Lexical Summary Rimmown: Pomegranate Original Word: רִמּוֹן Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Remmon, Rimmon Or (shorter) Rimmon {rim-mone'}; or Rimmownow (1 Chronicles 6:62; 1 Chronicles 6:77) {rim-mo-no'}; the same as rimmown; Rimmon, the name of a Syrian deity, also of five places in Palestine -- Remmon, Rimmon. The addition "-methoar" (Josh. 19:13) is ham-mthonar {ham-meth-o-awr'}; passive participle of ta'ar with the article; the (one) marked off, i.e. Which pertains; mistaken for part of the name. see HEBREW 'Ebets see HEBREW rimmown see HEBREW ta'ar Brown-Driver-Briggs II. רִמּוֺן proper name, of deity, in Aramaic (Old Aramaic רמן in proper name Lzb369 Cook108; Assyrian Rammânu, god of wind, rain and storm (SchrCOT 2 Kings 5:18 ZimKAT 3, 442 ff. Muss-ArnJBL xi (1892), 172 JastrRei. Babylonian 156 ff.); Sabean רמן (CISiv, no.140, 209 Derenb in Kohut-Studies120ff.); etymology dubious; √רעם thunder Schr; √ ramâmu, roar DlHWB 624 and most; = 1. רִמּוֺן HomA. u. A. 98); — ׳בֵּית ר 2 Kings 5:18, בֵּית רִמֹּן 2 Kings 5:18 2 Kings 5:18; Ρεμμαν[θ]; — see also הֲדַדְרִמּוֺן p. 213, טַבְרִמּוֺן p. 372. III. רִמּוֺן proper name, masculine in Benjamin, 2 Samuel 4:2,5,9; Ρεμμων. IV. רִמּוֺן proper name, of a location 1. in סֶלַע הָרִמּוֺן cliff of R. Judges 20:45,47, רִמּוֺן ׳ס Judges 20:47; Judges 21:13; Ρεμμων; = modern cliff Rammôn, east from Bethel, BuhlG 100, compare GFMJudges 2 0, 45. 2 in southern Judah, ׳עַיִן וְר Joshua 15:32; ׳עַיִן ר Joshua 19:7 (both P), 1 Chronicles 4:32; = ׳ר Zechariah 14:10; Ρεμμων[θ], etc.; see עַיִן 2, p. 745, and עֵין רִמּוֺן. 3 in Zebulun Joshua 19:13 (Ρεμμωνα(μ)), = רִמּוֺנוֺ 1 Chronicles 6:62 (Ρεμμων); + Joshua 21:35 (read רִמֹּנָה for דִּמְנָה Di Benn Steuern); modern Rummâne, approximately 6 miles east of north from Nazareth (BuhlG 221). Topical Lexicon Etymological Note The name Rimmon derives from the common Hebrew noun for the pomegranate. Scripture uses the word figuratively for beauty and fruitfulness, yet as a proper noun it designates places, a family head, and even a foreign god, demonstrating the varied influence a single Hebrew term can have across redemptive history. Distribution of the Name in Scripture 1. Town in the Negev allotted to Judah and later occupied by Simeon (Joshua 15:32; 19:7; 1 Chronicles 4:32). Rimmon in the Tribal Allotments of Israel The southern Rimmon lies in the arid Negev. Its pairing with “Ain” (“spring”) in Joshua hints at life-giving water amid desert barrenness, a subtle reminder of the LORD’s provision even on Israel’s geographic fringe. The northern Rimmon in Zebulun, later assigned to the Levitical clan of Merari (1 Chronicles 6:77), underscores the LORD’s concern that those who minister in His sanctuary should be supplied with pasturelands. Both sites, though minor, witness to the orderly fulfillment of covenant promises concerning land distribution (Joshua 21:41-45). The Rock of Rimmon: Refuge in National Crisis After Benjamin’s near-annihilation for the atrocity at Gibeah, “six hundred men turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, where they stayed four months” (Judges 20:47). The crag became a sanctuary for the remnant until reconciliation was secured (Judges 21:13-15). Here the narrative balances justice with mercy: judgment fell, yet a refuge remained so that the tribe would not perish. Preachers often draw parallels to the believer’s ultimate refuge in Christ (Psalm 62:7). Rimmon the Beerothite: A Sobering Personal Legacy 2 Samuel records that Baanah and Rechab, “sons of Rimmon the Beerothite,” murdered Ish-bosheth and brought his head to David (2 Samuel 4:2-9). David’s refusal to reward their treachery and his subsequent execution of the brothers illustrate that the end never justifies sinful means in God’s economy. Rimmon’s family name thus becomes a cautionary footnote regarding ambition divorced from righteousness. Rimmon, God of Aram-Damascus: Confronted by Covenant Grace When the Aramean commander Naaman was healed of leprosy, he vowed allegiance to the LORD yet anticipated continued ceremonial duty beside his king: “When my master goes into the house of Rimmon to worship, and he leans on my arm, and I bow there also—may the LORD forgive your servant in this matter” (2 Kings 5:18). Elisha’s gracious “Go in peace” hints at the LORD’s patience toward a new believer still entangled in a pagan environment. Rimmon’s temple stands as a backdrop against which the supremacy of Israel’s God is displayed; the living God heals where the idol could not. Rimmon in Eschatological Hope Zechariah foretells a day when “all the land will be changed into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem” (Zechariah 14:10). The topographical leveling surrounding Zion anticipates universal access to the reigning Messiah. Rimmon, once peripheral, becomes a benchmark in the prophet’s picture of global restoration. Theological Themes 1. Refuge and Remnant: Rock of Rimmon portrays divine preservation amid judgment. Ministry Applications • Highlight God’s provision of spiritual shelter by comparing the Rock of Rimmon with Christ the Rock (1 Corinthians 10:4). Thus every occurrence of רִמּוֹן, whether as town, rock, person, or false deity, ultimately serves the grand biblical narrative—exposing idolatry, preserving a remnant, allotting inheritance, and pointing to the climactic reign of the LORD over all the earth. Forms and Transliterations הַמְּתֹאָ֖ר הָֽרִמּ֔וֹן המתאר הרמון וְרִמּ֑וֹן ורמון לְרִמּ֔וֹן לרמון רִמֹּ֔ן רִמּ֑וֹן רִמּ֔וֹן רִמּ֖וֹן רִמּ֤וֹן רִמּ֥וֹן רִמּוֹן֩ רִמּוֹנ֖וֹ רמון רמונו רמן hā·rim·mō·wn ham·mə·ṯō·’ār hamməṯō’ār hammetoAr harimMon hārimmōwn lə·rim·mō·wn lerimMon lərimmōwn rim·mō·w·nōw rim·mō·wn rim·mōn rimMon rimmōn rimmoNo rimmōwn rimmōwnōw verimMon wə·rim·mō·wn wərimmōwnLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Joshua 15:32 HEB: וְשִׁלְחִ֖ים וְעַ֣יִן וְרִמּ֑וֹן כָּל־ עָרִ֛ים NAS: and Ain and Rimmon; in all, KJV: and Ain, and Rimmon: all the cities INT: and Shilhim and Ain and Rimmon all cities Joshua 19:7 Joshua 19:13 Joshua 19:13 Judges 20:45 Judges 20:47 Judges 20:47 Judges 21:13 2 Samuel 4:2 2 Samuel 4:5 2 Samuel 4:9 2 Kings 5:18 2 Kings 5:18 2 Kings 5:18 1 Chronicles 4:32 1 Chronicles 6:77 Zechariah 14:10 17 Occurrences |
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