Hormah
    banning; i.e., placing under a "ban," or devoting to utter
    destruction. After the manifestation of God's anger against the
    Israelites, on account of their rebellion and their murmurings
    when the spies returned to the camp at Kadesh, in the wilderness
    of Paran, with an evil report of the land, they quickly repented
    of their conduct, and presumed to go up "to the head of the
    mountain," seeking to enter the Promised Land, but without the
    presence of the Lord, without the ark of the convenant, and
    without Moses. The Amalekites and the Canaanites came down and
    "smote and discomfited them even unto Hormah" (Num. 14:45). This
    place, or perhaps the watch-tower commanding it, was originally
    called Zephath (Judg. 1:17), the modern Sebaiteh. Afterwards
    (Num. 21:1-3) Arad, the king of the Canaanites, at the close of
    the wanderings, when the Israelites were a second time encamped
    at Kadesh, "fought against them, and took some of them
    prisoners." But Israel vowed a vow unto the Lord utterly to
    destroy the cities of the Canaanites; they "banned" them, and
    hence the place was now called Hormah. But this "ban" was not
    fully executed till the time of Joshua, who finally conquered
    the king of this district, so that the ancient name Zephath
    became "Hormah" (Josh. 12:14; Judg. 1:17).



 Hormah, devoted or consecrated to God; utter destruction