בָּמָה
bâmâh · H1116 · Hebrew · 102 occurrences
Place
Thing
- Cult place, high placeReligion72 verses
Meanings
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back
Rear surface of the body
ExamplesDeuteronomy 33:29 “Blessed are you, Israel; Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD, The shield of your help, And He who is the sword of your majesty! So your enemies will cringe before you, And you will trample on their high places.”
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heights, hills
Literally: the back (of an area); hence: the highest situated parts of a certain location, often representing the entire location
ExamplesDeuteronomy 32:13 “He had him ride on the high places of the earth, And he ate the produce of the field; And He had him suck honey from the rock, And oil from the flinty rock,
2 Samuel 1:19 “Your beauty, Israel, is slaughtered on your high places! How the mighty have fallen!
2 Samuel 1:25 “How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle! Jonathan is slaughtered on your high places.
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high place, place of worship
Place of worship, often situated in an elevated location, but not necessarily so
ExamplesLeviticus 26:30 ‘I then will destroy your high places, and cut down your incense altars, and pile your remains on the remains of your idols, for My soul will loathe you.
1 Samuel 9:12 They answered them and said, “He is; see, he is ahead of you. Hurry now, for he has come into the city today, because the people have a sacrifice on the high place today.
1 Samuel 9:13 “As soon as you enter the city you will find him before he goes up to the high place to eat, for the people will not eat until he comes, because he must bless the sacrifice; afterward those who are invited will eat. Now then, go up, for you will find him about this time.”
How it’s used In 9 roles
Every occurrence, grouped by the words it is grammatically related to.
the word studied the word it goes with
Whose, or of whatGenitive or possessive
32 occurrences in 17 groups
- אֶרֶץland, earth, ground 4
- הֶםtheir 4
- יmy 3
- ךָyour 3
- הוּhis 3
- Other words · 12 groups that occur once or twice (15) 15
Words describing itAdjectives, demonstratives, participles
15 occurrences in 14 groups
- גִּבְעוֹןGibeon 3
- Other words · 13 groups that occur once or twice (15) 15
Named alongside itApposition
4 occurrences in 4 groups
- מִזְבֵּחַaltar 2
- בַּיִתhouse, household 1
- דִּיבוֹןDibon 1
- חַטָּאָהsin, sin offering 1
What it doesIt is the subject
4 occurrences in 3 groups
- שָׁמֵםto be desolate, to be appalled 2
- הָיָהto be, to become 1
- שָׁמַדto destroy, to exterminate, to wipe out 1
What is done to itIt is the object
35 occurrences in 8 groups
- סוּרto turn aside, to depart, to remove 15
- בָּנָהto build, to rebuild, to establish 9
- עָשָׂהto do, to make 3
- טָמֵאto become unclean 2
- נָתַץto tear down 2
- שָׁמַדto destroy, to exterminate, to wipe out 2
What it is said to bePredicate
2 occurrences in 2 groups
- מָהwhat?, why? 1
- מִיwho? 1
What is said to be itIt is the predicate
2 occurrences in 3 groups
- הוּאhe, she, it 1
- מִזְבֵּחַaltar 1
- מִשְׁכָּןtabernacle, dwelling place 1
After prepositionsPrepositional phrases
37 occurrences in 4 groups
- בin/on/with 31
- עַלon, upon, over, against 24
- לto/for 7
- מִןfrom 6
In phrases “… of it”It is the genitive
13 occurrences in 3 groups
- כֹּהֵןpriest 7
- בַּיִתhouse, household 5
- בַּעַלowner, master, husband 1
When two words share a role, as in “Paul and Barnabas said”, the verse appears under each, so a section’s counts can add up to more than the number of occurrences.
MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
Near synonyms 1 word
- רָמָה râmâh · H7413 · height, hill, high place
- Both words denote elevated cultic worship sites, "high places." Their meanings overlap directly ("high place"), and they are distinct Hebrew words that can substitute for one another when referring to cultic high places.
In the other Testament 2 words
- ὑψηλός hypsēlós · G5308 · high, tall, world above
- Greek ὑψηλός renders Hebrew בָּמָה in contexts emphasizing physical elevation or height, focusing on the spatial dimension shared by both terms rather than the cultic 'high place' sense that dominates בָּמָה (bâmâh, H1116)'s theological usage.
- βωμός bōmós · G1041 · altar
- Hebrew בָּמָה refers broadly to elevated places used for worship (high places), while Greek βωμός specifically denotes a constructed altar platform; the LXX translators employed βωμός when rendering cultic high places where sacrificial structures stood.
Semantic domains 3 entries
- People001001003
- This entry carries no "People" sense of its own; every one of this lexeme's 102 tagged occurrences denotes a high place — a raised cultic or geographic site, as at 1 Kings 3:4 — "Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar" at Gibeon, "the great high place" — and Deuteronomy 33:29 — "He who is the shield of your help... and you will trample on their high places" — never a person or group of people as such. The domain code here is bundle-shared with an unrelated entry rather than reflecting any independent sense of this word.
- Landforms001002003
- The word denotes a natural elevation or ridge of land, as in Numbers 21:28's "the dominant heights of the Arnon" (בָּמוֹת אַרְנֹן), describing a geographic high place.
- Cultic Sites001003002002
- בָּמָה most frequently names a built shrine or cultic high place used for sacrifice, as in Leviticus 26:30's "I then will destroy your high places" (וְהִשְׁמַדְתִּי אֶת־בָּמֹתֵיכֶם), the site of illegitimate worship condemned throughout the Former Prophets.
Word family 3 words
Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.
Also from the root בָּמָה
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon H1116. bamah בָּמָה104 noun feminine high place (√ apparently בום on account of firm ָ֯;…
בָּמָה104 noun feminine high place (√ apparently בום on account of firm ָ֯; compare Assyrian bâmâtê ZimBP 48, Moab. במת MI3, 27) — Jer 48:35 Jer 48:18t.; הַבָּמָ֫תָה 1Sa 9:13; plural בָּמוֺת Num 21:19 62t.; construct בָּֽמֳתֵי Job 9:8; Isa 14:14; Amo 4:13; בָּֽמֳו֯תֵי Deu 32:13; Isa 58:14; Mic 1:3 (Ew§ 211 d Ges§ 87, 5 archaic feminine construct with retracted accent before monosyl. in poetry, bâm©-thê not b©m); suffix בָּמֹתַי 2Sa 22:34 2Sa 22:3t.; בָּמוֺתַי Psa 18:34 Psa 18:10t.; —
1 high place, mountain: יָעַר בָּמוֺת forest mountains Mic 3:12 = Jer 26:18; עולם במות ancient mountains Eze 36:2; ארנן במות Num 21:28 (E poetry)
2 high places, battle-fields, the chief places of the land giving possession, victory, dominion: במותיך על on thy high places (Gilboa, the battle-field) 2Sa 1:19, 2Sa 1:25 (in 2Sa 1:19 ᵐ5 has a doublet מֵתֶיךָ thy dead, see We Dr).
a. of Israel: ארץ במתי על רכב ride upon the high places of the land Deu 32:13 & Isa 58:14 compare Deu 33:29; Psa 18:34 = 2Sa 22:34; Hab 3:19.
b. of God: ארץ במתי על דרך tread upon the high places of the earth Amo 4:13 compare Mic 1:3; ים במתי Job 9:8; עב במתי על עלה (aspiration of the king of Babylon) Isa 14:14.
3 high places, as places of worship, at first on hills and mountains, later on artificial mounds or platforms, under green trees, and in cities; still later for the chapels erected thereon, and once apparently for a portable sanctuary (decked with diverse colours) Eze 16:16. The ancient worship of Israel was conducted on these high places. In the times of Samuel and David they ascended to them, descended from them, and offered sacrifices on them, 1Sa 9:12-25; 1Sa 10:5, 1Sa 10:13 (הבמה for הביתה We Dr). The custom continued in the reign of Solomon, but Gibeon was הגדולה הבמה 1Ki 3:2-4 compare 1Ch 16:39; 1Ch 21:29; 2Ch 1:3, 2Ch 1:13. High places of Baal were also used Num 22:41 (E) Jer 19:5; Jer 32:35; of Moab Isa 15:2; Isa 16:12; Jer 48:35 (compare MI27); these must be demolished Num 33:52 (J). Solomon built במות (platforms or chapels) to Chemosh and Milkom on the Mt. of Evil Counsel opposite Jerusalem 1Ki 11:7: Jeroboam made temples on the ancient high places of Dan and Bethel 1Ki 12:31-32, 2Ch 11:15; they are called און במות Hos 10:8, ישׂחק במות Amo 7:9: the kings of Israel built במות and הבמות בתי in all their cities 2Ki 17:9, and the people worshipped there 2Ki 17:11; these were also used by the mixed population after the exile of Israel 2Ki 17:29, 2Ki 17:32 (twice in verse): these various idolatrous high places were first destroyed by Josiah 1Ki 13:2; 1Ki 13:32; 1 Kings 13:38; 2Ki 23:5-20 2Ch 34:3. The worship of Yahweh on high places continued in Judah until the exile 1Ki 22:44; 2Ki 15:35; the sanctity code predicts that Yahweh will destroy them Lev 26:30; they were regarded as the reason for the rejection of Shiloh Psa 78:58. The compiler of Kings, writing from the point of view of the Deuteronomic code, complains סָרוּ לֹא הַבָּמוֺת רַק 2Ki 12:4; 2Ki 14:4; 2Ki 15:4, 2Ki 15:35 compare 2Ch 15:17; 2Ch 20:33, and praises the few pious kings who destroyed them.
a. Rehoboam built במות with מצבות & אשׁרים on every high hill and under every green tree 1Ki 14:23.
b. Asa did not remove the high places 1Ki 15:14 (2Ch 14:2; 2Ch 14:4 is incorrect unless בעל במות).
c. Jehoshaphat in his reform on the basis of the covenant code did not remove them 1Ki 22:44 (אֶתהַֿבָּמוֺת הֵסִיר עוֺד2Ch 17:16 is doubtless incorrect, possibly read מצבות); Jehoram, his son, made high places in the cities of Judah 2Ch 21:11 (ᵑ9 ᵐ5; not mountains HCT); and Ahaz sacrificed on high places on the hills and under every green tree and in every city of Judah 2Ki 16:4; 2Ch 28:4, 2Ch 28:25; compare Mic 1:5 (read חטאת? so ᵑ7 ᵑ6 ᵐ5 Che and others; yet compare JBL1890, 73 f.)
d. Hezekiah removed them 2Ki 18:4, 2Ki 18:22; 2Ch 31:1; 2Ch 32:12; Isa 36:7; but Manasseh rebuilt them 2Ki 21:3; 2Ch 33:3, 2Ch 33:19, and the people continued to sacrifice thereon to Yahweh 2Ch 33:17.
e. Josiah, in his reform, based on the Deuteronomic code, defiled them and brake them down from Geba to Beersheba 2Ki 23:5, 2Ki 23:8, 2Ki 23:9; but subsequently there were התפת במות in the valley of Ben Hinnom Jer 7:31, and במות throughout Judah Jer 17:3 compare Eze 6:3, Eze 6:6; Eze 20:29 (questioned by Ew & Co).
4 funereal mound (?) Eze 43:7 (Thes, but in their high places AV RV; in their death ᵑ7 Theod Ew Hi RVm), Isa 53:9 (Lowth Ew Bö Rodwell Orelli; but in his death AV RV, or martyr death De Che Br).
Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain
Topical studies with this word 3 entries
Meanings adapted from the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament, © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0 and the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew (from the Semantic Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew), © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0; MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
Sources
eRhema lexical overview, based on the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew and the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament (© United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Macula Hebrew and Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0); released under CC BY-SA 4.0
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