Hebrew word · H2768

חֶרְמוֹן

chermon

(Mount )Hermon

The name of the great southern peak of the Anti-Lebanon. It is probably formed from the root ḥ-r-m, 'to set apart as sacred, forbidden, devoted', which also gives ḥerem, the 'ban' or 'devotion to destruction'.

Appears 13 times in 13 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

§ Hermon = "a sanctuary"

a mountain on the northeastern border of Palestine and Lebanon and overlooking the border city of Dan

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Joshua 11:17

Range of meaning

The name of the great southern peak of the Anti-Lebanon. It is probably formed from the root ḥ-r-m, 'to set apart as sacred, forbidden, devoted', which also gives ḥerem, the 'ban' or 'devotion to destruction'. Other peoples had their own names for it: the Sidonians called it Sirion and the Amorites Senir (Deut 3:9).

Against the English

English simply says 'Mount Hermon', which is correct. The probable meaning of the name, 'sacred/set-apart mountain', is not visible.

Used elsewhere in the period

Hermon was a sacred mountain across the region. Baal-hermon is mentioned in Judges 3:3, and in Greek and Roman times dozens of temples stood on its slopes. 1 Enoch 6:6, a Jewish text from the 3rd century BC or earlier, plays on the name: the fallen Watchers 'bound themselves by a curse' (ḥrm) on Hermon (Nickelsburg).

From the study of Joshua 12:5

Range of meaning

Mount Hermon. The name probably comes from the root ḥ-r-m, 'set apart, sacred, under ban', which would give 'sacred mountain'. Deut 3:9 says Sidonians called it Sirion and Amorites Senir.

Against the English

English versions simply transliterate it. The possible 'sacred' sense is lost in English, but it is a probable origin, not something the Hebrew reader necessarily heard each time.

Used elsewhere in the period

In Ugaritic texts, Sirion is paired with Lebanon. 'Baal-hermon' appears in Judg 3:3 and 1 Chr 5:23, and many shrines on the mountain are known from later periods. In 1 Enoch 6:6 the rebel Watchers come down on Hermon.

From the study of Psalm 89:12

Range of meaning

Mount Hermon, about 2,814 m (9,232 ft) high, the southern peak of the Anti-Lebanon range. It is snow-capped most of the year and marks the northern limit of Israel's land (Deut 3:8; Josh 12:1). The name is probably related to ḥerem, 'set apart / under ban', which suggests a 'sacred mountain'.

Against the English

All versions keep the name. Nothing is lost in English except the sacred associations the name carried.

Used elsewhere in the period

It is called 'Baal-hermon' in Judg 3:3 and 1 Chr 5:23, and Deut 3:9 records that the Sidonians called it Sirion and the Amorites Senir. In 1 Enoch 6:6 the rebel Watchers come down onto Hermon and bind themselves with an oath there, playing on the ḥerem root. Remains of many temples from the Hellenistic and Roman periods ring the mountain. Ps 133:3 mentions 'the dew of Hermon'.

Where it appears

Deuteronomy · 3

  1. Deuteronomy 3:8 חֶרְמֽוֹן׃ Hermon

    At that time we took from the two kings of the Amorites the land across the Jordan, from the Arnon Valley as far as Mount Hermon—

  2. Deuteronomy 3:9 לְחֶרְמ֖וֹן <to> Hermon

    which the Sidonians call Sirion but the Amorites call Senir—

  3. Deuteronomy 4:48 חֶרְמֽוֹן׃ [is] Hermon

    extending from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Valley as far as Mount Siyon (that is, Hermon),

Joshua · 6

  1. Joshua 11:3 חֶרְמ֔וֹן Hermon

    to the Canaanites in the east and west; to the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, and Jebusites in the hill country; and to the Hivites at the foot of Hermon in the land of Mizpah.

    Here: Mount Hermon, the snow-capped massif (about 2,800 m) at the far north of Israel's territory, also called Sirion and Senir (Deut 3:9). Here it marks the northern edge of the coalition.

  2. Joshua 11:17 חֶרְמ֑וֹן Hermon

    from Mount Halak, which rises toward Seir, as far as Baal-gad in the Valley of Lebanon at the foot of Mount Hermon. He captured all their kings and struck them down, putting them to death.

    Here: The snow-capped massif, about 2,800 m high, at the southern end of the Anti-Lebanon range. Its name is probably built on the root ḥ-r-m, 'set apart, sacred, off-limits.' That root also gives ḥerem, the 'ban' that runs through this chapter.

  3. Joshua 12:1 חֶרְמ֔וֹן Hermon

    Now these are the kings of the land whom the Israelites struck down and whose lands they took beyond the Jordan to the east, from the Arnon Valley to Mount Hermon, including all the Arabah eastward:

  4. Joshua 12:5 חֶרְמ֤וֹן Hermon

    He ruled over Mount Hermon, Salecah, all of Bashan up to the border of the Geshurites and Maacathites, and half of Gilead to the border of Sihon king of Heshbon.

    Here: The great snow-capped mountain range (about 2,814 m) at the far north of the land. It is the northernmost point of the territory Israel claimed east of the Jordan.

  5. Joshua 13:5 חֶרְמ֑וֹן Hermon

    the land of the Gebalites; and all Lebanon to the east, from Baal-gad below Mount Hermon to Lebo-hamath.

  6. Joshua 13:11 חֶרְמ֛וֹן Hermon

    also Gilead and the territory of the Geshurites and Maacathites, all of Mount Hermon, and all Bashan as far as Salecah—

1 Chronicles · 1

  1. 1 Chronicles 5:23 חֶרְמ֖וֹן Hermon

    Now the people of the half-tribe of Manasseh were numerous. They settled in the land from Bashan to Baal-hermon (that is, Senir, also known as Mount Hermon).

Psalms · 2

  1. Psalm 89:12 וְ֝חֶרְמ֗וֹן and Hermon

    North and south You created; Tabor and Hermon shout for joy at Your name.

    Here: Mount Hermon, the tallest mountain in the region. It is snow-capped, marks Israel's far northern border, and was treated as sacred by many peoples. Paired with Tabor, it stands for the great mountains of the land.

  2. Psalm 133:3 חֶרְמ֗וֹן Hermon

    It is like the dew of Hermon falling on the mountains of Zion. For there the LORD has bestowed the blessing of life forevermore.

    Here: The high, snow-capped mountain on Israel's far northern border, known for heavy moisture. 'Dew of Hermon' means dew at its most abundant.

Song of Songs · 1

  1. Song of Songs 4:8 וְחֶרְמ֔וֹן and Hermon

    Come with me from Lebanon, my bride, come with me from Lebanon! Descend from the peak of Amana, from the summits of Senir and Hermon, from the dens of the lions, from the mountains of the leopards.

    Here: 'And Hermon', the highest mountain the Israelites knew (about 2,800 m), snow-capped for most of the year. Its name is related to the root for 'set apart', and it was a famous sacred mountain.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.