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בָּמָה

𐤁𐤌𐤄

bâmâh

H1116 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

A raised area or platform, typically outside, used as a place of worship or ritual sacrifice in ancient Israel and neighboring cultures; also refers to natural or human-made heights, hilltops, or elevated locations that served as cultic sites, and on rare occasions used metaphorically for eminence or prominence.

Semantic Range

cultic high place, place of sacrifice, worship site, hilltop, mound, elevation, eminence; metaphor for pride or prominence

Root / Etymology

Root etymology uncertain. Often associated with the presumed root בָּמָה (meaning 'to be high'), though there is no attested verb form in biblical Hebrew. The noun refers primarily to an elevated place, either natural or constructed, often linked to religious activities.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the pre-monarchic and monarchic periods, בָּמָה (bâmâh) frequently denoted local places of sacrificial worship, some endorsed prior to the centralization of worship (see e.g., 1 Samuel, early Kings), but later regarded negatively, particularly from the perspective of Deuteronomistic writers who promoted Jerusalem as the sole sanctuary (see 2 Kings). The term sometimes contrasted with מִזְבֵּחַ (mizbēaḥ, 'altar'), as a בָּמָה could encompass both the altar and the surrounding cultic site or structure, not just the altar proper. In poetic and prophetic literature, the word can be used with negative or polemical connotations (e.g., Hosea, Micah). In some non-religious contexts, denotes any high or elevated place, such as a hill (cf. Joshua 13:17). Later rabbinic Hebrew develops further meanings, but in the Bible the core usage is primarily cultic and geographic. Some modern English translations obscure the religious connotations by using 'hill' or 'height,' which may not capture the association with worship or ritual activity. In translation history, 'high place' sometimes misleadingly rendered as 'altar' or simply 'hill.'

Translation Consistency

primary "high place" 19 occurrences

בָּמָה most commonly denotes a cultic site or elevated worship site. “High place” is the natural, widely accepted English rendering that preserves the ritual and topographical senses (hilltop, shrine, place of sacrifice) better than adjectival options like “high” or “elevated.” Using the two-word noun “high place” gives a clear, consistent base for all occurrences while allowing pluralization or grammatical inflection as needed.

Alternatives (85 occurrences):
"high places" (73x) "high-places of" (6x) "high places of" (3x) "raised high-places of" (1x) "heights of" (1x) "elevated worship-sites" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from an unused root (meaning to be high); an elevation; height, high place, wave.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

במה (b-m-h) — height, elevation, raised place

Root במה to be high, elevated, raised
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1120 בָּמוֹת Bamoth (the Heights)

Word Forms

25 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H1116-16 הַ/בָּמ֖וֹת habamot HTd/Ncfpa the high places the raised worship-heights the high places 24
H1116-04 בָּמ֥וֹת bamot HNcfpc high places elevated cult sites high places 14
H1116-02 בַּ/בָּמ֑וֹת babamot HRd/Ncfpa on the high places in the cultic heights in the high places 11
H1116-14 הַ/בָּמָֽה habamah HTd/Ncfsa the high place the elevated cultic height the high place 9
H1116-23 בָמ֔וֹת vamot HNcfpa high places elevated worship-sites high places 5
H1116-08 בָּ֣מֳתֵי bamotey HNcfpc of high places high-places of high-places of 5
H1116-24 וְ/הַ/בָּמ֖וֹת vehabamot HC/Td/Ncfpa and the high places and the elevated worship-sites and the high places 4
H1116-09 בָּמוֹתֶ֖י/ךָ bamoteykha HNcfpc/Sp2ms your high places your elevated worship-sites your high places 3
H1116-06 בָּמוֹתַ֖/י bamotay HNcfpc/Sp1cs my high places my raised high-places my high places 3
H1116-07 בָּמֹתָ֣י/ו bamotayv HNcfpc/Sp3ms his high places his raised worship-heights his high places 3

Occurrences in Scripture

104 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H1116-10 Leviticus 26:30 בָּמֹֽתֵי/כֶ֗ם bamoteykhem HNcfpc/Sp2mp your high places your elevated worship-heights your high places
H1116-04 Numbers 21:28 בָּמ֥וֹת bamot HNcfpc high places elevated cult sites high places
H1116-05 Numbers 33:52 בָּמֹתָ֖/ם bamotam HNcfpc/Sp3mp their-high-places their elevated cult sites their high places
H1116-25 Deuteronomy 32:13 במותי vmvty HNcfpc the heights of raised high-places of raised high-places of
H1116-08 Deuteronomy 32:13 בָּ֣מֳתֵי bamotey HNcfpc the high places high-places of high-places of
H1116-11 Deuteronomy 33:29 בָּמוֹתֵ֥י/מוֹ bamoteymo HNcfpc/Sp3mp their high places their elevated high-places their high places
H1116-01 1 Samuel 9:12 בַּ/בָּמָֽה babamah HRd/Ncfsa on the high place on the cultic height on the high place
H1116-15 1 Samuel 9:13 הַ/בָּמָ֜תָ/ה habamatah HTd/Ncfsa/Sd to the high place to the raised worship-site to the high place
H1116-14 1 Samuel 9:14 הַ/בָּמָֽה habamah HTd/Ncfsa to the high place the elevated cultic height the high place
H1116-14 1 Samuel 9:19 הַ/בָּמָ֔ה habamah HTd/Ncfsa to the high place the elevated cultic height the high place
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