cave. Joshua had his commanders place their feet on the kings' necks as a sign of complete victory. Then the kings were killed and hung on five trees.
24When they had brought these kings to Joshua, he summoned all the men of Israel and said to the commanders of the troops who had gone with him, "Come here, put your feet on the necks of these kings." So they came forward and put their feet on their necks.
27At sunset Joshua gave the order, and they took them down from the trees and threw them into the cave where they had been hiding. Then they placed large stones over the mouth of the cave, and those stones remain there to this very day.