Lexical Summary Bamah: Bamah Original Word: בָּמָה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Bamah The same as bamah; Bamah, a place in Palestine -- Bamah. See also Bamowth. see HEBREW bamah see HEBREW Bamowth NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom bamah Definition a high place (for idols) in Isr. NASB Translation Bamah (1). Topical Lexicon Definition and Concept בָּמָה (bamah) denotes an elevated site used for religious activity, usually translated “high place.” While an ordinary topographical term for a hill or height, Scripture employs it almost exclusively for locations where sacrifices, offerings, and other cultic acts were performed—sometimes in legitimate worship prior to the centralization of sacrifice, but more often in syncretistic or blatantly idolatrous rites. Historical Background High places dotted the Ancient Near Eastern landscape long before Israel entered Canaan. Pagan peoples viewed height as a liminal space nearer the divine realm, so they placed altars, pillars, sacred trees, or shrines on hills and ridges. When Israel inherited the land, these sites (Deuteronomy 12:2) became a persistent snare. Even well-meaning Israelites, accustomed to tangible worship aids, gravitated to bamoth despite Yahweh’s call to a single chosen sanctuary (ultimately Jerusalem). Biblical Usage The root idea surfaces in narratives, legal texts, historical records, wisdom sayings, and prophetic oracles: • Tolerated practice before the Temple: “The people, however, were sacrificing on the high places, because no house had yet been built for the Name of the LORD” (1 Kings 3:2). Theological Significance 1. Exclusive Worship. The bamoth battle dramatizes the first commandment. By insisting on one sanctuary (Deuteronomy 12:5), God underscored His uniqueness and protected Israel from syncretism. Prophetic Perspective Prophets ridiculed the futility of worship on heights (Amos 7:9; Hosea 10:8) and foretold their desolation. Micah envisioned Zion rising above every hill (Micah 4:1-2), symbolizing the displacement of all rival elevations by the true dwelling of the LORD. New Covenant Fulfillment In Jesus Christ the shadows give way to substance (John 4:21-24). Worship is no longer tied to Jerusalem’s mount or any “high place,” but to Spirit and truth. His crucifixion on Golgotha, itself a hill, becomes the final altar, rendering every earlier elevation obsolete (Hebrews 10:11-14). Practical Ministry Insights • Guard against modern “high places”—anything elevated above Christ in affection or allegiance (1 John 5:21). See Also Altars; Asherah; Baal; Deuteronomy 12; Hezekiah; Josiah; Jerusalem Temple; Idolatry; Sacrifice. Forms and Transliterations בָּמָ֔ה במה bā·māh baMah bāmāhLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Ezekiel 20:29 HEB: וַיִּקָּרֵ֤א שְׁמָהּ֙ בָּמָ֔ה עַ֖ד הַיּ֥וֹם NAS: is called Bamah to this KJV: thereof is called Bamah unto this day. INT: is called and the name Bamah this day |
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