What does בָּמָה (bāmāh) mean in the Bible?
בָּמָה (bāmāh): High place for worship or idolatry; physically elevated shrine, often condemned as illegitimate alternative to temple
Hebrew · H1116
בָּמָה
An elevation
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בָּמָה H1116
Pronunciation bāmāh
What does בָּמָה (bāmāh) mean in the Bible?
בָּמָה (bāmāh): High place for worship or idolatry; physically elevated shrine, often condemned as illegitimate alternative to temple
Full entry for בָּמָה (H1116) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H1116?
The BSB source-word alignment has 102 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include The high places (24), on the high places (11), high places (7), of the high places (6), the heights (6).
Where does בָּמָה (bāmāh) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Leviticus 26:30. Its strongest book concentrations include 2 Kings (27), 2 Chronicles (17), 1 Kings (14), 1 Samuel (7).
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It The high places 24× 1 Kings 15:14, 1 Kings 22:43, 2 Kings 12:3, 2 Kings 14:4
on the high places 11× 1 Kings 3:2, 1 Kings 3:3, 1 Kings 12:31, 1 Kings 13:32
high places 7× 1 Kings 14:23, 2 Kings 17:9, 2 Chronicles 21:11, 2 Chronicles 28:25
of the high places 6× 1 Kings 13:2, 1 Kings 13:33, 2 Kings 17:32, 2 Kings 23:9
the heights 6× Deuteronomy 32:13, 2 Samuel 22:34, Psalms 18:33, Isaiah 58:14
to the high place 5× 1 Samuel 9:13, 1 Samuel 9:14, 1 Samuel 9:19, 1 Samuel 10:13
[there] 3× 2 Kings 12:3, 2 Kings 15:4, 2 Kings 15:35
for the high places 3× 1 Kings 12:32, 1 Kings 13:33, 2 Chronicles 11:15
from the high place 3× 1 Samuel 9:25, 1 Samuel 10:5, 2 Chronicles 1:13
the high place 3× 2 Kings 23:15, Isaiah 16:12
at the high place 2× 1 Chronicles 16:39, 1 Chronicles 21:29
heights 2× Numbers 21:28, Ezekiel 36:2
ridge 2× Jeremiah 26:18, Micah 3:12
their high places 2× Numbers 33:52, Deuteronomy 33:29
whose high places 2× 2 Kings 18:22, Isaiah 36:7
your heights 2× 2 Samuel 1:19, 2 Samuel 1:25
your high places 2× Leviticus 26:30, Ezekiel 6:3
. . . 1× 2 Kings 17:32
[it] 1× 2 Kings 23:15
a high place 1× 1 Kings 11:7
and high places 1× 2 Chronicles 14:3
and the high places 1× Ezekiel 6:6
at its high places 1× Isaiah 15:2
at the high places 1× 2 Chronicles 33:17
at their deaths 1× Ezekiel 43:7
high place 1× 1 Kings 3:4
His high places 1× 2 Chronicles 32:12
is the high place 1× Micah 1:5
is this high place 1× Ezekiel 20:29
of your high places 1× Jeremiah 17:3
on the high place 1× 1 Samuel 9:12
the tops 1× Isaiah 14:14
the waves 1× Job 9:8
with their high places 1× Psalms 78:58
Show sample aligned rows
Leviticus 26:30 בָּמֹֽתֵיכֶ֗ם to your high places Noun - feminine plural construct | second person masculine plural Numbers 21:28 בָּמ֥וֹת to heights Noun - feminine plural construct Numbers 33:52 בָּמֹתָ֖ם to their high places Noun - feminine plural construct | third person masculine plural Deuteronomy 32:13 בָּמוֹתֵי to the heights Noun - feminine plural construct Deuteronomy 33:29 בָּמוֹתֵ֥ימוֹ to their high places Noun - feminine plural construct | third person masculine plural 1 Samuel 9:12 בַּבָּמָֽה׃ to on the high place Preposition-b, Article | Noun - feminine singular 1 Samuel 9:13 הַבָּמָ֜תָה to to the high place Article | Noun - feminine singular | third person feminine singular 1 Samuel 9:14 הַבָּמָֽה׃ס to to the high place Article | Noun - feminine singular 1 Samuel 9:19 הַבָּמָ֔ה to to the high place Article | Noun - feminine singular 1 Samuel 9:25 מֵהַבָּמָ֖ה to from the high place Preposition-m, Article | Noun - feminine singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Leviticus 26:30
Aligned rows 102
Books represented 18
Leviticus 1 Numbers 2 Deuteronomy 2 1 Samuel 7 2 Samuel 3 1 Kings 14 2 Kings 27 1 Chronicles 2 2 Chronicles 17 Job 1 Psalms 2 Isaiah 5 Jeremiah 6 Ezekiel 6 Hosea 1 Amos 2 Micah 3 Habakkuk 1
Source forms
הַבָּמ֖וֹת 8x hab·bā·mō·wṯ 1 Kings 12:32, 1 Kings 22:43, 2 Kings 12:3, 2 Kings 14:4
בָּמ֣וֹת 7x bā·mō·wṯ 2 Kings 23:8, Jeremiah 7:31, Jeremiah 19:5, Ezekiel 16:16
בַּבָּמֽוֹת׃ 4x bab·bā·mō·wṯ 1 Kings 22:43, 2 Kings 12:3, 2 Kings 14:4, 2 Kings 15:4
הַבָּמ֔וֹת 4x hab·bā·mō·wṯ 1 Kings 13:32, 2 Kings 21:3, 2 Kings 23:9, 2 Chronicles 33:3
בַּבָּמ֑וֹת 3x bab·bā·mō·wṯ 1 Kings 3:2, 2 Kings 15:35, 2 Chronicles 33:17
בָמ֔וֹת 3x ḇā·mō·wṯ 1 Kings 13:33, 2 Kings 17:32, 2 Chronicles 28:25
הַבָּמוֹת֙ 3x hab·bā·mō·wṯ 1 Kings 13:2, 2 Kings 15:35, 2 Chronicles 34:3
הַבָּמ֗וֹת 3x hab·bā·mō·wṯ 2 Kings 17:29, 2 Kings 18:4, 2 Kings 23:8
Parsing patterns
Article | Noun - feminine plural 24x 1 Kings 12:32, 1 Kings 13:2, 1 Kings 13:32, 1 Kings 22:43
Noun - feminine plural construct 16x Numbers 21:28, Deuteronomy 32:13, 2 Kings 23:8, 2 Chronicles 33:19
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - feminine plural 11x 1 Kings 3:2, 1 Kings 3:3, 1 Kings 22:43, 2 Kings 12:3
Article | Noun - feminine singular 9x 1 Samuel 9:14, 1 Samuel 9:19, 1 Samuel 10:13, 1 Kings 3:4
Noun - feminine plural 9x 1 Kings 12:31, 1 Kings 13:33, 1 Kings 14:23, 2 Kings 17:9
Conjunctive waw, Article | Noun - feminine plural 4x 1 Kings 15:14, 2 Chronicles 14:3, 2 Chronicles 15:17, Ezekiel 6:6
Noun - feminine plural construct | first person common singular 3x 2 Samuel 22:34, Psalms 18:33, Habakkuk 3:19
Noun - feminine plural construct | second person masculine singular 3x 2 Samuel 1:19, 2 Samuel 1:25, Jeremiah 17:3
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. High place for worship or idolatry; physically elevated shrine, often condemned as illegitimate alternative to temple
Source Gloss
an elevation
Extended definition Source: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
High place for worship or idolatry; physically elevated shrine, often condemned as illegitimate alternative to temple
an elevation BDB: high place Usage: height, high place, wave.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Old Testament Witnesses
high place
high place
Elevated worship site.
Showing 3 selected witnesses from 104 lexical occurrence verses.
Why This Word Matters
Highlights the tension over proper worship and reform. Hosea 10:1-8
Unauthorized worship centers. Hosea 4:11-19
Centers of unauthorized worship. Isaiah 36:1-10
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain