Reference articles on history, science, culture and more
Surprise meSurprise meSubscribe
Encyclopedia

Helam

Place in Israel

Wikipedia contributorsAdapted for Fathomly · View authors
1 min read
Source updated September 12, 2026

Helam (Hebrew: חֵילָם / חֵלָאם, ḥêlām; meaning "stronghold", or "place of abundance") is a Hebrew Bible place name. According to 2 Samuel 10:15-18, Helam was the site of King David's victory over the Syrians under Hadadezer. It may be associated with modern Alma, Israel, about 55 km (34 mi) east of the Sea of Galilee.

For Helam/Alema, a place mentioned in 1 Maccabees, see Alma, Syria.

Watch videos about HelamExplainers and documentaries on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Helam”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

Fathomly is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Wikimedia Foundation. Spotted a problem? Tell us.

Continue exploring

Related topics

Alma, Israel

Alma is a religious Jewish moshav in the Upper Galilee in northern Israel. It falls under the jurisdiction of the Merom HaGalil Regional Council.

Hadadezer ben Rehob

Hadadezer, son of Rehob, was king of Zobah or Aram-Zobah (Imperial Aramaic Ṣoḇā), a Syrian kingdom that may have been in the Beqaa Valley (now in Lebanon), extended along the eastern side of the Anti-Lebanon Mountains, reaching Hama to the north. Zobah exercised power throughout southern Syria and inevitably clashed with the expanding empire of Israel.

List of biblical places

The locations, lands, and nations mentioned in the Bible are not all listed here. Some locations might appear twice, each time under a different name.