Lexical Summary
ragam: To stone, to pelt with stones
Original Word:רָגַם
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:ragam
Pronunciation:rah-GAHM
Phonetic Spelling:(raw-gam')
KJV: X certainly, stone
NASB:stone, stoned, certainly stone
Word Origin:[a primitive root]
1. to cast together (stones), i.e. to lapidate
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
certainly, stone
A primitive root (compareregeb,ruwa',raqam); to cast together (stones), i.e. To lapidate -- X certainly, stone.
see HEBREWregeb
see HEBREWruwa'
see HEBREWraqam
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origina prim. root
Definitionto stone, kill by stoning
NASB Translationcertainly stone (1), stone (7), stoned (7).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
[] (denominative ? compare ; or originally =
throw, hurl ? Late Hebrew
throw at (rare); Arabic
throw stones at, stone, also (from accompaniment of stone-throwing)
revile, curse, compare Ethiopic
curse, We
Held 2.111, 250; Aramaic ,
stone); &;
Perfect3plural consecutiveLeviticus 24:14 2t., suffixDeuteronomy 21:21;Imperfect3masculine pluralLeviticus 20:16,27 ,Joshua 7:25 4t.; suffixLeviticus 20:2, 2Chronicles 24:21;Infinitive absoluteLeviticus 24:16;Numbers 15:35;constructNumbers 14:10; &stone, with accusative of person +Deuteronomy 21:21 (D),Numbers 14:10;Numbers 15:35,36 (P), +Ezekiel 16:40;Leviticus 20:2,27 (H); + accusativeJoshua 7:25 (JE),Leviticus 24:23 (P), 2 Chronicles 24:21; with person + accusative1 Kings 12:18 2Chronicles 10:18; with person + accusativeEzekiel 23:47; with accusative of person aloneLeviticus 24:14 (P); with person alone,Leviticus 24:16 (P). &; Synonym q. v.
Topical Lexicon
Overview of the Verbרָגַם (ragam) denotes the collective act of pummeling with stones, ordinarily to execute a capital sentence or to repel an enemy. Its Old Testament appearances trace a coherent line from covenant legislation through historical narrative into prophetic indictment, always underscoring the gravity of violating divine order and the communal role in enforcing that order.
Canonical Distribution
Sixteen occurrences cluster in three primary literary settings:
• The Torah’s holiness legislation (Leviticus 20; 24;Numbers 15)
• Narrative history (Joshua 7;1 Kings 12;2 Chronicles 10; 24)
• Prophetic judgment oracles (Ezekiel 16; 23)
Legal Contexts: Guarding Covenant Holiness
1. Sanctity of Worship (Leviticus 20:2). Idolatrous child-sacrifice to Molech is met with stoning: “the congregation shall stone him”. The penalty protects Israel from syncretism and affirms God’s exclusive claim.
2. Spiritism (Leviticus 20:27). Mediums and spiritists are “surely put to death; they shall be stoned with stones.” Demonic counterfeits of revelation warrant the severest sanction.
3. Blasphemy (Leviticus 24:14-16, 23). The Name-bearer’s holiness demands that profanity be purged “by the whole congregation.”
4. Sabbath Profanation (Numbers 15:35-36). Gathering sticks on the Sabbath reveals that even seemingly minor infractions against God’s rhythm of rest carry lethal seriousness once the covenant is established.
In each case stoning is corporate, public, and executed by “all the congregation,” reinforcing shared responsibility for holiness and deterring hidden sin.
Historical Narratives: Corporate Judgment and Political Revolt
1. Achan (Joshua 7:25). After the ban’s violation at Jericho, Joshua declares, “Why have you brought this trouble upon us? The LORD will trouble you today!” Israel stones Achan, his household, and possessions, dramatizing the community’s covenant solidarity.
2. Rejection of God-given Authority (Numbers 14:10;Deuteronomy 21:21). When the people threaten Moses and when a “rebellious son” persists in disobedience, stoning answers attempted anarchy.
3. Royal Unrest (1 Kings 12:18;2 Chronicles 10:18). Adoram the taskmaster is stoned during the northern tribes’ revolt, illustrating how stoning could become mob violence when divine law is ignored.
4. Prophetic Martyrdom (2 Chronicles 24:21). Zechariah son of Jehoiada is stoned “in the courtyard of the house of the LORD,” anticipating later prophetic suffering and foreshadowing New Testament martyrdom.
Prophetic Imagery: Symbolic Execution of Apostate Cities
Ezekiel 16:40 and 23:47 transform רָגַם into metaphor: Jerusalem and Samaria, personified as adulterous women, will be stoned by their former lovers—foreign nations—revealing that covenant curses fall on unfaithful communities just as on individuals.
Theological Themes
• Holiness and Justice: Stoning highlights God’s intolerance of idolatry, blasphemy, and covenant breach.
• Corporate Responsibility: The congregation participates, teaching that sin’s corruption spreads unless decisively judged.
• Substitutionary Foreshadowing: The severity of stoning prepares the way for Christ, who bears the law’s curse (Galatians 3:13), absorbing the death due to covenant breakers.
• Prophetic Warning: Physical stoning becomes a type of eschatological judgment, urging repentance.
Historical and Cultural Notes
• Ancient Near Eastern Parallels: While other cultures used stoning, Israel uniquely tied the practice to divine revelation rather than royal fiat, grounding penalties in covenantal theology.
• Method: Victims were placed outside the camp or city (Leviticus 24:14;Numbers 15:35), the community cast the first stones, then witnesses followed (Deuteronomy 17:7 principle, though רָגַם itself is not used there).
• Limitation: Stoning was never arbitrary; due process required witnesses, elders’ decision, and often divine clarification (Numbers 15:34-35).
Ministry Significance Today
1. Preaching: Texts containing רָגַם offer sober reminders of sin’s wage and the holiness demanded by God, driving hearers to the cross where justice and mercy meet.
2. Discipleship: The communal aspect challenges individualistic faith, urging churches to practice restorative discipline (Matthew 18), not lethally but redemptively.
3. Apologetics: Understanding the historical theocratic context equips believers to explain difficult Old Testament laws coherently, affirming Scripture’s consistency.
4. Missions: The prophetic use of stoning against city-wide apostasy informs urban ministry: entire cultures, not just individuals, need reconciliation to God.
Christological Fulfillment and New Testament Echoes
Though רָגַם itself is Hebrew, its concept echoes in the Greek λῐθάζω. Stephen’s martyrdom (Acts 7) and attempts on Jesus (John 8:59; 10:31) show continuity: the same zeal that once rightly punished blasphemy now wrongly targets the righteous, revealing the hardness of unregenerate hearts. At Calvary the crowd chooses crucifixion instead of stoning, yet the substitutionary lesson stands—One dies for the many, satisfying the law’s demand once for all.
Forms and Transliterations
וְרָגְמ֥וּ וְרָגְמ֨וּ וַיִּרְגְּמ֥וּ וַיִּרְגְּמ֨וּ וַיִּרְגְּמֻ֥הוּ וַיִּרְגְּמוּ־ וּ֠רְגָמֻהוּ וירגמהו וירגמו וירגמו־ ורגמהו ורגמו יִרְגְּמ֥וּ יִרְגְּמֻ֥הוּ יִרְגְּמוּ־ ירגמהו ירגמו ירגמו־ לִרְגּ֥וֹם לרגום רָג֥וֹם רָג֨וֹם רגום lir·gō·wm lirGom lirgōwm rā·ḡō·wm raGom rāḡōwm ū·rə·ḡā·mu·hū Uregamuhu ūrəḡāmuhū vaiyirgeMu vaiyirgeMuhu verageMu veragMu way·yir·gə·mū way·yir·gə·mū- way·yir·gə·mu·hū wayyirgəmū wayyirgəmū- wayyirgəmuhū wə·rā·ḡə·mū wərāḡəmū yir·gə·mū yir·gə·mū- yir·gə·mu·hū yirgeMu yirgəmū yirgəmū- yirgeMuhu yirgəmuhū
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