Lexical Summary rimmon: pomegranates, pomegranate, pomegranate tree Original Word: רִמּוֹן Strong's Exhaustive Concordance pomegranate Or rimmon {rim-mone'}; from ramam; a pomegranate, the tree (from its upright growth) or the fruit (also an artificial ornament) -- pomegranate. see HEBREW ramam NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originof foreign origin Definition a pomegranate NASB Translation pomegranate (7), pomegranate tree (1), pomegranates (22). Brown-Driver-Briggs I. רִמּוֺן noun masculineJeremiah 52:23 pomegranate (foreign word of doubtful origin, compare LöwNo.310 HomA.u. A. 97 ff.; Aramaic רִימּוֺנָא, רוּמָּנָא, ![]() ![]() ![]() 1 tree 1 Samuel 14:2, often + גְּפֶן, תְּאֵנָה, etc., Numbers 20:5 (JE), Deuteronomy 8:8; Haggai 2:19; Joel 1:12; Songs 4:13; Songs 6:11; Songs 7:13. 2 fruit Numbers 13:23 (J E; + עֲנָבִים, תְּאֵנִים); ׳עֲסִיס ר Songs 8:2, ׳מֶּלַח הָר (in simile) Songs 4:3; Songs 6:7. 3 ornaments in temple, shaped like pomegranates (compare Topical Lexicon Overview “Rimmon” occurs about thirty-two times in the Hebrew Scriptures and designates (1) a pagan deity of Syria, (2) several towns in Israel’s tribal allotments, (3) a rocky refuge in Benjamin, and (4) the father of two Benjamite assassins. Although the settings differ, the thread running through every reference is the contrast between false refuge and true refuge in the Lord. Rimmon as a Pagan Deity (2 Kings 5:18) Naaman, newly healed by Elisha, faces the practical cost of forsaking idolatry in a land devoted to Rimmon. “In this matter may the Lord pardon Your servant: when my master goes into the temple of the god Rimmon to worship, and he leans on my arm and I bow in the temple of Rimmon, may the Lord pardon Your servant in this matter.” The verse highlights: Settlements Named Rimmon Rimmon of Zebulun (Joshua 19:13) Bordering “Gath-hepher” and “Neah,” this northern village marked the eastern stretch of Zebulun’s inheritance. Though Scripture records no major events there, its inclusion confirms the fulfilment of Jacob’s blessing that Zebulun would “dwell at the haven of the seas” (Genesis 49:13); the border headed toward the Sea of Galilee through Rimmon. Rimmon / En-Rimmon in the Negeb (Joshua 19:7; 1 Chronicles 4:32; Nehemiah 11:29) Assigned first to Judah and then to Simeon, Rimmon lay in the arid south yet possessed a spring (“En-Rimmon”). Post-exilic families resettled it, showing the faithfulness of God in restoring scattered tribes. Its pairing with “Ain” (“spring”) stresses the Lord’s provision of water in desert places, anticipating Isaiah 35:6-7. Rimmon South of Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:10) “All the land will be changed into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem.” In the Day of the Lord the whole terrain—from the northern limit at Geba to Rimmon in the south—will be leveled, centering world attention on Jerusalem’s messianic reign. The town silently testifies that every geographic marker is subject to God’s redemptive plan. Rock of Rimmon (Judges 20:45, 47; 21:13) After the civil war sparked by Gibeah’s atrocity, six hundred Benjamite survivors “turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, and they stayed at the rock of Rimmon four months” (Judges 20:47). The outcrop: Rimmon the Beerothite (2 Samuel 4:2-9) Rimmon’s sons, Baanah and Rechab, murdered Ish-Bosheth, seeking favor with David. Their father is mentioned to underscore: Prophetic Resonance and Restoration Zechariah’s horizon (Zechariah 14:10) links Rimmon with worldwide transformation, while Judges and Samuel associate it with remnant mercy. Together they anticipate the Gospel, in which idolatrous strongholds fall (2 Corinthians 10:4) and God shelters His people on the Rock that is Christ (1 Corinthians 10:4). Archaeological and Historical Notes • Syrian texts identify a storm-god “Rammanu,” linguistically akin to Rimmon, matching the rain motif of pomegranates carved in Solomon’s Temple (1 Kings 7:18, though that noun is H7416’s cognate). Theological and Ministry Reflections 1. Exclusive Worship: Naaman’s dilemma urges believers serving in hostile environments to seek creative yet uncompromised fidelity. Pastoral Application • Encourage believers to examine hidden idols (“temple of Rimmon”) and renounce all rivals to Christ. Rimmon, whether carved in stone, set on the map, or hidden in a heart, ultimately presses the question: Will we choose the living God or any substitute? Scripture’s consistent answer is to flee every false Rimmon and trust the Lord who alone is “a shield for all who take refuge in Him” (Psalm 18:30). Forms and Transliterations הָֽרִמֹּנִ֔ים הָֽרִמּוֹן֙ הָֽרִמּוֹנִ֛ים הָרִמֹּנִ֖ים הָרִמֹּנִ֗ים הָרִמֹּנִ֛ים הָרִמֹּנִֽים׃ הָרִמּ֖וֹן הָרִמּוֹן֙ הָרִמּוֹנִ֑ים הָרִמּוֹנִ֥ים הרמון הרמונים הרמנים הרמנים׃ וְהָרִמּ֛וֹן וְהָרִמּוֹנִ֤ים וְרִמֹּ֔ן וְרִמֹּן֙ וְרִמֹּנִ֧ים וְרִמּ֑וֹן וְרִמּ֔וֹן וְרִמּוֹנִ֧ים וְרִמּוֹנִֽים׃ והרמון והרמונים ורמון ורמונים ורמונים׃ ורמן ורמנים רִמֹּנִֽי׃ רִמֹּנִים֙ רִמֹּנֵי֙ רִמּ֞וֹן רִמּוֹנִ֔ים רִמּוֹנִים֙ רִמּוֹנֵ֕י רמון רמוני רמונים רמני רמני׃ רמנים hā·rim·mō·nîm hā·rim·mō·w·nîm hā·rim·mō·wn harimMon harimmoNim hārimmōnîm hārimmōwn hārimmōwnîm rim·mō·nê rim·mō·nî rim·mō·nîm rim·mō·w·nê rim·mō·w·nîm rim·mō·wn rimMon rimmōnê rimmoNei rimmoNi rimmōnî rimmoNim rimmōnîm rimmōwn rimmōwnê rimmōwnîm veharimMon veharimmoNim verimMon verimmoNim wə·hā·rim·mō·w·nîm wə·hā·rim·mō·wn wə·rim·mō·nîm wə·rim·mō·w·nîm wə·rim·mō·wn wə·rim·mōn wəhārimmōwn wəhārimmōwnîm wərimmōn wərimmōnîm wərimmōwn wərimmōwnîmLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Exodus 28:33 HEB: עַל־ שׁוּלָ֗יו רִמֹּנֵי֙ תְּכֵ֤לֶת וְאַרְגָּמָן֙ NAS: on its hem pomegranates of blue KJV: of it thou shalt make pomegranates [of] blue, INT: on hem pomegranates of blue and purple Exodus 28:34 Exodus 28:34 Exodus 39:24 Exodus 39:25 Exodus 39:25 Exodus 39:26 Exodus 39:26 Numbers 13:23 Numbers 20:5 Deuteronomy 8:8 1 Samuel 14:2 1 Kings 7:18 1 Kings 7:20 1 Kings 7:42 1 Kings 7:42 2 Kings 25:17 2 Chronicles 3:16 2 Chronicles 4:13 2 Chronicles 4:13 Songs 4:3 Songs 4:13 Songs 6:7 Songs 6:11 Songs 7:12 32 Occurrences |