Hebrew word · H7416
רִמּוֹן
rimon
pomegranate
The pomegranate tree or its fruit. It flowers in late spring with bright red-orange blossoms. The fruit is packed with many seeds and red juice.
Appears 32 times in 25 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·
What it means
1) pomegranate
1a) as tree
1b) as fruit
1c) as pomegranate shaped ornaments in temple
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 Song of Songs 7:12
- Range of meaning
The pomegranate tree or its fruit. It flowers in late spring with bright red-orange blossoms. The fruit is packed with many seeds and red juice.
- Against the English
"Pomegranates" is accurate. Modern readers may simply miss how loaded the image was.
- Used elsewhere in the period
Pomegranates decorated the high priest's robe (Exodus 28:33–34) and the temple pillars (1 Kings 7:18–20). They were a common fertility and life image across the ancient Near East. In the Song: her cheek "like a half of pomegranate" (4:3; 6:7), her body as "an orchard of pomegranates" (4:13), "the juice of my pomegranate" (8:2).
Where it appears
Exodus · 8
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Exodus 28:33 רִמֹּנֵי֙ pomegranates of
Make pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn all the way around the lower hem, with gold bells between them,
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Exodus 28:34 וְרִמּ֔וֹן וְרִמּ֑וֹן and a pomegranate
alternating the gold bells and pomegranates around the lower hem of the robe.
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Exodus 39:24 רִמּוֹנֵ֕י pomegranates of
They made pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and finely spun linen on the lower hem of the robe.
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Exodus 39:25 הָרִמֹּנִ֗ים הָרִמֹּנִֽים׃ the pomegranates
They also made bells of pure gold and attached them around the hem between the pomegranates,
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Exodus 39:26 וְרִמֹּן֙ וְרִמֹּ֔ן and a pomegranate
alternating the bells and pomegranates around the lower hem of the robe to be worn for ministry, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
Numbers · 2
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Numbers 13:23 הָרִמֹּנִ֖ים the pomegranates
When they came to the Valley of Eshcol, they cut down a branch with a single cluster of grapes, which they carried on a pole between two men. They also took some pomegranates and figs.
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Numbers 20:5 וְרִמּ֔וֹן and pomegranate
Why have you led us up out of Egypt to bring us to this wretched place? It is not a place of grain, figs, vines, or pomegranates—and there is no water to drink!”
Deuteronomy · 1
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Deuteronomy 8:8 וְרִמּ֑וֹן and pomegranate
a land of wheat, barley, vines, fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of olive oil and honey;
1 Samuel · 1
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1 Samuel 14:2 הָרִמּ֖וֹן <the> pomegranate tree
Meanwhile, Saul was staying under the pomegranate tree in Migron on the outskirts of Gibeah. And the troops who were with him numbered about six hundred men,
1 Kings · 4
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1 Kings 7:18 הָֽרִמֹּנִ֔ים the pomegranates
Likewise, he made the pillars with two rows of pomegranates around each grating to cover each capital atop the pillars.
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1 Kings 7:20 וְהָרִמּוֹנִ֤ים and the pomegranates
On the capitals of both pillars, just above the rounded projection next to the network, were the two hundred pomegranates in rows encircling each capital.
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1 Kings 7:42 הָרִמֹּנִ֛ים רִמֹּנִים֙ the pomegranates, pomegranates
the four hundred pomegranates for the two sets of network (two rows of pomegranates for each network covering both the bowl-shaped capitals atop the pillars);
2 Kings · 1
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2 Kings 25:17 וְרִמֹּנִ֧ים and pomegranates
Each pillar was eighteen cubits tall. The bronze capital atop one pillar was three cubits high, with a network of bronze pomegranates all around. The second pillar, with its network, was similar.
2 Chronicles · 3
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2 Chronicles 3:16 רִמּוֹנִים֙ pomegranates
He made interwoven chains and put them on top of the pillars. He made a hundred pomegranates and fastened them into the chainwork.
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2 Chronicles 4:13 הָֽרִמּוֹנִ֛ים רִמּוֹנִים֙ the pomegranates, pomegranates
the four hundred pomegranates for the two sets of network (two rows of pomegranates for each network covering both the bowl-shaped capitals atop the pillars);
Song of Songs · 6
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Song of Songs 4:3 הָֽרִמּוֹן֙ <the> pomegranate
Your lips are like a scarlet ribbon, and your mouth is lovely. Your brow behind your veil is like a slice of pomegranate.
Here: The pomegranate, a red fruit full of seeds that the Song links with love and plenty (4:13; 6:11; 7:12; 8:2). Cut open, it shows a red blush.
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Song of Songs 4:13 רִמּוֹנִ֔ים pomegranates
Your branches are an orchard of pomegranates with the choicest of fruits, with henna and nard,
Here: The pomegranate is a fruit full of seeds and red juice, and it comes up again and again in the Song's love language (4:3; 6:7, 11; 7:12; 8:2). It stands for ripeness, fertility and the delight of love.
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Song of Songs 6:7 הָרִמּוֹן֙ <the> pomegranate
Your brow behind your veil is like a slice of pomegranate.
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Song of Songs 6:11 הָרִמֹּנִֽים׃ the pomegranates
I went down to the walnut grove to see the blossoms of the valley, to see if the vines were budding or the pomegranates were in bloom.
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Song of Songs 7:12 הָרִמּוֹנִ֑ים the pomegranates
Let us go early to the vineyards to see if the vine has budded, if the blossom has opened, if the pomegranates are in bloom—there I will give you my love.
Here: "The pomegranate trees." In the Song the pomegranate is tied again and again to the woman's beauty and to desire (4:3, 4:13, 6:7, 8:2). It was a widely known sign of fertility.
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Song of Songs 8:2 רִמֹּנִֽי׃ pomegranate my
I would lead you and bring you to the house of my mother who taught me. I would give you spiced wine to drink, the nectar of my pomegranates.
Jeremiah · 4
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Jeremiah 52:22 וְרִמּוֹנִ֧ים וְרִמּוֹנִֽים׃ and pomegranates
The bronze capital atop one pillar was five cubits high, with a network of bronze pomegranates all around. The second pillar, with its pomegranates, was similar.
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Jeremiah 52:23 הָֽרִמֹּנִ֔ים הָרִמּוֹנִ֥ים the pomegranates
Each capital had ninety-six pomegranates on the sides, and a total of a hundred pomegranates were above the surrounding network.
Joel · 1
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Joel 1:12 רִמּ֞וֹן [the] pomegranate tree
The grapevine is dried up, and the fig tree is withered; the pomegranate, palm, and apple—all the trees of the orchard—are withered. Surely the joy of mankind has dried up.
Here: A prized fruit tree of the land (Deuteronomy 8:8). It has no 'the' in Hebrew, and the list speeds up here into a quick roll call of losses.
Haggai · 1
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Haggai 2:19 וְהָרִמּ֛וֹן and the pomegranate
Is there still seed in the barn? The vine, the fig, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have not yet yielded fruit. But from this day on, I will bless you.”
Here: The pomegranate, a prized fruit and a symbol of abundance. Pomegranates decorated Solomon's temple and the high priest's robe.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.