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מֵרוֹם

𐤌𐤓𐤅𐤌

Merom

H4792 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

Elevated place or height; refers both to literal physical elevation (such as mountains or the uppermost part of a landscape) and, by extension, to a high or lofty status. In specific contexts, מֵרוֹם is also a proper noun denoting a geographic location, most notably a region or lake in the northern part of the land associated with the Israelite conquest narratives.

Semantic Range

height, elevation, high place, lofty place, heavens (poetical), the elevated region known as Merom (place name)

Root / Etymology

Root: רום (ר־ו־ם), meaning 'to be high, rise, exalt.' מֵרוֹם derives from this root, taking the mem-prefix, and denotes the state or place of elevation. The noun formation typically describes height or something elevated.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In most biblical occurrences, מֵרוֹם refers in a general sense to a 'height' or 'elevated place,' sometimes in poetic or metaphorical contexts for the heavens or places associated with divine or supernatural activity. In Joshua 11:5,7, the term is used as a proper noun for a specific location in northern Canaan, generally associated with the area around Lake Merom (also known as the Waters of Merom). In later periods, the place name's identification with a specific lake has led to some ambiguity, as both archaeological and historical evidence for Lake Merom as a distinct and central feature in Israelite geography is debated. The English rendering 'Merom' as a toponym is based on later tradition; in its biblical context, the term is both a geographical reference and retains its more general sense of height or elevation. The distinction between the common noun and the place name must be made contextually; standard English translations rarely bring out the nuance of the root meaning when rendering it as a place name.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

formed like מָרוֹם; height; Merom, a lake in Palestine; Merom.

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.

Root Family

רום (Harum) — to be high, to rise, to be exalted

Root רום to be high, to raise, to exalt, to be lofty
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1297 בְּרַם however
H2037 הָרֻם Exalted One
H3412 יַרְמוּת and in Height-town
H3413 יְרֵמַי Yahweh has lifted up
H3414 יִרְמְיָה Yah Exalts

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H4792-01 מֵר֔וֹם merom HNp Merom Lofty Height Merom 2

Occurrences in Scripture

2 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H4792-01 Joshua 11:5 מֵר֔וֹם merom HNp Merom Lofty Height Merom
H4792-01 Joshua 11:7 מֵר֖וֹם merom HNp Merom Lofty Height Merom
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