“…[Some of the people of Judah lived] in Ziklag, in Mekonah and its settlements, in En Rimmon, in Zorah, in Jarmuth, Zanoah, Adullam and their villages, in Lachish and its fields, and in Azekah and its settlements. So they were living all the way from Beersheba to the Valley of Hinnom.”
Nehemiah 11:28-30
Last time we saw five city names in which our returned exiles inhabited, including a significant one, Beersheba. Today we continue on with more cities.
While nine are listed, four city names, Ziklag, Mekonah, Adullam, and Lachish, do not have known origins to further explore. Which puts us with En Rimmon up first. It means “spring of a pomegranate” from ayin (an eye, appearance, broad, concern, eyebrow, glare, disregard, generous, gleam, please, see, sleep, selfish, outward appearance, sparkling), and rimmon (pomegranate) from ramam – to exalt, lift up self, mount up, rise.
I looked up the significance of pomegranates in the Bible. Most suggest it represents fruitfulness and blessing. Some believe the 613 seeds in the fruit represent the 613 Torah laws. (Source) Either way, this beautiful and nutritious fruit was available to the children of God in the Promised Land. To name a city Spring of a Pomegranate denotes its overflowing blessing.
The next city which has a meaning to explore is Zorah, whose only definition is “a city exchanged by Judah and Dan.” This makes sense as it is first mentioned in Joshua 15:33 in the tribe of Dan, but later in Joshua 19:41, it’s listed under Judah. Interestingly, it is also the birthplace of the judge, Samson (Judges 13:2,25; Source).
Zorah’s root word is tsaraath, which means leprosy, scab, hornet. What a stark contrast from our previous word denoting overflowing fruitfulness and blessing. At least, that is likely how it would be taken by most. One a disease which labels you unclean and unfit for Temple or relationship inside the camp. Another the result of a wound, which many would not seek out. And the final one used most often in reference to God chasing out a people (Source).
Do you think in these terms in your daily life? This thing is a good blessing from God? This one is not – in fact, it might be a curse? Me, too. But when we remind ourselves our faithful Father must allow some pruning to become ever more fruitful, we can see both as gifts.
Our next city is Jarmuth, which comes from rum – to rise, be high or exalted, become proud, bold, defiantly, haughty, set apart, tall, uplifted, triumphant. And the following is Zanoah, which comes from zanach – rejected, spurn, cast away, remove, fail, forsake.
Once again, some contrasting definitions. One speaks to boldness, rising, being uplifted; the other thrown out and forgotten. Aren’t you so glad that, when the first definition describes you as less uplifted by God and more defiantly haughty and proud, Yahweh’s answer is not to reject us? As His children, He may let us fail, but He won’t forsake us.
So, asking myself at the same time, is that our reaction toward others? While never questioning our intolerance for evil, or our willingness to directly confront, do we also boldly love and refuse to reject? I see so many do this well. I want to be among them.
Now we come to Azekah, which comes from azaq – tilled, to dig about, to fence about. Does that phrase “to fence about” seem somewhat odd to you? Fences, of course, are neutral. They help keep things in – like livestock and pets – and other things out – like unwelcome intruders. So what do we make of a city’s name being “fencing about?” Hopefully, it was because its residents celebrated the good and kept out the destructive.
Our final phrase in today’s verses is “they dwelt (chanah – to decline, bend down, encamp, pitch, abide in tents) from Beersheba to the Valley of Hinnom.” To give us context, let’s use the same map from last time, when we saw the phrase, “From Dan to Beersheba:”
Apparently this group of returned exiles settled as far south as Beersheba, but only as far north as this valley just outside Jerusalem. In Hebrew Valley of the Son of Hinnom is Gay (valley) Hinnom or Ge-Hinnom, later known as Gehenna (Source).
Solomon put up idolatrous high places in this valley (1 Kings 11:7) and Kings Ahaz and Manasseh led in child sacrifices to both Molech and Chemosh (2 Kings 16:3, 2 Chronicles 28:3). (Source) So, basically, a place known for destruction.
They have built the high places of Topheth in the Valley of Ben Hinnom
to burn their sons and daughters in the fire—
something I did not command,
nor did it enter my mind.
Jeremiah 7:31
Jesus also refers to this valley:
“If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off.
It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell [Gehenna],
where the fire never goes out.”
Mark 9:43
“In Jesus’ day, [Gehenna] was…the city’s garbage dump, where a fire was always burning to consume anything thrown on the pile…It was also a place where, down through the centuries, many have been buried. (Source)
This was a place people shuddered to think about. How much more a place of eternal agony – eternal separation from all Good, anything Beautiful, from God? Yes, eternity matters.
For our purposes today, these returned exiles dwelt up to this valley of destruction. And dwelt here is “bend down, encamp, pitch, abide in tents.” It’s where they set up camp.
Makes me think of how Paul calls our bodies earthly tents. Not because they’re unimportant, but because they’re not the permanent shelters in which we will dwell forever.
May we seek to dwell in the Shelter of the Most High.