Mamre
“Strength or fatness”
Summary
Mamre was both an Amorite chieftain who was Abraham's ally, and the name of the oak grove near Hebron where Abraham dwelt and received the divine promise of Isaac's birth.
☩The Amorite Chieftain
Mamre was an Amorite chief who, along with his brothers Aner and Eshcol, formed an alliance with Abraham. When Chedorlaomer and his confederate kings captured Lot and the people of Sodom, these three Amorite brothers joined Abraham's expedition to rescue them. According to Jewish tradition, Mamre encouraged Abraham to undergo circumcision when his brothers would have dissuaded him.
☩The Oak Grove
The 'oaks of Mamre' (or 'terebinths') became Abraham's principal dwelling place, named after the Amorite chieftain who had planted them or was associated with them. Here Abraham pitched his tent after separating from Lot, built an altar to the Lord, and lived for many years. At this place the three heavenly visitors appeared to announce that Sarah would bear a son, and here Abraham interceded for Sodom before its destruction.
☩Connection to Hebron and Machpelah
Mamre is closely identified with Hebron—Jacob came 'to Mamre, to Kirjath-arba, which is Hebron.' The cave of Machpelah, where Abraham purchased a burial site for Sarah, is described as 'before Mamre,' meaning it faced the oak grove across a small valley. Here Abraham himself was buried, as were Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob, and Leah. The traditional site has shifted through the centuries, with various venerable oak trees being identified as 'Abraham's oak,' though the exact location of the original grove remains uncertain.
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Mamre," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. V (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Mamre," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. III (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Mamre," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).