780. Ararat

Lexical Summary

Ararat: Ararat

Original Word: אֲרָרַט
Part of Speech: Proper Name Location
Transliteration: Ararat
Pronunciation: ah-rah-RAHT
Phonetic Spelling: (ar-aw-rat')
KJV: Ararat, Armenia
NASB: Ararat
Word Origin: [of foreign origin]

1. Ararat (or rather Armenia)

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

Ararat, Armenia

Of foreign origin; Ararat (or rather Armenia) -- Ararat, Armenia.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
of foreign origin
Definition
a district in E. Armenia
NASB Translation
Ararat (4).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

אֲרָרַט proper name, of a territory Ararat (Assyrian Urar‰u COT^Gloss, compare Lag^{Armen. Stud. § 100}) — ׳א Jeremiah 51:27; אֲרָרָ֑ט Genesis 8:4 3t. — a district in Eastern Armenia between the river Araxes & lakes Van & Oroomiah, compare KGF; to this probably reference in 2 Kings 19:37 = Isaiah 37:38 ׳אֶרֶץ א; also Genesis 8:4 ׳הָרֵי א, where the ark rested; used perhaps with wider reference Jeremiah 51:27 ׳מַמְלְכוֺת א ("" מִנִּי, אַשְׁכְּנַז).

Topical Lexicon

Geographical Setting

Ararat designates a mountainous kingdom situated in the highlands east of Anatolia, corresponding to the ancient realm of Urartu and embracing portions of modern-day eastern Turkey, Armenia, and northwestern Iran. Its rugged volcanic ridges, crowned by the twin peaks now called Greater and Lesser Ararat, form the watershed between the Euphrates, Araxes, and Tigris Rivers. The elevation, perpetual snowcaps, and strategic passes made the region both a natural fortress and a cultural crossroads between Mesopotamia and the Caucasus.

Biblical Occurrences

• Genesis 8:4 records the cessation of the Flood: “On the seventeenth day of the seventh month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat.” The plural “mountains” underscores a range rather than a single summit.
• 2 Kings 19:37 parallels Isaiah 37:38; both note that after assassinating Sennacherib inside the temple of Nisroch, “his sons … escaped to the land of Ararat.” The northern refuge highlights Ararat’s political independence from Assyria at that moment.
• Jeremiah 51:27 enlists Ararat among the kingdoms summoned to overthrow Babylon: “summon against her the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz.”

These four references span primeval history, Assyrian annals, and Babylon’s downfall, linking Ararat with divine preservation, judgment on tyranny, and the orchestration of international powers to accomplish God’s purposes.

Historical and Archaeological Insights

Inscriptional evidence from the ninth–seventh centuries B.C. identifies Urartu as a formidable monarchy rivaling Assyria. Its capital at Tushpa (Van) commanded fortified citadels, sophisticated irrigation, and bronze weaponry. The Bible’s consistent naming of the territory matches contemporaneous Assyrian texts that render it Uruatri or Urartu, confirming the reliability of the Old Testament’s geopolitical references.

Mount Ararat itself (5,165 m) gained post-biblical fame through Jewish and Christian tradition as the specific resting place of Noah’s Ark. Armenian historians from the fifth century onward situated the Ark there, and the mountain became a symbol of new beginnings for the Armenian Church. While archaeological verification of the vessel remains elusive, repeated expeditions testify to enduring confidence in the historical Flood narrative.

Theological Themes

1. Preservation and Covenant: The Ark’s landing signifies the end of judgment and the start of a renewed earth under the Noahic covenant (Genesis 9). Ararat thus becomes a monument to God’s mercy and faithfulness.
2. Divine Sovereignty over Nations: In both Assyrian and Babylonian contexts, Ararat functions as an instrument of providence—sheltering fugitives who alter imperial succession (2 Kings 19:37) and later mustering troops to topple Babylon (Jeremiah 51:27).
3. Judgment on Idolatry: Sennacherib is slain “in the temple of his god Nisroch,” and his murderers flee to Ararat. The contrast between the impotent idol and the living God who had foretold Assyria’s demise (2 Kings 19:6-7) magnifies the Lord’s supremacy.

Prophetic Significance

Jeremiah’s oracle (Jeremiah 51) pictures Ararat cooperating with Minni and Ashkenaz as part of a northern coalition. Historically, Median and Scythian forces—operating through Urartian territories—contributed to Babylon’s fall in 539 B.C. The prophecy illustrates how distant kingdoms, often unaware of their role, fulfill divine declarations.

Typological and Practical Ministry Applications

• Ark and Salvation: Just as the Ark came to rest upon Ararat after passing through judgment, believers emerge from condemnation into the security of Christ. The stable mountains reinforce the permanence of grace.
• Refuge in Time of Upheaval: Ararat offered sanctuary to Sennacherib’s sons; spiritually, the Lord remains a higher refuge for those fleeing the wreckage of sin and broken kingdoms.
• Global Reach of God’s Plan: From Genesis to the Prophets, Ararat demonstrates that no land lies outside God’s redemptive agenda. Mission strategy can therefore embrace even the most remote or resistant regions with confidence.

Key Lessons for Believers

1. History validates Scripture. Archaeological alignment between Urartu and Ararat encourages trust in the biblical record.
2. God alone guides the rise and fall of empires; prayer should mirror Isaiah’s confidence when besieged powers appear invincible.
3. After judgment comes renewal. The mountains of Ararat remind the Church to proclaim both the seriousness of sin and the offer of a fresh start through covenant mercy.
4. Geographic symbols can anchor faith. As Ararat became a tangible witness for ancient Israel and early Armenians, believers today can use memorials—baptism, Communion, testimonies—to keep God’s deliverance before the community.

By tracing Ararat through Scripture, history, and theology, these passages offer a panoramic portrait of God’s providence that rises as surely as the twin peaks themselves.

Forms and Transliterations

אֲרָרַ֖ט אֲרָרָ֑ט אֲרָרָֽט׃ אררט אררט׃ ’ă·rā·raṭ ’ă·rā·rāṭ ’ărāraṭ ’ărārāṭ araRat

Englishman's Concordance

Genesis 8:4
HEB: עַ֖ל הָרֵ֥י אֲרָרָֽט׃
NAS: rested upon the mountains of Ararat.
KJV: upon the mountains of Ararat.
INT: upon the mountains of Ararat

2 Kings 19:37
HEB: נִמְלְט֖וּ אֶ֣רֶץ אֲרָרָ֑ט וַיִּמְלֹ֛ךְ אֵֽסַר־
NAS: into the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon
KJV: into the land of Armenia. And Esarhaddon
INT: escaped the land of Ararat became and Esarhaddon

Isaiah 37:38
HEB: נִמְלְט֖וּ אֶ֣רֶץ אֲרָרָ֑ט וַיִּמְלֹ֛ךְ אֵֽסַר־
NAS: into the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon
KJV: into the land of Armenia: and Esarhaddon
INT: escaped the land of Ararat became and Esarhaddon

Jeremiah 51:27
HEB: עָלֶ֛יהָ מַמְלְכ֥וֹת אֲרָרַ֖ט מִנִּ֣י וְאַשְׁכְּנָ֑ז
NAS: her the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni
KJV: against her the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni,
INT: against her the kingdoms of Ararat Minni and Ashkenaz

4 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 780
4 Occurrences

’ă·rā·rāṭ — 4 Occ.