Lexical Summary
rimmon: pomegranates, pomegranate, pomegranate tree
Original Word:רִמּוֹן
Part of Speech:Noun Masculine
Transliteration:rimmown
Pronunciation:rim-MONE
Phonetic Spelling:(rim-mone')
KJV: pomegranate
NASB:pomegranates, pomegranate, pomegranate tree
Word Origin:[fromH7426 (רָמַם - To be high)]
1. a pomegranate, the tree (from its upright growth) or the fruit (also an artificial ornament)
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
pomegranate
Or rimmon {rim-mone'}; fromramam; a pomegranate, the tree (from its upright growth) or the fruit (also an artificial ornament) -- pomegranate.
see HEBREWramam
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originof foreign origin
Definitiona pomegranate
NASB Translationpomegranate (7), pomegranate tree (1), pomegranates (22).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
I.
Jeremiah 52:23 (foreign word of doubtful origin, compare Löw
No.310 Hom
A.u. A. 97 ff.; Aramaic , ,
, Mandean Nö
M.123; Arabic
(Aramaic loan-word, Frä
142), Ethiopic
); — absolute
1 Samuel 14:2 +,
Exodus 39:26 (twice in verse); suffix
Songs 8:2; plural
1 Kings 7:20 +, etc.; —
pomegranate:1 Samuel 14:2, often + , , etc.,Numbers 20:5 (JE),Deuteronomy 8:8;Haggai 2:19;Joel 1:12;Songs 4:13;Songs 6:11;Songs 7:13.
Numbers 13:23 (J E; + , );Songs 8:2, (in simile)Songs 4:3;Songs 6:7.
(compare
in modern Syria =apaulet, AlmkvistKi. Beiträge zur Lexicogr., etc. NesMarg. 12),1 Kings 7:18 (on text compare StaZAW iii (1883), 154 f. Kit Benz),1 Kings 7:20;1 Kings 7:42;1 Kings 7:42 "" 2 Chronicles 3:16; 4:13 (twice in verse);2 Kings 25:17 =Jeremiah 52:22,22,23 (twice in verse); so in tabernacle,Exodus 28:33,34 (twice in verse);Exodus 39:24,25 (twice in verse);Exodus 39:26 (twice in verse).
Topical Lexicon
Overview“Rimmon” occurs about thirty-two times in the Hebrew Scriptures and designates (1) a pagan deity of Syria, (2) several towns in Israel’s tribal allotments, (3) a rocky refuge in Benjamin, and (4) the father of two Benjamite assassins. Although the settings differ, the thread running through every reference is the contrast between false refuge and true refuge in the Lord.
Rimmon as a Pagan Deity (2 Kings 5:18)
Naaman, newly healed by Elisha, faces the practical cost of forsaking idolatry in a land devoted to Rimmon.
“In this matter may the Lord pardon Your servant: when my master goes into the temple of the god Rimmon to worship, and he leans on my arm and I bow in the temple of Rimmon, may the Lord pardon Your servant in this matter.”
The verse highlights:
• The pervasiveness of Rimmon-worship in Aram (Syria).
• The conscience of a believer surrounded by idolatry.
• God’s readiness to provide grace while calling for full allegiance.
Settlements Named Rimmon
Rimmon of Zebulun (Joshua 19:13)
Bordering “Gath-hepher” and “Neah,” this northern village marked the eastern stretch of Zebulun’s inheritance. Though Scripture records no major events there, its inclusion confirms the fulfilment of Jacob’s blessing that Zebulun would “dwell at the haven of the seas” (Genesis 49:13); the border headed toward the Sea of Galilee through Rimmon.
Rimmon / En-Rimmon in the Negeb (Joshua 19:7;1 Chronicles 4:32;Nehemiah 11:29)
Assigned first to Judah and then to Simeon, Rimmon lay in the arid south yet possessed a spring (“En-Rimmon”). Post-exilic families resettled it, showing the faithfulness of God in restoring scattered tribes. Its pairing with “Ain” (“spring”) stresses the Lord’s provision of water in desert places, anticipatingIsaiah 35:6-7.
Rimmon South of Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:10)
“All the land will be changed into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem.”
In the Day of the Lord the whole terrain—from the northern limit at Geba to Rimmon in the south—will be leveled, centering world attention on Jerusalem’s messianic reign. The town silently testifies that every geographic marker is subject to God’s redemptive plan.
Rock of Rimmon (Judges 20:45, 47; 21:13)
After the civil war sparked by Gibeah’s atrocity, six hundred Benjamite survivors “turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, and they stayed at the rock of Rimmon four months” (Judges 20:47). The outcrop:
• Became a temporary refuge for a remnant under judgment.
• Highlighted the mercy of the Lord, who prevented Benjamin’s extinction.
• Foreshadowed the Gospel pattern—grace preserving a remnant so that covenant promises remain intact.
Rimmon the Beerothite (2 Samuel 4:2-9)
Rimmon’s sons, Baanah and Rechab, murdered Ish-Bosheth, seeking favor with David. Their father is mentioned to underscore:
• The personal responsibility of every Israelite, even within covenant borders, to honor God’s anointed.
• The difference between human schemes for advancement and God’s established path to the throne.
• David’s refusal to reward treachery, modeling the righteousness of the coming Messiah.
Prophetic Resonance and Restoration
Zechariah’s horizon (Zechariah 14:10) links Rimmon with worldwide transformation, while Judges and Samuel associate it with remnant mercy. Together they anticipate the Gospel, in which idolatrous strongholds fall (2 Corinthians 10:4) and God shelters His people on the Rock that is Christ (1 Corinthians 10:4).
Archaeological and Historical Notes
• Syrian texts identify a storm-god “Rammanu,” linguistically akin to Rimmon, matching the rain motif of pomegranates carved in Solomon’s Temple (1 Kings 7:18, though that noun is H7416’s cognate).
• Khirbet Umm er-Rumamin and Khirbet er-Rameh have been proposed for En-Rimmon, with abundant cisterns confirming its association with water.
• The Rock of Rimmon may correspond to modern Rummon northeast of Jerusalem, where sheer limestone cliffs could house fugitives.
Theological and Ministry Reflections
1. Exclusive Worship: Naaman’s dilemma urges believers serving in hostile environments to seek creative yet uncompromised fidelity.
2. Covenant Geography: Town lists, often skipped in devotional reading, bear witness that God apportions tangible inheritances; every allotment matters.
3. Remnant Hope: Even after severe discipline, the Lord preserves a root for future fruitfulness (Romans 11:5).
4. Leadership Integrity: David’s judgment on Rimmon’s sons warns against gaining influence through unrighteous means.
5. Eschatological Expectation: From Geba to Rimmon the land will one day be transformed, reminding the Church that present landscapes—physical, cultural, or political—are not final.
Pastoral Application
• Encourage believers to examine hidden idols (“temple of Rimmon”) and renounce all rivals to Christ.
• Use the account of the Rock of Rimmon to comfort those feeling cornered by circumstances: God always provides a refuge and a future.
• Teach geography as theology; studying places like Rimmon deepens confidence in Scripture’s historical reliability and prophetic accuracy.
Rimmon, whether carved in stone, set on the map, or hidden in a heart, ultimately presses the question: Will we choose the living God or any substitute? Scripture’s consistent answer is to flee every false Rimmon and trust the Lord who alone is “a shield for all who take refuge in Him” (Psalm 18:30).
Forms and Transliterations
הָֽרִמֹּנִ֔ים הָֽרִמּוֹן֙ הָֽרִמּוֹנִ֛ים הָרִמֹּנִ֖ים הָרִמֹּנִ֗ים הָרִמֹּנִ֛ים הָרִמֹּנִֽים׃ הָרִמּ֖וֹן הָרִמּוֹן֙ הָרִמּוֹנִ֑ים הָרִמּוֹנִ֥ים הרמון הרמונים הרמנים הרמנים׃ וְהָרִמּ֛וֹן וְהָרִמּוֹנִ֤ים וְרִמֹּ֔ן וְרִמֹּן֙ וְרִמֹּנִ֧ים וְרִמּ֑וֹן וְרִמּ֔וֹן וְרִמּוֹנִ֧ים וְרִמּוֹנִֽים׃ והרמון והרמונים ורמון ורמונים ורמונים׃ ורמן ורמנים רִמֹּנִֽי׃ רִמֹּנִים֙ רִמֹּנֵי֙ רִמּ֞וֹן רִמּוֹנִ֔ים רִמּוֹנִים֙ רִמּוֹנֵ֕י רמון רמוני רמונים רמני רמני׃ רמנים hā·rim·mō·nîm hā·rim·mō·w·nîm hā·rim·mō·wn harimMon harimmoNim hārimmōnîm hārimmōwn hārimmōwnîm rim·mō·nê rim·mō·nî rim·mō·nîm rim·mō·w·nê rim·mō·w·nîm rim·mō·wn rimMon rimmōnê rimmoNei rimmoNi rimmōnî rimmoNim rimmōnîm rimmōwn rimmōwnê rimmōwnîm veharimMon veharimmoNim verimMon verimmoNim wə·hā·rim·mō·w·nîm wə·hā·rim·mō·wn wə·rim·mō·nîm wə·rim·mō·w·nîm wə·rim·mō·wn wə·rim·mōn wəhārimmōwn wəhārimmōwnîm wərimmōn wərimmōnîm wərimmōwn wərimmōwnîm
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