Hebrew word · H7417

רִמּוֹן, רִמּוֹנוֹ

rimon

Rimmon

As a common noun it means 'pomegranate', a fruit tree and also a decorative motif on the priest's robe (Exod 28:33) and Solomon's pillars (1 Kgs 7:18). As a place name it appears for several towns (in Simeon/Zebulun, Josh 19:7, 13) and for this crag in Benjamin.

Appears 16 times in 13 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

§ Rimmon = "pomegranate"

the Rock; a cliff or inaccessible natural fastness in which the 600 Benjamites who escaped the slaughter of Gibeah took refuge

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 Judges 20:47

Range of meaning

As a common noun it means 'pomegranate', a fruit tree and also a decorative motif on the priest's robe (Exod 28:33) and Solomon's pillars (1 Kgs 7:18). As a place name it appears for several towns (in Simeon/Zebulun, Josh 19:7, 13) and for this crag in Benjamin. Separately there is a Syrian storm god, Rimmon (2 Kgs 5:18), whose name probably comes from Aramaic Ramman, 'thunderer', and is written the same way.

Against the English

English versions transliterate it as 'Rimmon', which hides the ordinary meaning a Hebrew hearer would catch: 'Pomegranate Rock'.

Used elsewhere in the period

Eusebius' Onomasticon (4th century AD) places a village Remmon about 15 Roman miles north of Jerusalem. Many identify it with modern Rammun, east of Bethel. 1 Samuel 14:2 puts the Benjamite king Saul and about 600 men 'under the pomegranate (rimmon) at Migron' on the outskirts of Gibeah.

Where it appears

Joshua · 3

  1. Joshua 15:32 וְרִמּ֑וֹן and Rimmon

    Lebaoth, Shilhim, Ain, and Rimmon—twenty-nine cities in all, along with their villages.

  2. Joshua 19:7 רִמּ֖וֹן Rimmon

    Ain, Rimmon, Ether, and Ashan—four cities, along with their villages,

  3. Joshua 19:13 רִמּ֥וֹן Rimmon

    From there it crossed eastward to Gath-hepher and to Eth-kazin; it extended to Rimmon and curved around toward Neah.

Judges · 4

  1. Judges 20:45 הָֽרִמּ֔וֹן <the> Rimmon

    Then the Benjamites turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, and Israel cut down 5,000 men on the roads. And they overtook them at Gidom and struck down 2,000 more.

  2. Judges 20:47 הָֽרִמּ֔וֹן רִמּ֔וֹן <the> Rimmon, Rimmon

    But 600 men turned and fled into the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, where they stayed four months.

    Here: 'The Rimmon', a place name that also means 'pomegranate'. The article ('the') may show it was still felt as a description: 'Pomegranate Crag'.

  3. Judges 21:13 רִמּ֑וֹן Rimmon

    Then the whole congregation sent a message of peace to the Benjamites who were at the rock of Rimmon.

    Here: A place name. It is usually placed at or near the modern village of Rammun, east of Bethel, in rough country with caves.

2 Samuel · 3

  1. 2 Samuel 4:2 רִמּ֥וֹן Rimmon

    Saul’s son had two men who were leaders of raiding parties. One was named Baanah and the other Rechab; they were sons of Rimmon the Beerothite of the tribe of Benjamin—Beeroth is considered part of Benjamin,

  2. 2 Samuel 4:5 רִמּ֤וֹן Rimmon

    Now Rechab and Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, set out and arrived at the house of Ish-bosheth in the heat of the day, while the king was taking his midday nap.

  3. 2 Samuel 4:9 רִמּ֥וֹן Rimmon

    But David answered Rechab and his brother Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, “As surely as the LORD lives, who has redeemed my life from all distress,

    Here: Their father. The name means "pomegranate" (and is also the name of an Aramean god), but here it is simply a personal name.

2 Kings · 3

  1. 2 Kings 5:18 רִמּוֹן֩ רִמֹּ֔ן רִמֹּ֔ן Rimmon

    Yet may the LORD forgive your servant this one thing: When my master goes into the temple of Rimmon to worship there, and he leans on my arm, and I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the LORD forgive your servant in this matter.”

1 Chronicles · 2

  1. 1 Chronicles 4:32 רִמּ֥וֹן Rimmon

    And their villages were Etam, Ain, Rimmon, Tochen, and Ashan—five towns—

  2. 1 Chronicles 6:77 רִמּוֹנ֖וֹ Rimmono

    The Merarites (the rest of the Levites) received the following: From the tribe of Zebulun they were given Rimmono and Tabor, together with their pasturelands.

Zechariah · 1

  1. Zechariah 14:10 לְרִמּ֔וֹן to Rimmon

    All the land from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem will be turned into a plain, but Jerusalem will be raised up and will remain in her place, from the Benjamin Gate to the site of the First Gate to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the royal winepresses.

    Here: 'To Rimmon', most likely the southern town also called En-rimmon, in the Negev near Beersheba (Josh 15:32; Neh 11:29). Together with Geba it marks Judah from north to south.

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