🔼The name Bamoth: Summary
- Meaning
- High Place(s)
- Etymology
- From the noun במה (bama), high place.
🔼The name Bamoth in the Bible
The city named Bamoth was located somewhere near mount Pisgah, in the land of Moab (Numbers 21:19). Israel camped there on the way to a certain valley in Moab, from where they planned to cross over to the territory of king Sihon of the Amorites. Their proposal to Sihon resulted in a war and subsequent victory. Close to the city of Bamoth was a place named Bamoth-baal, and most scholars deem the two the same. This is, however, by no means certain.
🔼Etymology of the name Bamoth
The name Bamoth comes from the noun במה (bama), meaning high place:
במה
The noun במה (bama) is of unclear pedigree and it describes high places such as mountain tops or ridges. High places were much in vogue to serve as places of worship, and control over them was essential for control over a land by military force.
Our name is either the same word as במה (bama) but written in a form of Hebrew that is older than the Hebrew of the Bible, or it is a regular feminine plural.
🔼Bamoth meaning
For a meaning of the name Bamoth both NOBSE Study Bible Name List and Jones' Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names read High Places. BDB Theological Dictionary has the singular High Place or Great High Place, probably assuming that our name is older than the Hebrew of the Bible, which is perfectly logical but not necessarily correct.