Zephath

Zephath, later renamed Hormah, was a Canaanite city located in the Negev desert region. During the Israelites' wanderings in the wilderness, they attempted to enter Canaan from the south, but the king of Arad fought against them and took some prisoners. Israel vowed to totally destroy the Canaanite cities if God would give them victory. God granted their request, and the Israelites "utterly destroyed" the Canaanites and named the place Hormah, meaning "destruction" (Num.21.1-3).

However, Israel later refused to enter Canaan from Kadesh Barnea out of unbelief. When they then presumptuously tried to go up, the Amalekites and Canaanites defeated them as far as Hormah (Num.14.45; Dt.1:44). Much later, after Joshua's conquests, Judah and Simeon fought against Zephath, defeated it, and renamed it Hormah (Jdg.1.17). The city is subsequently listed among the towns in the Negev allotted to Judah and Simeon (Jos.15.30; 19:4; 1Ch.4.30). David later sent some of the spoils from his victory over the Amalekites to his friends in Hormah (1Sa.30.30). The exact location is uncertain but it was likely somewhere south of the Dead Sea.