Ῥαμᾶ (Rhama)
Rhama
Ramah
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The proper noun Rhama refers to Ramah, a town located in the territory of Benjamin, approximately five miles north of Jerusalem on the route toward Bethel. In the New Testament, this name appears only once, in Matthew 2:18, where it serves as the setting for a profound scene of mourning.
Matthew quotes Jeremiah 31:15 to describe Rachel weeping for her children, linking the ancient prophet’s words to King Herod’s massacre of the infants in Bethlehem. Although Ramah was traditionally associated with Rachel’s tomb nearby, Matthew uses the location symbolically to highlight the grief of Israel during Jesus’ infancy. The word itself preserves the Hebrew root meaning "high place" or "hill," grounding this moment of sorrow in a specific geographical reality.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The name Rhama brings us to a place of deep sorrow in Matthew’s Gospel. It recalls Rachel weeping for her children, a scene that echoes through history as a symbol of profound loss. When tragedy strikes our own lives, this image reminds us that grief is not a sign of weak faith but a natural human response to pain.
Even in the darkest moments, Scripture shows us that God sees our tears. The connection between ancient prophecy and Jesus’ early life assures us that no suffering is hidden from Him. We are invited to bring our honest sorrow to Him, knowing He does not dismiss our pain but holds it with care.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- Ramah1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- Ῥαμὰ1×
Key Verses
-
Matthew 2:18
“A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children; she wouldn’t be comforted, because they are no more.”
This verse uniquely applies Jeremiah’s prophecy of national exile to the specific grief caused by Herod’s massacre, grounding divine foreknowledge in raw human emotion.