Rimmon

Rimmon - (Easton's Bible Dictionary)

Pomegranate. (1.) A man of Beeroth (2 Sam. 4:2), one of the four Gibeonite cities. (See Josh. 9:17.)

(2.) A Syrian idol, mentioned only in 2 Kings 5:18.

(3.) One of the "uttermost cities" of Judah, afterwards given to Simeon (Josh. 15:21, 32; 19:7; 1 Chr. 4:32). In Josh. 15:32 Ain and Rimmon are mentioned separately, but in 19:7 and 1 Chr. 4:32 (comp. Neh. 11:29) the two words are probably to be combined, as forming together the name of one place, Ain-Rimmon=the spring of the pomegranate. It has been identified with Um er-Rumamin, about 13 miles south-west of Hebron.

(4.) "Rock of," to which the Benjamites fled (Judg. 20:45, 47; 21:13), and where they maintained themselves for four months after the fearful battle at Gibeah, in which they were almost exterminated, 600 only surviving out of about 27,000. It is the present village of Rummon, "on the very edge of the hill country, with a precipitous descent toward the Jordan valley," supposed to be the site of Ai.

Additional entry

1. A city of Zebulun (1 Chronicles 6:77; Nehemiah 11:29) a Levitical city, the present Rummaneh , six miles north of Nazareth.
2. A town in the southern portion of Judah, (Joshua 15:3) allotted to Simeon, (Joshua 19:7; 1 Chronicles 4:32) probably 13 miles southwest of Hebron.
3. Rimmon-parez (pomegranate of the breach), the name of a march-station in the wilderness. (Numbers 33:19,20) No place now known has been identified with it.
4. Rimmon the Rock, a cliff or inaccessible natural fastness, in which the six hundred Benjamites who escaped the slaughter of Gibeah took refuge. (Judges 20:45,47; 21:13) In the wild country which lies on the east of the central highlands of Benjamin the name is still found attached to a village perched on the summit of a conical chalky hill, visible in all directions, and commanding the whole country.
5. A Benjamite of Beeroth, the father of Rechab and Baanah, the murderers of Ish-bosheth. (2 Samuel 4:2,5,9)

Definition

Rimmon was the name of a man and of several places mentioned in the Bible. It was also the name of a false god.

• A man named Rimmon was a Benjamite from the city of Beeroth in Zebulun. This man’s sons murdered Ishbosheth, the crippled son of Jonathan.
• Rimmon was a town in the southern part of Judah, in the region occupied by the tribe of Benjamin.
• The “rock of Rimmon” was a place of safety where the Benjamites went to escape from being killed in a battle.
• Rimmon Perez was an unknown location in the Judean wilderness.
• The Syrian commander Naaman spoke of the temple of the false god Rimmon, where the king of Syria worshiped.

(Translation suggestions: Translate Names)

(See also: Benjamin, Judea, Naaman, Syria, Zebulun)

Bible References

• 2 Kings 5:18
• 2 Samuel 4:5-7
• Judges 20:45-46
• Judges 21:13-15

Word Data

• Strong’s: H7417