{
  "id": "dict_004777",
  "term": "Ramath-Lehi",
  "slug": "ramath-lehi",
  "letter": "R",
  "entry_type": "biblical_place",
  "entry_family": "theological_term",
  "depth_profile": "standard",
  "short_definition": "A place name associated with Samson’s victory over the Philistines in Judges 15. The name is commonly understood as a wordplay meaning something like “Jawbone Hill” or “Height of the Jawbone.”",
  "simple_one_line": "The place in Judges linked to Samson’s defeat of the Philistines with a donkey’s jawbone.",
  "tooltip_text": "Ramath-Lehi is the site-name connected with Samson’s victory over the Philistines in Judges 15:17.",
  "aliases": [],
  "scripture_references": [],
  "original_language_terms": [],
  "related_entries": [
    "Samson",
    "Lehi",
    "Philistines",
    "Book of Judges",
    "Judges 15"
  ],
  "see_also": [
    "Jawbone of an ass",
    "Judges",
    "Deliverance"
  ],
  "lede_intro": "Ramath-Lehi is the place name Samson gave to the site of his victory over the Philistines with a donkey’s jawbone (Judges 15:17). It is a narrative location in the Samson account, and its exact geographical identification is uncertain.",
  "at_a_glance_definition": "A biblical place name in the Samson narrative, probably built on a Hebrew wordplay with “jawbone” (Lehi).",
  "at_a_glance_key_points": [
    "Appears in Judges 15:17",
    "Linked to Samson’s victory over the Philistines",
    "Functions as a narrative place name, not a theological concept",
    "Exact location is uncertain",
    "The name likely reflects a wordplay on Lehi/jawbone"
  ],
  "description_academic_short": "Ramath-Lehi is a location named in connection with Samson’s defeat of the Philistines in Judges 15:17. The name appears to reflect the event itself and is tied to Lehi, the place where Samson fought. Scripture presents it as part of the historical setting, though its exact location remains uncertain.",
  "description_academic_full": "Ramath-Lehi is the place name associated with Samson’s defeat of the Philistines in Judges 15. After Samson used a donkey’s jawbone to strike down a thousand men, the text says he called the place Ramath-Lehi (Judges 15:17). The name is usually understood as a wordplay connected to Lehi, the Hebrew term for “jawbone,” and may mean something like “Jawbone Hill” or “Height of Lehi.” In context, the term functions as a narrative place name rather than a doctrinal category. The passage presents it as part of Israel’s deliverance story in the days of the judges, but the precise site cannot be identified with confidence.",
  "background_biblical_context": "In Judges 15, Samson breaks Philistine oppression through a surprising act of deliverance. After the battle, he names the place Ramath-Lehi, tying the location to the weapon he used and to the event itself. The name reinforces the chapter’s emphasis on God giving victory through an unlikely instrument.",
  "background_historical_context": "Ramath-Lehi is not securely identified with a known archaeological site. Because the book of Judges often preserves place names through narrative wordplay, the term likely serves both as a memory marker and as a literary link to the jawbone episode. Historical reconstruction is limited by the lack of external evidence.",
  "background_jewish_ancient_context": "Ancient Hebrew place names often carried theological or narrative significance. Ramath-Lehi fits that pattern by preserving the memory of Samson’s exploit through a name tied to the episode’s key object, the jawbone.",
  "key_texts_primary": [
    "Judges 15:14-19, especially Judges 15:17"
  ],
  "key_texts_secondary": [
    "Judges 15:9-13",
    "Judges 15:16"
  ],
  "original_language_note": "The Hebrew name is commonly associated with lehi, “jawbone,” and is usually taken as a descriptive or commemorative wordplay. The exact nuance of Ramath-Lehi is debated, but it clearly relates to the Samson narrative.",
  "theological_significance": "Ramath-Lehi highlights God’s ability to deliver His people through unexpected means. The place name memorializes Samson’s victory and underscores the Lord’s providence in the judges period.",
  "philosophical_explanation": "As a narrative place name, Ramath-Lehi shows how biblical geography can function symbolically without ceasing to be historical. The name preserves memory, meaning, and event in a compact form.",
  "interpretive_cautions": "Do not overstate the certainty of the site’s modern location. The name is tied to a wordplay in the text, so its exact etymology should be stated cautiously. It is a place name, not a doctrinal term.",
  "major_views_note": "Most interpreters treat Ramath-Lehi as a commemorative name for the battlefield area associated with Lehi, rather than as a distinct, separately attested town.",
  "doctrinal_boundaries": "This entry is descriptive and historical. It should not be used to build doctrine beyond the broader biblical themes of God’s deliverance and providence.",
  "practical_significance": "Ramath-Lehi reminds readers that God can use small, unlikely, or even crude instruments to accomplish His purposes. It also encourages careful attention to the historical details of Scripture.",
  "meta_description": "Ramath-Lehi is the biblical place name in Judges 15 associated with Samson’s victory over the Philistines and the jawbone he used in battle.",
  "public_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/ramath-lehi/",
  "json_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/data/dictionary/ramath-lehi.json",
  "final_disposition": "PUBLISH_CANONICAL"
}