Places in the Bible Today:

Ramah 4

Data

Translated NamesRamah, Ramathaim
Typesettlement
Geo Data KML (for Google Earth)
GeoJSON (for GIS applications)

6 Possible Identifications

  1. another name for Ramah 1 (ancient): 50% confidence. It may be:
    1. cityscape of Al RamAl Ram

    2. cityscape of RamallahRamallah

    3. ruins at Ramat RahelRamat Rahel

  2. Al Ram (modern): less than 10% confidence
    1. cityscape of Al RamAl Ram

  3. Beit Rima (modern): less than 10% confidence
    1. building at Beit RimaBeit Rima

  4. Ramallah (modern): less than 10% confidence
    1. cityscape of RamallahRamallah

  5. Nabi Samwil (modern): less than 10% confidence
    1. building at Nabi SamwilNabi Samwil

  6. Rantis (modern): less than 10% confidence
    1. cityscape of RantisRantis

Verses (13)

1Sam 1:19, 2:11, 7:17, 8:4, 15:34, 16:13, 19:18, 19:19, 19:22, 19:23, 20:1, 25:1, 28:3

Linked Data Identifiers

SourceIdentifier
OpenBible.info (2007)Ramah 4
OpenBible.infoa90f6e1 (Ramah 4)
TIPNRMizpah@Jdg.20.1
UBS Names Databaseot ID_2696
WikipediaRamathaim-Zophim (partial)

Sources

  1. Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (1992)
  2. Baker Illustrated Bible Dictionary (2013)
  3. Baly, Atlas of the Biblical World (1971): Ramah
  4. Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)
  5. Expositor’s Bible Commentary (1984): 1Sam 1:1-2
  6. Gordon, I and II Samuel (1986): 1Sam 1:19
  7. Grollenberg, Atlas of the Bible (1957): Ramah
  8. HarperCollins Bible Dictionary (2011)
  9. Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (2003)
  10. International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1979)
  11. New Bible Dictionary (1996)
  12. New Interpreter’s Bible Dictionary (2009)
  13. Reader’s Digest Atlas of the Bible (1981): Ramah
  14. Westminster Historical Atlas to the Bible (1956): Ramah; Ramathaim-zophim
  15. Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia (1975)
  16. Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible (2010)
  17. Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary (2009): 1Sam 1:1
  18. Zondervan Pictorial Bible Atlas (1972): page 179

Confidence Trends over Time

This chart indicates how confidence in the identifications is changing over time. Each dot (connected by a dotted line) reflects the confidence of an identification over the preceding ten years (e.g., the 2009 dot reflects scholarship from 2000 to 2009), and the corresponding solid line reflects a best-fit line for the identification. Confidences that cluster near or below 0% indicate low confidence. Because of the small dataset, it's best to use this chart for general trends; if one identification is trending much higher than the others (in this case, another name for Ramah 1), then you can probably have higher confidence in the identification. This chart only reflects the sources I consulted (listed above), not an exhaustive review of the literature.

Places with Similar Names

Thumbnail Image Credits

Soman, Soman, Bukvoed, KafrAdDeek, Alexey Goral, יעקב

About

This page attempts to identify all the possible locations where this biblical place could be. The confidence levels add up to less than 100%, indicating that the modern location is uncertain. It's best to think about the confidences in relative rather than absolute terms. Often they reflect different schools of thought, each confident in their identifications.