Aramaic word · H7412
רְמָא
yitreme'
to cast
To throw, cast or hurl. Also to set or place (thrones "were placed" in Daniel 7:9), and to impose tribute (Ezra 7:24).
A Biblical Aramaic word, from the parts of the Old Testament written in Aramaic. Why Aramaic?
Appears 12 times in 12 verses of the Aramaic of the Old Testament. ·
What it means
1) to cast, throw
1a) (P'al)
1a1) to cast
1a2) to throw
1a2a) of tribute (fig)
1b) (Peil)
1b1) to be cast
1b2) to be placed, be set
1c) (Ithp'el) to be cast
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
- Range of meaning
To throw, cast or hurl. Also to set or place (thrones "were placed" in Daniel 7:9), and to impose tribute (Ezra 7:24).
- Against the English
"Be cast" (KJV, WEB) and "be thrown" (BSB) are both accurate. "Thrown" keeps the violence a little better.
- Used elsewhere in the period
The same verb is used for being thrown into the lions' den (Daniel 6:7, 12, 16, 24) and for the actual casting into the furnace (3:20, 21, 24).
- Range of meaning
To throw, cast, hurl. The passive form means 'be thrown'. The same verb is used for being cast into the lions' den (Dan 6:7, 12, 16, 24) and, oddly, for thrones being 'set' in place (Dan 7:9).
- Against the English
'Thrown' (BSB) and 'cast' (KJV, WEB) are both accurate. The passive keeps the executioners faceless.
- Used elsewhere in the period
It recurs through the chapter (3:6, 11, 15, 20, 21, 24) and again in ch. 6. Daniel's two great ordeal stories share this vocabulary of being 'thrown into' a death-trap.
- Range of meaning
To throw, cast. Also to impose (tax) or to set in place (thrones, 7:9).
- Against the English
'Cast' (KJV, WEB, YLT) or 'thrown' (BSB). The translations agree.
- Used elsewhere in the period
Used throughout Daniel for executions: the furnace (3:6, 11, 15, 20–21, 24) and the lions' pit (6:7, 12, 16, 24).
Where it appears
Ezra · 1
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Ezra 7:24 לְמִרְמֵ֥א to throw
And be advised that you have no authority to impose tribute, duty, or toll on any of the priests, Levites, singers, doorkeepers, temple servants, or other servants of this house of God.
Daniel · 11
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Daniel 3:6 יִתְרְמֵ֔א he will be thrown
And whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into the blazing fiery furnace.”
Here: 'He will be thrown' (passive form). The person is hurled in like refuse. Who does the throwing is left unnamed; the state's machinery simply acts.
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Daniel 3:11 יִתְרְמֵ֕א he will be thrown
and that whoever does not fall down and worship will be thrown into the blazing fiery furnace.
Here: A passive form, "he will be thrown". It is a rough word, used for hurling something down. The person is pitched in, not led in. The same verb returns in verses 20–21 and 24 when the sentence is actually carried out.
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Daniel 3:15 תִתְרְמ֔וֹן you will be thrown
Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the statue I have made, very good. But if you refuse to worship, you will be thrown at once into the blazing fiery furnace. Then what god will be able to deliver you from my hands?”
Here: Passive, 'you will be hurled': flung in by others, a violent picture.
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Daniel 3:20 לְמִרְמֵ֕א to throw
and he commanded some mighty men of valor in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and throw them into the blazing fiery furnace.
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Daniel 3:21 וּרְמִ֕יו and they were thrown
So they were tied up, wearing robes, trousers, turbans, and other clothes, and they were thrown into the blazing fiery furnace.
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Daniel 3:24 רְמֵ֤ינָא did we throw
Suddenly King Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in amazement and asked his advisers, “Did we not throw three men, firmly bound, into the fire?” “Certainly, O king,” they replied.
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Daniel 6:7 יִתְרְמֵ֕א he will be thrown
All the royal administrators, prefects, satraps, advisers, and governors have agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce a decree that for thirty days anyone who petitions any god or man except you, O king, will be thrown into the den of lions.
Here: 'He will be thrown': the same verb used of throwing the three men into the furnace (Daniel 3:6, 11, 15, 20–21). The ban is built like Nebuchadnezzar's.
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Daniel 6:12 יִתְרְמֵ֕א he will be thrown
So they approached the king and asked about his royal decree: “Did you not sign a decree that for thirty days any man who petitions any god or man except you, O king, will be thrown into the den of lions?” The king replied, “According to the law of the Medes and Persians the order stands, and it cannot be repealed.”
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Daniel 6:16 וּרְמ֕וֹ and they threw [him]
So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the den of lions. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!”
Here: 'And they threw [him]'. This is the same verb used for throwing the three friends into the furnace (3:20–21, 24). The story is deliberately told as a parallel to chapter 3.
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Daniel 6:24 רְמ֔וֹ they threw
At the command of the king, the men who had falsely accused Daniel were brought and thrown into the den of lions—they and their children and wives. And before they had reached the bottom of the den, the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.
Here: 'Cast, hurl'. The same verb was used for Daniel being cast in (vv. 7, 12, 16) and for the three friends being thrown into the furnace (3:6, 20–21). The accusers get exactly the penalty they designed.
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Daniel 7:9 רְמִ֔יו they were placed
As I continued to watch, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took His seat. His clothing was white as snow, and the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze.
Here: 'They were thrown', meaning set down in place, the way seats or cushions are put out for a session. The thrones are being arranged, not toppled.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.