In the chronicles of the conquest of Canaan, the name Hoham emerges as a stark and sobering reminder of the judgment that awaits those who set themselves in opposition to the purposes of the Almighty. Identified in the Holy Scripture as the king of Hebron, Hoham was one of the five kings of the Amorites who entered into a confederacy to strike against Gibeon after that city had made peace with Joshua and the children of Israel. His name, occurring in the tenth chapter of the book of Joshua, stands as a firm, theological warning to all who would resist the advancement of the Kingdom of God.
The account reveals that when Adoni-zedek, king of Jerusalem, heard how Joshua had utterly destroyed Ai and Jericho, he sent unto Hoham king of Hebron, and unto the kings of Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon, saying, “Come up unto me, and help me, that we may smite Gibeon: for it hath made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel” (Joshua 10:4). Here, Hoham is seen not merely as a political figure, but as a representative of a world system that views the “peace” of the faithful as a threat. His willingness to join this unholy alliance was an act of open defiance against the God of Israel, a failure to recognize that the “ancient paths” of the promise were being cleared by a Divine hand.
The result of Hoham’s opposition was a swift and miraculous demonstration of the power of the Lord. As the five kings fled before Israel, the Lord “cast down great stones from heaven upon them” and even caused the sun to stand still “until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies” (Joshua 10:11, 13). Hoham and his fellow confederates sought refuge in a cave at Makkedah, but their hiding place became their prison. The Record tells us that Joshua commanded, “Roll great stones upon the mouth of the cave, and set men by it for to keep them” (Joshua 10:18). This was a physical manifestation of the truth that there is no shadow where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves from the King of kings.
The end of Hoham was a testimony of uncompromised judgment. Joshua brought the five kings out of the cave and commanded the captains of the men of war to “come near, put your feet upon the necks of these kings” (Joshua 10:24). This act was not one of mere cruelty, but a prophetic declaration: “for thus shall the Lord do to all your enemies against whom ye fight” (Joshua 10:25). Hoham was subsequently slain and hanged on a tree until evening, a grim end for a man who chose the path of the adversary rather than the path of submission. “And it came to pass at the time of the going down of the sun, that Joshua commanded, and they took them down off the trees, and cast them into the cave wherein they had been hid” (Joshua 10:27).
The life and death of Hoham serve as a firm rebuke to any who would attempt to thwart the mission of the faithful. His story is an admiring nod to the sovereignty of God, who ensures that “no weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper” (Isaiah 54:17). While we celebrate the “heroes of faith,” the inclusion of Hoham in the Word provides the necessary forensic analysis of the cost of rebellion. He stood as a “mighty man” in his own eyes, but found that the defense of the truth is an immovable wall against which the proud are broken.