Lexical Summary En Rimmon: En Rimmon Original Word: עֵין רִמּוֹן Strong's Exhaustive Concordance En-rimmon From ayin and rimmown; fountain of a pomegranate; En-Rimmon, a place in Palestine -- En-rimmon. see HEBREW ayin see HEBREW rimmown NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom ayin and rimmon Definition "spring of a pomegranate," a place in Judah NASB Translation En-rimmon (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs עֵין רִמּוֺן proper name, of a location in post-exile Judah Nehemiah 11:29 (A (εν)Πεμμιον), probably= III. עַיִן 2 q. v. and רִמּוֺן Zechariah 14:10. Topical Lexicon Name and Meaning עֵין רִמּוֹן (En-rimmon) literally denotes “spring of the pomegranate,” a title that unites the imagery of flowing water with a fruit symbolic of covenant blessing and abundance (Exodus 28:33-34; Song of Songs 4:3). Biblical Context Only one verse preserves the compound form עֵין רִמּוֹן: Here it appears in the memoirs of Nehemiah, which list the Judean towns resettled by members of the post-exilic community. The same locality is almost certainly meant by the paired names “Ain and Rimmon” in the territorial roll calls of Simeon in Joshua 15:32; 19:7 and 1 Chronicles 4:32. Early lists separated the elements, while the later record in Nehemiah welds them, suggesting a single settlement clustered around a life-giving spring. Historical Setting During the conquest era, the site lay on the southern borderlands allotted to Judah yet assigned to Simeon for habitation—a reflection of Simeon’s dependence upon Judah (Joshua 19:1). Centuries later, Assyrian and Babylonian campaigns devastated the region, leaving it sparsely populated. Under Persian sanction, Nehemiah directed renewed occupation of strategic towns to secure Judah’s frontiers (Nehemiah 11:25-36). En-rimmon thus became a testimony to covenant restoration: ruins revived, water sources reopened, and ancestral claims reaffirmed. Geographical Location Most scholars place En-rimmon in the arid fringe south of Beersheba, where spring-fed oases punctuate the wilderness. Two proposals dominate: 1. Khirbet Umm er-Rumamin (Tell er-Rumeileh) about 8 km east of modern Beersheba. Both sites occupy the corridor linking the Judean highlands with the Negev, a crucial route for shepherds, traders, and military patrols. Theological and Ministry Significance 1. Restoration of Ruins: En-rimmon illustrates how God reclaims desolate places when His people return to covenant fidelity (Isaiah 58:12). Archaeology and Extra-Biblical Witness Surveys at the proposed sites reveal Iron Age pottery, fortification lines, cisterns, and agricultural installations. A fourth-century Christian pilgrim list (Onomasticon of Eusebius, s.v. “Rimmon”) locates the place eight Roman miles south of Eleutheropolis, matching the leading identifications. Though no inscription of the biblical name has yet surfaced, the material culture confirms continuous occupation from the Judges period through late antiquity. Typological Reflection The pairing of water and fruit in En-rimmon foreshadows the eschatological river lined with fruit-bearing trees in Ezekiel 47:1-12 and Revelation 22:1-2. The restored settlement, therefore, gestures toward the ultimate restoration when creation itself will teem with life under the reign of the Messiah. Key Lessons for Today • God calls His people to rebuild, not abandon, places broken by sin and judgment. En-rimmon, though mentioned but once in its composite form, embodies these enduring truths. Forms and Transliterations רִמּ֛וֹן רמון rim·mō·wn rimMon rimmōwnLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Nehemiah 11:29 HEB: וּבְעֵ֥ין רִמּ֛וֹן וּבְצָרְעָ֖ה וּבְיַרְמֽוּת׃ NAS: and in En-rimmon, in Zorah KJV: And at Enrimmon, and at Zareah, INT: En-rimmon Zorah Jarmuth 1 Occurrence |
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