Lexical Summary
aremah: Heap, Pile
Original Word:עָרֵם
Part of Speech:Noun Feminine
Transliteration:`arem
Pronunciation:ah-reh-MAH
Phonetic Spelling:(aw-rame')
KJV: heap (of corn), sheaf
NASB:heaps, heap, heap of grain, rubble, sacks of grain
Word Origin:[fromH6192 (עָרַם - piled)]
1. a heap
2. specifically, a sheaf
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
heap of corn, sheaf
(Jer. 50:26) or (feminine) aremah {ar-ay-maw'}; fromaram; a heap; specifically, a sheaf -- heap (of corn), sheaf.
see HEBREWaram
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
aramDefinitiona heap
NASB Translationheap (2), heap of grain (1), heaps (5), rubble (1), sacks of grain (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
; — absolute
Ruth 3:7; construct
Haggai 2:16;
Songs 7:3; plural absolute
Nehemiah 13:15 +, construct
Nehemiah 3:34; absolute
Jeremiah 50:26; —
heap of rubbish ()
Nehemiah 3:34; = ruin-heap
Jeremiah 50:26; = grain-heap (of threshed grain,
unthreshed, according to Wetzst
l.c.),
Haggai 2:16;
Nehemiah 13:15;
Ruth 3:7; Cant 7:3; of grain and fruit 2 Chronicles 31:6 (twice in verse); 2Chronicles 31:7,8,9.
II. (√ of following; compare Arabic
strip flesh from bone (to eatit),strip leaves from trees (said of camels);
bark of tree (stripped off)).
Topical Lexicon
Summary of Biblical UsageThe noun עָרֵם describes a heap or pile—usually of harvested produce, tithes, building debris, or spoils of war. In the eleven occurrences the word swings between two poles: abundant blessing and humiliating desolation. Its settings move from the threshing floor of Ruth to the reforms of Hezekiah, to the rubble of post-exilic Jerusalem, and finally to prophetic oracles of judgment. In every context the heap is a public testimony: of covenant faithfulness when full, and of covenant violation when reduced or destroyed.
Agricultural and Domestic Heaps
Ruth 3:7 shows the normal village use. After winnowing, “Boaz … went to lie down at the far end of the grain pile”. The heap is the tangible reward of honest labor, protected overnight from theft or moisture, and therefore a fitting backdrop for Ruth’s request for redemption. Likewise Song of Songs 7:2 turns the image into romantic poetry: “Your waist is a mound of wheat encircled by lilies”. Abundance and beauty blend, revealing that the covenant God who fills barns also blesses marriage and intimacy.
Heaps as Measures of Blessing in Hezekiah’s Revival
Tithing reform under King Hezekiah dominates five occurrences (2 Chronicles 31:6-9). The nation responds to the king’s call by bringing firstfruits of “cattle and sheep … and they laid them in large heaps” (2 Chronicles 31:6). Work began in the third month (the time of Pentecost and wheat harvest) and finished in the seventh (Feast of Tabernacles), marking the entire harvest cycle. Hezekiah’s astonished question, “Where did all these heaps come from?” draws Azariah’s reply, “Since the people began to bring their contributions to the house of the LORD, we have had enough to eat and plenty to spare, for the LORD has blessed His people” (2 Chronicles 31:10). The heaps stand as visible evidence that obedience releases divine provision.
Heaps of Rubble and Scorn during Reconstruction
InNehemiah 4:2 Sanballat mocks Jerusalem’s builders: “Can they revive the stones from the heaps of rubble—burned as they are?”. Here the heap is the wreckage left by Babylon. The scoffer sees only hopeless debris; Nehemiah sees raw material for covenant restoration. The same word reappears when Nehemiah confronts Sabbath violations (Nehemiah 13:15). Merchandise heaped on beasts violates the rest God ordained. The lesson is clear: uncontrolled commerce turns legitimate abundance into spiritual threat.
Prophetic Heaps of Judgment
Jeremiah 50:26 orders Babylon’s destruction: “Break open her granaries; pile her up like heaps …”. The very symbol of plenty becomes the pyre of her demise.Haggai 2:16 speaks to post-exilic drought: “When one came to a heap of twenty measures, there were only ten”. Half-empty heaps expose prior neglect of the temple. The same sign that once celebrated obedience now exposes disobedience.
Theological Themes
1. Covenant Reciprocity
Full heaps honor the divine–human partnership (Deuteronomy 28:8). Empty or burning heaps confirm covenant sanctions (Leviticus 26:20).
2. Visible Accountability
Because heaps are public and measurable, they embody truth before God and neighbor. Tithes piled in the temple courts encouraged further generosity; rubble heaps in Jerusalem summoned collective resolve to rebuild.
3. Transition from Scarcity to Sufficiency
Scripture traces a narrative arc: ruined heaps (Nehemiah 4:2) → restored heaps (2 Chronicles 31) → eschatological fullness when “the threshing floors shall be full of grain” (Joel 2:24).
Ministry Significance
• Stewardship: Congregations that “honor the LORD with your wealth” will find, as under Hezekiah, that generosity multiplies resources.
• Worship Renewal: Physical spaces—storehouses, fellowship halls—can mirror spiritual vitality. Heaps of provision gathered for the needy or for missions declare God’s ongoing faithfulness.
• Social Witness: Nehemiah’s rebuke warns against turning blessing into exploitation. Sabbath rest, ethical business, and just distribution uphold the testimony of the heap.
• Hope amid Ruins: Builders today confront moral and cultural rubble. The God who empowered Nehemiah still revives “stones from the heaps.” Every rehabilitated life, family, or community becomes a living monument to redemption.
Christological Reflection
Jesus, laid in a borrowed grave among the “stones from the heaps,” rose as “the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:20). In Him, the rubble of sin becomes the cornerstone of a new creation, and the ultimate heap of divine provision is not grain but grace “pressed down, shaken together, and running over” (Luke 6:38).
Key References
Ruth 3:7;2 Chronicles 31:6-9;Nehemiah 4:2;Nehemiah 13:15; Song of Songs 7:2;Jeremiah 50:26;Haggai 2:16
Forms and Transliterations
הָעֲרֵמ֑וֹת הָעֲרֵמ֖וֹת הָעֲרֵמ֣וֹת הָעֲרֵמָ֑ה הָעֲרֵמֽוֹת׃ הערמה הערמות הערמות׃ מֵעֲרֵמ֥וֹת מערמות עֲרֵמ֥וֹת עֲרֵמִ֖ים עֲרֵמַ֣ת עֲרֵמֽוֹת׃ ערמות ערמות׃ ערמים ערמת ‘ă·rê·maṯ ‘ă·rê·mîm ‘ă·rê·mō·wṯ ‘ărêmaṯ ‘ărêmîm ‘ărêmōwṯ areMat areMim areMot hā‘ărêmāh hā‘ărêmōwṯ hā·‘ă·rê·māh hā·‘ă·rê·mō·wṯ haareMah haareMot mê‘ărêmōwṯ mê·‘ă·rê·mō·wṯ meareMot
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