Hobah

Hobah surfaces once in scripture, named as the terminus of Abram's nighttime pursuit after his rescue of Lot. The single verse fixes the place geographically against Damascus.

The Limit of the Pursuit

After dividing his force against the kings who had carried Lot away, Abram drives them past Damascus into the country beyond: "And he divided himself against them by night, he and his slaves, and struck them, and pursued them to Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus" (Gen 14:15). The phrase "left hand of Damascus" is the verse's own bearing — to the north, in the orientation of one looking eastward.

Hobah is treated only as a marker of how far the pursuit went. It is not described, not visited again, not connected to any other event. The mention does what place-names commonly do in a battle account: it draws the line at which the chase stopped.