Dictionary Home / J

Jarmuth

biblical_place theological_term standard

Jarmuth is a biblical place-name used for more than one Old Testament location, including a Canaanite royal city defeated in Joshua’s day and later towns in Israel’s tribal lists.

At a Glance

Old Testament place-name; not a theological term.

Key Points

Description

Jarmuth is a biblical place-name used for more than one location in the Old Testament rather than a theological concept. The best-known Jarmuth was a Canaanite royal city in the Shephelah whose king joined the coalition against Gibeon and was defeated in Joshua’s campaign. The name also appears in later town and settlement lists connected with Judah and Issachar. Scripture uses Jarmuth mainly as a geographic marker within the history of conquest, inheritance, and settlement in the land, so any dictionary treatment should be framed as a place entry with careful attention to the specific passage in view.

Biblical Context

In Joshua, Jarmuth appears in the account of the southern coalition against Gibeon and in lists of defeated kings. Elsewhere it appears in territorial and settlement records, showing that the name was attached to more than one location in the land. The passages use it as a marker of historical geography rather than as a subject of doctrinal teaching.

Historical Context

Jarmuth is associated with the biblical hill country/shephelah setting of southern Canaan, where fortified towns played important roles in warfare, settlement, and territorial administration. The repeated appearance of the name across different lists reflects the common ancient practice of reusing place names in separate locales.

Jewish and Ancient Context

In ancient Israelite record-keeping, place-names often carried historical memory through conquest lists, boundary descriptions, and post-exilic settlement registers. Jarmuth functions in that way: it identifies locations tied to tribal inheritance and national history, not a religious institution or rite.

Primary Key Texts

Secondary Key Texts

Original Language Note

The name is generally represented from Hebrew forms related to Jarmuth/Yarmuth; the exact etymology is uncertain in popular usage, though it is commonly treated as a place-name associated with elevation or height.

Theological Significance

Jarmuth has little direct doctrinal significance on its own, but it contributes to the Bible’s historical and covenant geography. Its presence in conquest and settlement lists supports the reliability of Scripture’s place-based historical framework.

Philosophical Explanation

Biblical place-names matter because revelation is rooted in real history and real geography. Jarmuth reminds readers that the Bible’s narratives are not abstract ideas detached from location, but accounts set in identifiable places and territorial realities.

Interpretive Cautions

Multiple locations share the name Jarmuth, so the surrounding context must determine which site is intended. It should not be treated as a doctrinal term or overread symbolically.

Major Views

There is broad agreement that Jarmuth is a geographic name; differences among interpreters usually concern identification of particular sites rather than meaning in doctrine.

Doctrinal Boundaries

Jarmuth should be understood as a biblical place-name, not as a theological concept, spiritual office, or doctrinal category.

Practical Significance

Jarmuth helps readers track the historical movement of Israel’s conquest and settlement narratives and reinforces the importance of careful attention to place and context when reading Scripture.

Related Entries

See Also

Data

Machine-readable JSON for Jarmuth

↑ Top