The Hebrew place name Adummim (H131) refers to a pass between Jericho and Jerusalem, mentioned in Joshua 15:7 and 18:17 as a boundary marker between the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. The name likely refers to the reddish limestone cliffs of the ascent.
The "Ascent of Adummim" (Ma'ale Adummim) is identified with the modern Wadi Qelt road — the same dangerous pass that likely formed the setting for Jesus' parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37).
The road from Jericho to Jerusalem through Adummim was notoriously dangerous, winding through desolate rocky terrain — ideal for ambush. This geographical reality gives the Good Samaritan parable its full weight: the man "fell into the hands of robbers" on a real, known, treacherous road.
That Jesus chose this specific road as His parable setting transformed Adummim's red rocks into a backdrop for one of history's greatest lessons on mercy. The dangerous places of the world become occasions for compassion to shine.