רָמוֹת
𐤓𐤌𐤅𐤕
Ramot
H7418 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Ramoth refers to 'heights, elevated places'; as a proper noun, Ramoth-Negeb (רָמֹת נֶגֶב or רָמַת נֶגֶב) designates a location in the arid southern region, characterized by being on high ground or hills. In the Hebrew Bible, it functions primarily as a place name, indicating a settlement or area situated on heights in the Negeb (Negeb/Negev), the arid south of ancient Israelite territory.
Semantic Range
height, elevated place, high place; as a place name: an elevated settlement or region, specifically 'Heights of the Negeb,' a settlement in the southern arid zone of ancient Israelite territory
Root / Etymology
The word רָמוֹת is the plural form of רָמָה (ramah, 'height, elevated place'), from the root רום (ר-ו-ם) meaning 'to be high, exalted, rise'. When used in the construct form with נֶגֶב (Negeb, meaning 'south' or 'parched land'), it forms רָמֹת נֶגֶב or רָמַת נֶגֶב, 'Heights of the Negeb.' The phrase indicates either multiple high points or a notable elevated area in the southern dry region.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In the Hebrew Bible, place names formed from topographical terms and regional descriptors are common. רָמוֹת נֶגֶב ('Heights of the Negeb') appears in Joshua 19:8 among the regions assigned to the tribe of Simeon in the south. The use of the plural may indicate a region with multiple elevated settlements, or it may simply be a convention of naming settlements located on or near a prominent hill. English translations vary between 'Ramoth-Negeb', 'Ramath of the South', or related forms, sometimes obscuring the original geographical nuance. The term does not refer to persons from Judah or southern Israel but strictly to a place. It should not be confused with other locations called Ramoth (e.g., Ramoth-Gilead). Usage of the term is geographically descriptive, emphasizing the settlement's location in the elevated terrain of the southern arid zone, and it is distinct from religiously or ethnically loaded later names such as 'Jew' or 'Judaism.' The form נֶגֶב (Negeb) is a classical term for the southern arid region and is not restricted to later provincial borders known from Persian or Greco-Roman periods.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
or רָמַת נֶגֶב; from the plural or construct form of רָמָה and נֶגֶב; heights (or height) of the South; Ramoth-Negeb or Ramath-Negeb, a place in Palestine; south Ramoth, Ramath of the south.
Bantu Hebrew
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רום (r-w-m) — to be high, be lofty, rise, 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
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H7418-02 |
נֶ֖גֶב | negev | HNp |
Negev | arid southland | 1 |
H7418-01 |
בְּ/רָמֽוֹת | beramot | HR/Np |
in Ramoth | in the Heights | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H7418-01 |
1 Samuel 30:27 | בְּ/רָמֽוֹת | beramot | HR/Np |
in Ramoth | in the Heights |
H7418-02 |
1 Samuel 30:27 | נֶ֖גֶב | negev | HNp |
Negev | arid southland |