7432. Remeth
Lexical Summary
Remeth: Remeth

Original Word: רֶמֶת
Part of Speech: Proper Name Location
Transliteration: Remeth
Pronunciation: reh'-meth
Phonetic Spelling: (reh'-meth)
KJV: Remeth
NASB: Remeth
Word Origin: [from H7411 (רָמָה - To betray)]

1. height
2. Remeth, a place in Israel

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Remeth

From ramah; height; Remeth, a place in Palestine -- Remeth.

see HEBREW ramah

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from rum
Definition
a city in Issachar
NASB Translation
Remeth (1).

Topical Lexicon
Geographical Setting

Remeth appears in the territorial allotment of Issachar (Joshua 19:21), situated in the fertile Jezreel Valley just south of the Hill of Moreh. Its position on the eastern edge of the plain placed it along the north–south route that later earned the title “Way of the Sea,” connecting Galilee with the Mediterranean corridor. Modern surveys often locate the site at Tell er-Rumeh, three miles southeast of present-day Jenin, where pottery from the Late Bronze and early Iron Ages confirms occupation at the time of the Conquest.

Biblical Context

Joshua 19:21 lists Remeth among four towns marking the southernmost district of Issachar: “Remeth, En-gannim, En-haddah, and Beth-pazzez”. The catalogue groups agricultural villages that framed the valley’s grain fields. Together they formed a strategic ring around the Kishon watershed, giving Israel an inland vantage over Canaanite strongholds to the west.

Levitical Significance

While the Issachar list mentions Remeth once, two parallel texts record a closely related name among the Gershonite Levitical towns: “Ramoth with its pasturelands” (Joshua 21:29) and “Ramoth with its surrounding pasturelands” (1 Chronicles 6:73). The linguistic overlap suggests either an alternate spelling or a later scribal assimilation. If identical, Remeth became a Levitical center entrusted to the Gershonites, underlining the Lord’s intention that worship instruction reach every tribe (Numbers 3:23-26). As a Levite settlement it would have housed teachers of the Law and custodians of sanctuary furnishings during the wilderness era, preserving sound doctrine at the tribal level.

Historical and Archaeological Insights

Pottery shards, limestone presses, and a substantial four-room house unearthed at Tell er-Rumeh reflect an agrarian community with administrative oversight. The abundance of storage vessels aligns with Scripture’s portrayal of Issachar as a tribe that “bends his shoulder to bear a load” (Genesis 49:15). On the Phoenician border, Remeth facilitated grain shipments to coastal markets, making it a point of economic as well as spiritual exchange.

Textual Harmony

Apparent variation between “Remeth,” “Ramoth,” and “Jarmuth” in different manuscripts underscores the fluidity of Hebrew consonants r, y, and j in late Iron-Age scripts. Rather than exposing contradiction, the overlap confirms a single locality remembered under multiple dialectical forms. Such convergence reinforces the coherence of the conquest lists, demonstrating that Scripture recounts historical geography with precision.

Theological Themes

1. Covenant Territory: Remeth testifies that every square mile of the Promised Land belonged to Yahweh and was apportioned for His people’s flourishing.
2. Priestly Presence: If identified with the Gershonite city, Remeth models God’s pattern of embedding spiritual leadership within ordinary communities, ensuring that instruction in righteousness accompanies daily labor.
3. Watchtower Motif: The town’s elevated meaning—“height” or “exalted place”—evokes the believer’s calling to rise above surrounding paganism, displaying holiness in the public square (Philippians 2:15).

Principles for Ministry Today

• Plant centers of biblical teaching in regions defined more by commerce than devotion, following the Levitical template of Remeth.
• Uphold biblical geography in preaching and study, showing that faith rests on real places and real history.
• Encourage congregations to view their neighborhoods as covenant territory where God’s presence must be made known, just as Remeth anchored worship in Issachar.

Summary

Though mentioned only once by name, Remeth stands as a microcosm of Israel’s inheritance: an agricultural hub, a potential Levitical seat, and a high place devoted to the Most High. Its account invites the modern church to integrate labor, learning, and liturgy within every locale God assigns.

Forms and Transliterations
וְרֶ֧מֶת ורמת veRemet wə·re·meṯ wəremeṯ
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Joshua 19:21
HEB: וְרֶ֧מֶת וְעֵין־ גַּנִּ֛ים
NAS: and Remeth and En-gannim and En-haddah
KJV: And Remeth, and Engannim,
INT: and Remeth and En-gannim and En-haddah

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 7432
1 Occurrence


wə·re·meṯ — 1 Occ.

7431
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