Ram רָם
Firstborn son of Jerahmeel, of the tribe of Judah
Who is Ram in the Bible?
Ram was the firstborn son of Jerahmeel, a descendant of Judah through Hezron, and is recorded in the genealogical records of the tribe of Judah (1 Chronicles 2:25, 27). He had two brothers named Bunah and Oren, as well as a half-brother named Onam, and his own sons were Maaz, Jamin, and Eker. While Ram himself receives no narrative account in Scripture, his inclusion in the genealogy of Judah serves an important purpose in documenting the family lines and ancestral connections within the tribe. Though minimal biographical information is provided about Ram, his place in the genealogical record affirms the historical documentation of Judah's lineage during the Old Testament period.
Biography
Ram is mentioned in the genealogy of the tribe of Judah as the firstborn son of Jerahmeel (1Ch.2.25, 27). Jerahmeel was a descendant of Judah through his son Hezron. Ram had two brothers, Bunah and Oren, and a half-brother named Onam. The genealogy also mentions Ram's sons, Maaz, Jamin, and Eker. No further details are provided about Ram or his descendants in the Bible. The inclusion of Ram in the genealogy serves to document the family lines within the tribe of Judah.
Family
Parents
Siblings
- Bunah Tribe of JudahSon of JerahmeelSon of Jerahmeel, descendant of JudahView full profile →
- Oren Tribe of JudahSon of JerahmeelSon of JerahmeelView full profile →
- Ozem Tribe of JudahDavid's brotherBrother of DavidView full profile →
- Ahijah Tribe of JudahSon of JerahmeelSon of Jerahmeel, from the tribe of JudahView full profile →
- Onam Tribe of JudahSon of JerahmeelDescendant of Judah, son of JerahmeelView full profile →
In Scripture
1 biblical book1 Chronicles 2 verses
- 1 Chronicles 2:25
"The sons of Jerahmeel the firstborn of Hezron: Ram his firstborn, Bunah, Oren, Ozem, and Ahijah."
- 1 Chronicles 2:27
"The sons of Ram the firstborn of Jerahmeel: Maaz, Jamin, and Eker."
Names & Aliases
| Form | Language | Script |
|---|---|---|
| Named | Hebrew | רָם |
Ram (1)
Ref="Bible:1Chr.2.9">1Ch 2:9 he is called the "brother," but in 2:25, the "son of Jerahmeel" (compare 2:27). Ram as the son of Hezron appears more likely than Ram the son of Jerahmeel, since, according to the narratives of 1 and 2 Samuel, David cannot have been a Jerahmeelite.
(2) Name of Elihu's family (Job 32:2). It is an open question as to whether Ram should be taken as a purely fictitious name, invented by the author of the Elihu speeches, or whether it is that of some obscure Arab tribe. In Ge 22:21 Aram is a nephew of Buz (compare Elihu the Buzite), and the conjecture was at one time advanced that Ram was a contraction of Aram; but this theory is no longer held to be tenable. The suggestion that the initial "a" (the Hebrew letter, 'aleph) has been changed by a scribal error into "h" (the Hebrew letter, he) is more acceptable. Rashi, the rabbinical commentator, takes the quaint position that Ram is identical with Abraham.
Horace J. Wolf
(1) The ordinary word is 'ayil, which is remarkably near to 'ayyal, "deer" (compare Latin caper, capra, "goat," and capreolus, "wild goat" or "roe-buck"; also Greek dorkas, "roe-buck" or "gazelle").
(