Lexical Summary
Bamah: Bamah
Original Word:בָּמָה
Part of Speech:Proper Name Location
Transliteration:Bamah
Pronunciation:bah-MAH
Phonetic Spelling:(baw-maw')
KJV: Bamah See also H1120
NASB:Bamah
Word Origin:[the same asH1116 (בָּמָה - high places)]
1. Bamah, a place in Israel
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Bamah
The same asbamah; Bamah, a place in Palestine -- Bamah. See alsoBamowth.
see HEBREWbamah
see HEBREWBamowth
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
bamahDefinitiona high place (for idols) in Isr.
NASB TranslationBamah (1).
Topical Lexicon
Definition and Conceptבָּמָה (bamah) denotes an elevated site used for religious activity, usually translated “high place.” While an ordinary topographical term for a hill or height, Scripture employs it almost exclusively for locations where sacrifices, offerings, and other cultic acts were performed—sometimes in legitimate worship prior to the centralization of sacrifice, but more often in syncretistic or blatantly idolatrous rites.
Historical Background
High places dotted the Ancient Near Eastern landscape long before Israel entered Canaan. Pagan peoples viewed height as a liminal space nearer the divine realm, so they placed altars, pillars, sacred trees, or shrines on hills and ridges. When Israel inherited the land, these sites (Deuteronomy 12:2) became a persistent snare. Even well-meaning Israelites, accustomed to tangible worship aids, gravitated to bamoth despite Yahweh’s call to a single chosen sanctuary (ultimately Jerusalem).
Biblical Usage
The root idea surfaces in narratives, legal texts, historical records, wisdom sayings, and prophetic oracles:
• Tolerated practice before the Temple: “The people, however, were sacrificing on the high places, because no house had yet been built for the Name of the LORD” (1 Kings 3:2).
• Royal compromise and decline: Solomon’s personal lapses (1 Kings 11:7) and the Northern Kingdom’s systemic idolatry (1 Kings 12:31) entrenched the bamoth.
• Reform attempts: Hezekiah (2 Kings 18:4) and Josiah (2 Kings 23:13-20) dismantled them, illustrating covenant faithfulness.
• Prophetic indictment: “They have built the high places of Baal to burn their children in the fire as offerings to Baal” (Jeremiah 19:5).
• Exilic reflection:Ezekiel 20 traces Israel’s rebellion; verse 29 singles out the term itself—“So I asked them: ‘What is this high place to which you go?’ And to this day it is called Bamah” (Ezekiel 20:29).
Theological Significance
1. Exclusive Worship. The bamoth battle dramatizes the first commandment. By insisting on one sanctuary (Deuteronomy 12:5), God underscored His uniqueness and protected Israel from syncretism.
2. Holiness of Place. True holiness flows from God’s presence, not geographical elevation; therefore the Temple overshadowed every hill.
3. Covenant Accountability. Kings were evaluated by their stance toward high places (compare1 Kings 15:14 with2 Kings 23:19). Persistent tolerance foretold judgment (2 Kings 17:9-12).
4. Moral Degradation. Idolatry at bamoth led to injustice, immorality, and even child sacrifice (Psalm 106:34-39).
Prophetic Perspective
Prophets ridiculed the futility of worship on heights (Amos 7:9;Hosea 10:8) and foretold their desolation. Micah envisioned Zion rising above every hill (Micah 4:1-2), symbolizing the displacement of all rival elevations by the true dwelling of the LORD.
New Covenant Fulfillment
In Jesus Christ the shadows give way to substance (John 4:21-24). Worship is no longer tied to Jerusalem’s mount or any “high place,” but to Spirit and truth. His crucifixion on Golgotha, itself a hill, becomes the final altar, rendering every earlier elevation obsolete (Hebrews 10:11-14).
Practical Ministry Insights
• Guard against modern “high places”—anything elevated above Christ in affection or allegiance (1 John 5:21).
• Teach holistic reform: removing idols must accompany renewed covenant obedience, as Josiah modeled.
• Emphasize corporate worship: gathering around the gospel mirrors the single sanctuary principle, fostering unity.
• Cultivate humility: true exaltation belongs to God alone; human promotion of self, ministry brands, or traditions can mimic ancient bamoth.
See Also
Altars; Asherah; Baal;Deuteronomy 12; Hezekiah; Josiah; Jerusalem Temple; Idolatry; Sacrifice.
Forms and Transliterations
בָּמָ֔ה במה bā·māh baMah bāmāh
Links
Interlinear Greek •
Interlinear Hebrew •
Strong's Numbers •
Englishman's Greek Concordance •
Englishman's Hebrew Concordance •
Parallel Texts
