Who was Ramoth in the bible?

Ramoth is a biblical place name applied to more than one location. In the verses given, it appears both as “Ramoth in Gilead” (associated with the tribe of Gad and listed among appointed refuge cities) and as “Ramoth of the South” (a location in Judah’s region that received a gift from David).

Ramoth in Scripture

In Deuteronomy, Ramoth appears in a list of cities set apart east of the Jordan, introduced by Moses’ action and purpose.

“Then Moses set apart three cities beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise,” (Deuteronomy 4:41)

“that the man slayer might flee there, who kills his neighbor unintentionally and didn’t hate him in time past, and that fleeing to one of these cities he might live:” (Deuteronomy 4:42)

“Bezer in the wilderness, in the plain country, for the Reubenites; and Ramoth in Gilead for the Gadites; and Golan in Bashan for the Manassites.” (Deuteronomy 4:43)

Joshua likewise names Ramoth in a parallel list of assigned cities “Beyond the Jordan at Jericho eastward,” pairing it with a tribal designation.

“They set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath Arba (also called Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.” (Joshua 20:7)

“Beyond the Jordan at Jericho eastward, they assigned Bezer in the wilderness in the plain out of the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead out of the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan out of the tribe of Manasseh.” (Joshua 20:8)

The wider setting explains what these assigned locations were for: they were “appointed cities” for Israelites and resident aliens, enabling refuge in cases of unintentional killing until trial.

“These were the appointed cities for all the children of Israel, and for the alien who lives among them, that whoever kills any person unintentionally might flee there, and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood, until he stands trial before the congregation.” (Joshua 20:9)

In 1 Chronicles, Ramoth is also listed among towns given to the sons of Gershom, with “pasture lands” included. In that context, the text moves through allocations from several tribes; Ramoth appears in the Issachar list, and then a distinct “Ramoth in Gilead” appears in the Gad list.

“To the sons of Gershom were given, out of the family of the half-tribe of Manasseh, Golan in Bashan with its pasture lands, and Ashtaroth with its pasture lands;” (1 Chronicles 6:71)

“and out of the tribe of Issachar, Kedesh with its pasture lands, Daberath with its pasture lands,” (1 Chronicles 6:72)

“Ramoth with its pasture lands, and Anem with its pasture lands;” (1 Chronicles 6:73)

“and beyond the Jordan at Jericho, on the east side of the Jordan, were given them, out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer in the wilderness with its pasture lands, and Jahzah with its pasture lands,” (1 Chronicles 6:78)

“Kedemoth with its pasture lands, and Mephaath with its pasture lands;” (1 Chronicles 6:79)

“and out of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead with its pasture lands, Mahanaim with its pasture lands,” (1 Chronicles 6:80)

The final appearance in the provided material uses a fuller form, “Ramoth of the South,” in a narrative about distributing plunder. The passage frames the action as a standing rule and describes David sending gifts to named places and persons in Judah.

“It was so from that day forward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day.” (1 Samuel 30:25)

“When David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to the elders of Judah, even to his friends, saying, ‘Behold, a present for you from the plunder of Yahweh’s enemies.’” (1 Samuel 30:26)

“He sent it to those who were in Bethel, to those who were in Ramoth of the South, to those who were in Jattir,” (1 Samuel 30:27)

“to those who were in Aroer, to those who were in Siphmoth, to those who were in Eshtemoa,” (1 Samuel 30:28)

“to those who were in Racal, to those who were in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, to those who were in the cities of the Kenites,” (1 Samuel 30:29)

“to those who were in Hormah, to those who were in Borashan, to those who were in Athach,” (1 Samuel 30:30)

Here, “Ramoth of the South” is one among several recipient locations, grouped with “the elders of Judah” and described as receiving “a present” from “the plunder of Yahweh’s enemies.”

Multiple places called Ramoth

The glosses and the verses together indicate more than one place bearing the name Ramoth.

1) Ramoth in Gilead. This Ramoth is explicitly connected to Gad and appears in lists of refuge/assigned cities east of the Jordan. Deuteronomy states, “Ramoth in Gilead for the Gadites” (Deuteronomy 4:43), and Joshua similarly lists it as “Ramoth in Gilead out of the tribe of Gad” (Joshua 20:8). In 1 Chronicles it also appears as a town with attached grazing areas: “Ramoth in Gilead with its pasture lands” (1 Chronicles 6:80).

2) Ramoth (Issachar allocation) / Ramoth with its pasture lands. A Ramoth is listed among towns given “out of the tribe of Issachar,” without further geographic qualifier: “Ramoth with its pasture lands” (1 Chronicles 6:73). The accompanying context is a larger sequence of towns assigned to “the sons of Gershom” from multiple tribes (1 Chronicles 6:71–76, 78–81).

3) Ramoth of the South (Ramoth-Negeb / Ramath-Negeb). In 1 Samuel, Ramoth appears with a regional descriptor: “Ramoth of the South” (1 Samuel 30:27). The surrounding verses present it as one destination among several to which David sent portions of plunder as a “present” to “the elders of Judah” and his “friends” (1 Samuel 30:26–30). The lexicon gloss identifies this as “Ramoth-Negeb or Ramath-Negeb,” a place name described in terms of the South.

Name and Meaning

In the provided lexicon material, the name is written in Hebrew as רָאמוֹת / רָמוֹת and transliterated Ra’mowth (pronounced raw-moth’) and Ramowth (pronounced raw-moth). The name derivation is explained as meaning “heights,” described as coming from a plural form tied to a word for “something high,” and, in the “Ramoth of the South” form, as “heights (or height) of the South,” incorporating negeb as “the south” and ramah as “a height.” The identity glosses describe Ramoth as a place name used for multiple locations in Palestine, and separately describe Ramoth-Negeb/Ramath-Negeb as a distinct place in Palestine.

Observation

Across the passages, Ramoth is consistently presented as a real, named location within Israel’s tribal geography—appearing both in administrative lists of allotted towns (“Ramoth with its pasture lands,” 1 Chronicles 6:73) and in legal and communal provisions for refuge (“Ramoth in Gilead out of the tribe of Gad,” Joshua 20:8), as well as among Judahite recipients of David’s gift (“Ramoth of the South,” 1 Samuel 30:27).

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the name Ramoth mean?

Ramoth means “heights.”

How many times does Ramoth appear in the Bible?

Ramoth appears 5 times.

Who was Ramoth?

Ramoth is the name of places in Palestine, including “Ramoth in Gilead” (Deuteronomy 4:43; Joshua 20:8) and a Levitical town listed with pasture lands (1 Chronicles 6:73; 1 Chronicles 6:80).

Was there more than one Ramoth?

Yes. The name is used for two places called Ramoth and also for Ramoth-Negeb (Ramath-Negeb), described as “heights (or height) of the South” (1 Samuel 30:27).

Explore Further

If you found this page about Ramoth interesting and would like to discover more about other biblical characters, explore our comprehensive Encyclopedia of Biblical Characters. For those looking to delve deeper into the Greek origins of these names and terms, our Greek Lexicon is an invaluable resource.

Sources: Name and occurrence data from Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance and STEPBible reference data (CC BY). Scripture quotations from the World English Bible (public domain).