H1116 H1116
High place; a raised site for worship (often illicit cultic shrines) or a geographic elevation, ridge, or mountain height.
In ancient Israel, a bamah was a raised open-air platform used for sacrifice and worship. While some high places served legitimate worship before the temple was built (1 Kgs 3:2), most references carry a strong negative connotation as sites of Canaanite-influenced or unauthorized Israelite worship that the prophets and Deuteronomistic historians repeatedly condemn. In poetic and prophetic texts, the word retains its older geographic sense of mountain ridges or elevated terrain that God treads upon (Amos 4:13; Mic 1:3) or that the faithful are made to walk on (Deut 32:13). German 'Hoehen' and Spanish 'lugares altos' both preserve the literal height imagery, while French 'haut lieu' has itself become an idiom for a prestigious place.
Senses
1. cultic high place, shrine — A raised open-air worship site, typically associated with illicit or Canaanite-influenced ritual. Condemned throughout Kings and the prophets (1 Kgs 12:31; 2 Kgs 23:5), these shrines appear in every language as elevated cultic sites: Spanish 'lugares altos,' French 'hauts lieux,' German 'Hoehen.' The 92 occurrences span condemnation formulas, reform narratives, and prophetic warnings. 92×
AR["الـ-مُرْتَفَعَاتِ", "المُرتَفَعاتِ", "المُرْتَفَعَاتِ", "الْمَشَارِفِ", "الْمُرْتَفَعَاتِ", "في-المُرتَفَعاتِ", "فِي-الْمُرْتَفَعَاتِ", "ٱلْمُرْتَفَعَاتُ", "ٱلْمُرْتَفَعَاتِ"]·ben["উঁচু-স্থানগুলি", "উঁচু-স্থানগুলির", "উঁচু-স্থানগুলো", "উঁচু-স্থানে", "উচ্চ-স্থানগুলি", "উচ্চস্থানগুলি", "উচ্চস্থানগুলিতে", "উচ্চস্থানগুলির", "উচ্চস্থানের"]·DE["auf-der-hoch-Orte", "bei-der-hoch-Orte", "der-Hoehen", "der-hoch-Orte"]·EN["at-the-high-places", "on-the-high-places", "the-high-places"]·FR["le-haut-lieux", "le-hauts-lieux", "sur-le-haut-lieux", "à-le-haut-lieux"]·heb["ב-ה-במות", "ה-במות", "הַ-בָּמוֹת"]·HI["ऊँचे-स्थान", "ऊँचे-स्थानों", "ऊँचे-स्थानों-का", "ऊँचे-स्थानों-के", "ऊँचे-स्थानों-पर", "ऊंचे-स्थानों-पर", "ह-बामोत", "ह-बामोत-के", "ह-बामोत-को", "हब्बामोत"]·ID["-bukit-bukit-pengorbanan", "bukit-bukit-pengorbanan", "bukit-bukit-tinggi", "di-bukit-bukit-pengorbanan"]·IT["a-il-alto-luoghi", "il-alti-luoghi", "il-alto-luoghi", "su-il-alto-luoghi"]·jav["ing-papan-papan-inggil", "ingkang", "panggenan-inggil", "papan-dhuwur", "papan-papan-dhuwur", "papan-papan-inggil", "pasembahanipun"]·KO["그-산당들에서", "그-산당들은", "그-산당들을", "그-산당의", "산당들", "산당들에서", "산당들은", "산당들을", "산당들의"]·PT["nos-altos", "nos-lugares-altos", "os-altos", "os-lugares-altos"]·RU["высот", "высоты", "на-высотах"]·ES["en-los-lugares-altos", "los-lugares-altos"]·SW["mahali-pa-juu", "yeye", "za-mahali-pa-juu"]·TR["yüksek-yerler", "yüksek-yerlerde", "yüksek-yerleri", "yüksek-yerleri-", "yüksek-yerlerin", "yüksekler-o", "yükseklerde", "yüksekliklerde"]·urd["ال-اونچی-جگہوں", "اونچی-جگہوں", "اونچی-جگہوں-پر", "اونچی-جگہوں-کے", "اونچی-جگہیں", "اونچے-مقام", "اونچے-مقاموں-پر"]
1 Kgs 3:2, 1 Kgs 3:3, 1 Kgs 12:31, 1 Kgs 12:32, 1 Kgs 13:2, 1 Kgs 13:32, 1 Kgs 13:33, 1 Kgs 13:33, 1 Kgs 14:23, 1 Kgs 22:43, 1 Kgs 22:43, 2 Kgs 12:3 (+38 more)
2. height, elevated terrain — A topographical elevation, ridge, or mountainous height, used in poetry and prophecy. God 'treads on the heights of the earth' (Amos 4:13; Mic 1:3), and the faithful are set upon high places (Deut 32:13; 2 Sam 22:34). The multilingual glosses show geographic rather than cultic framing: 'heights of' rather than 'high places' as shrines. 12×
AR["[مُرْتَفَعَاتِ]", "مُرْتَفَعاتِ", "مُرْتَفَعَاتِ", "مُرْتَفَعَاتِي"]·ben["(উচ্চস্থানগুলি)", "[উচ্চস্থান]", "আমার-উচ্চ-স্থানে", "আমার-উচ্চস্থানগুলিতে", "উঁচু-স্থানের", "উচ্চতাগুলির", "উচ্চতাগুলোর", "উচ্চতার", "উচ্চস্থান"]·DE["Hoehe", "[(במתי)]", "[[במותי]]", "[במותי]", "[במתי]", "heights-von", "hoch-places-von", "in-Tote", "mein-Hoehen", "mein-Höhen"]·EN["(high-places-of)", "[high-places-of]", "heights-of", "high-places-of", "my-heights", "my-high-places", "the-heights-of"]·FR["dans-haut-lieu", "haut-lieu", "haut-places-de", "heights-de", "mon-hauts-lieux", "במתי"]·heb["במוֹתי", "במות", "במותי"]·HI["[ऊंचाइयों]", "ऊँचाइयों", "ऊँचाइयों-पर", "ऊँचाइयों-मेरी", "ऊँचाइयोंपर", "ऊंचाइयों", "ऊंचाइयों-", "मेरी-ऊंचाइयों", "मेरे-ऊँचे-स्थानों"]·ID["[bukit-bukit]", "bukit-bukit", "bukit-bukit-tinggi", "bukit-bukit-tinggi-ku", "bukit-bukitku", "ketinggian", "ketinggian-ketinggian", "punggung-punggung"]·IT["alto-places-di", "altura", "heights-di", "heights-of", "mio-alti-luoghi"]·jav["*", "Yéhuwah", "inggil-inggilipun", "inggil-kula", "ketiron-Q", "ombaking", "papan-dhuwur-kawula", "papan-dhuwur-kula", "papan-inggil", "papan-papan-inggil"]·KO["[높은-곳들]", "나-의-높은-곳-에", "나의-높은-곳들", "높은-곳들", "높은-곳들(접)", "높은-곳들-에", "높은-곳들-을", "높은-곳들에-", "높은-곳들을", "산당들-의"]·PT["(lugares-altos-de)", "[alturas-de]", "[lugares-altos-de]", "altos-de", "alturas-de", "as-alturas-de", "minhas-alturas"]·RU["[высоты]", "высот", "высотам", "высотах-", "высотах-моих", "высоты"]·ES["(lugares-altos-de)", "[ketiv]", "[lugares-altos-de]", "alturas-de", "las-alturas-de", "las-alturas-del", "mis-alturas"]·SW["(vilele-vya)", "[vilele]", "mahali-pa-juu-pa", "mahali-pangu-pa-juu", "vilele", "vilele-vya", "vilele-vyangu", "wa-mahali-pa-juu"]·TR["(metin-varyantı)", "tepelerimin", "tepelerine", "tepelerinin", "tepeliklerinin", "yukseklikleri", "yuksekliklerine-", "yüksek-yerleri", "yüksekliklerim-benim", "yüksekliklerimin", "yüksekliklerinin"]·urd["[اونچائیوں]", "اونچائیوں", "بلندیوں", "بلندیوں-پر", "میری-اونچائیوں-پر", "میری-بلندیوں", "میری-بلندیوں-پر"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† בָּמָה104 n.f. high place (√ appar. בום on account of firm—ָ; cf. Assyrian bâmâte ZimBP 48, Moab. במת MI 3, 27)—Je 48:35 + 18 times; הַבָּמָ֫תָה 1 S 9:13 pl. בָּמוֹת Nu 21:19 + 62 times; cstr. בָּֽמֳתֵי Jb 9:8; Is 14:14; Am 4:13; בָּֽמֳו֯תֵי Dt 32:13; Is 58:14; Mi 1:3 (Ew§ 211 d Ges§ 87, 5 archaic fem. cstr. with retracted accent before monosyl. in poetry, bâmŏ-thê not bŏm); sf. בָּמֹתַי 2 S…