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רָמָה

𐤓𐤌𐤄

Ramah

H7414 noun

SILEX Entry

Root רום to be high, to be exalted, to rise

Definition

Râmâh is a proper noun designating several towns or settlements in ancient Israelite and Judahite territories. The primary lexical meaning is 'height' or 'elevated place,' which, when used as a place name, refers to a settlement situated on or near a hill. In biblical texts, 'Râmâh' identifies at least four distinct locations, each characterized by their topographical elevation. The term thus conveys both a descriptive geographical feature (an elevated settlement) and serves functionally as a toponym.

Semantic Range

height, elevated place, high point (literal geography), place name referring to a town or settlement situated on a height

Root / Etymology

From the root רום (rum), meaning 'to be high, exalted, raised.' 'Râmâh' is formed as a feminine noun, denoting a 'height' or 'high place.' The transition from the root meaning 'to be high' to a substantive place name reflects a common Hebrew pattern of naming sites based on notable landscape features.

Historical & Contextual Notes

'Râmâh' appears frequently in the historical and prophetic books as the name of various towns, often with additional qualifiers to distinguish between locations (e.g., 'Ramah of Benjamin'). In the pre-monarchic and monarchic periods, such settlements typically held strategic or cultic importance due to their elevation. In later periods, the continued use of 'Râmâh' as a toponym reflects both continuity in settlement names and the stabilizing significance of elevated locations. While standard English translations render it as 'Ramah,' the term does not directly translate into a modern place name but retains its significance as an ancient Israelite or Judahite site distinguished by topography. Some later tradition associates one 'Ramah' with significant events (e.g., Rachel's weeping in Jeremiah 31:15), but these are literary uses building on the town's prominence or symbolic value. The term 'Palestine' in 19th-century sources (as in Strong's gloss) refers broadly to the southern Levant and should not be taken to reflect modern political geography.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

the same as רָמָה; Ramah, the name of four places in Palestine; Ramah.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

רום (r-w-m) — to be high, to rise, to be exalted

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1297 בְּרַם however
H2036 הֹרָם Horam
H2037 הָרֻם Exalted One
H3141 יוֹרָם YHWH-is-Exalted
H3406 יְרִימוֹת to Heights

Word Forms

8 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H7414-03 הָֽ/רָמָ֔ה haramah HTd/Np Ramah the Height-town 12
H7414-04 הָ/רָמָ֑תָ/ה haramatah HTd/Np/Sd Ramah to Height-town 8
H7414-01 בָּ/רָמָֽה baramah HRd/Np in Ramah in the Height 8
H7414-07 בָ/רָמָֽה varamah HRd/Np in Ramah in Height-town 3
H7414-08 וְ/הָֽ/רָמָ֖ה veharamah HC/Td/Np and Ramah and the Height 2
H7414-02 בְּ/רָמָ֤ה beramah HR/Np in Ramah in Height-town 1
H7414-05 רָמָ֖ה ramah HNp Ramah rising one 1
H7414-06 רָ֣אמַת ramat HNp Ramah Height-of 1

Occurrences in Scripture

36 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H7414-08 Joshua 18:25 וְ/הָֽ/רָמָ֖ה veharamah HC/Td/Np and Ramah and the Height
H7414-06 Joshua 19:8 רָ֣אמַת ramat HNp Ramah Height-of
H7414-03 Joshua 19:29 הָֽ/רָמָ֔ה haramah HTd/Np to Ramah the Height-town
H7414-08 Joshua 19:36 וְ/הָ/רָמָ֖ה veharamah HC/Td/Np Ramah and the Height
H7414-03 Judges 4:5 הָ/רָמָ֛ה haramah HTd/Np the Ramah the Height-town
H7414-07 Judges 19:13 בָ/רָמָֽה varamah HRd/Np in Ramah in Height-town
H7414-04 1 Samuel 1:19 הָ/רָמָ֑תָ/ה haramatah HTd/Np/Sd Ramah to Height-town
H7414-04 1 Samuel 2:11 הָ/רָמָ֖תָ/ה haramatah HTd/Np/Sd to Ramah to Height-town
H7414-04 1 Samuel 7:17 הָ/רָמָ֨תָ/ה֙ haramatah HTd/Np/Sd to Ramah to Height-town
H7414-04 1 Samuel 8:4 הָ/רָמָֽתָ/ה haramatah HTd/Np/Sd Ramah to Height-town
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