Lexical Summary Bamoth: High places Original Word: בָּמוֹת Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Bamoth, Bamoth-baal Plural of bamah; heights; or (fully) Bamowth Bahal {baw-moth' bah'-al}; from the same and Ba'al; heights of Baal; Bamoth or Bamoth-Baal, a place East of the Jordan -- Bamoth, Bamoth-baal. see HEBREW bamah see HEBREW Ba'al NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom the same as bamah Definition "high place," a place in Moab NASB Translation Bamoth (2), Bamoth-baal* (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs בָּמוֺת proper name, of a location (high place or great high place) place in Moab Numbers 21:19,20 = בָּמוֺת בַּעַל Numbers 22:41; Joshua 13:17 possibly on Mt. ±A‰‰arûs compare Di. Topical Lexicon Name and Setting Bamoth, often combined with the divine name as “Bamoth-Baal,” denotes a high or elevated location on the Moabite tableland east of the Dead Sea. Its position offered commanding views of the Jordan Valley and the encampments of Israel, a fact that drives the biblical narratives in which it appears. Role in Israel’s Journey As the wilderness wanderings drew near their close, Israel followed a sequence of encampments recorded in the “Book of the LORD’s Wars.” Numbers 21:19-20 traces the route “from Mattanah to Nahaliel, from Nahaliel to Bamoth, and from Bamoth to the valley in Moab, where the peak of Pisgah overlooks the wasteland”. The stop at Bamoth therefore served as a transitional waypoint, moving the nation from arid desert trails toward the fertile plains opposite Jericho. In the flow of redemptive history this tied their long discipline in the wilderness to the imminence of conquest and covenant fulfillment in the Promised Land. Balak and Balaam at Bamoth Baal The most memorable scene occurs in Numbers 22:41: “The next morning Balak took Balaam and brought him up to Bamoth Baal, and from there he could see the outskirts of the people”. Balak’s strategy was simple—elevate the prophet so he could gain a god-like vantage, utter a curse, and cripple Israel. Yet every attempt was overruled, and blessing replaced malediction. The episode highlights several themes: Allotment to the Tribe of Reuben Joshua 13:17 records Bamoth Baal among the towns assigned to Reuben when Moses parceled out the Trans-Jordan lands: “Heshbon, with all its towns... and Bamoth Baal.” The once-threatening high place thus became Israelite territory, illustrating how the inheritance reversed the prior curse-plot. Possession entailed responsibility; Reuben was to guard the site from relapse into idolatry and integrate it into covenant life. The High Place Motif Hebrew narrative often links “high places” with illicit worship. Though Bamoth’s early references are geographical, its name carries the warning embedded in the wider biblical critique of unauthorized shrines (for example, 1 Kings 12:31; 2 Kings 17:11). By spotlighting Bamoth in the Balaam cycle, Scripture juxtaposes false cultic ambition with the steadfast covenant. The high place becomes a theological stage: elevation in the world’s eyes cannot invert God’s decree. Archaeological and Historical Notes While the precise site is debated, candidates stretch from modern-day Khirbet al-Medayin to the vicinity of contemporary Arnon gorges. Inscribed Moabite stelae attest to local Baal worship during the Iron Age, lending plausibility to the biblical portrayal of a Baal-oriented shrine at Bamoth. Such finds corroborate the geographical logic of viewing Israelite encampments from Moabite heights. Ministry and Devotional Reflections 1. Spiritual vantage points matter. Just as Balaam could survey Israel, believers are called to discern the spiritual landscape from the higher ground of Scripture and prayer rather than from occult or political stratagems. Bamoth, therefore, is more than an ancient waypoint; it is a testimony that lofty schemes bow to the Most High, and that every place—however elevated—belongs to Him who “sits enthroned above the circle of the earth” (Isaiah 40:22). Forms and Transliterations בַּ֔עַל בָּ֑עַל בָּמֽוֹת׃ במות׃ בעל וּמִבָּמ֗וֹת ומבמות ba‘al bā‘al ba·‘al bā·‘al bā·mō·wṯ Baal baMot bāmōwṯ ū·mib·bā·mō·wṯ umibbaMot ūmibbāmōwṯLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Numbers 21:19 HEB: נַחֲלִיאֵ֑ל וּמִנַּחֲלִיאֵ֖ל בָּמֽוֹת׃ NAS: and from Nahaliel to Bamoth, KJV: and from Nahaliel to Bamoth: INT: to Nahaliel Nahaliel to Bamoth Numbers 21:20 Numbers 22:41 Joshua 13:17 4 Occurrences |
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