the Week of Proper 28 / Ordinary 33
free while helping to build churches and support pastors in Uganda.
Click here to learn more!
Bible Encyclopedias
Nimrah
Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature
or (Heb. Nimrah', נַמְרָה , assigned by both Gesenius and Furst to a root signifying limpid, and different from that of ‘ נָמֵר, a panther; Sept. Ναμβρά, v. r. Ναμρά, Ἀμβράμ ), a place mentioned, in Numbers 32:3, among those which formed the districts of the "land of Jazer and the land of Gilead," on the east of Jordan, petitioned for by Reuben and Gad. These towns appear, from the way in which they are grouped, to have been all near the place of the Israelitish encampment in the plain of Moab. It is manifestly the same city which is afterwards mentioned as having been rebuilt by the Gadites, and which is called BETH-NIMRAH (Numbers 32:36). The prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah, in pronouncing a curse upon Moab, say, "the waters of Nimrim shall be desolate" (Isaiah 15:6; Jeremiah 48:34); and they group Nimrim with some of the same places mentioned in connection with it by Moses, as Heshbon and Elealeh; there can be no doubt, therefore, that the same town is referred to. It is worthy of note that the name Nimer and Nimreh occur in several localities east of the Jordan (Porter, Handbook, p. 509, 510, 520); but most of these are not in the required position. The statements of Eusebius and Jerome regarding this city are confused and contradictory. In the Onomasticon (s.v. Nemra), Eusebius says of Nebra that it is "a city of Reuben in Gilead, now a large village in Katancea (ἐν τῇ Καταναίς ), called Abara." There must be a corruption of the text here, for Jerome writes the name Nemra, and says it is still a large village, but does not give its locality. Of Nemrim (Eusebius, Νεκηρίμ ), both state that it is now a village called Benamerium, north of Zoar. But under Bethamnaram (Eusebius, Βηθναβράν ), which they identify with Nimrah, they say that "it is to this day the village of Bethamnaris in the fifth mile north of Libias." All these notices may have been originally intended for the same place, and the corruption of the text has created the confusion (Reland, Palaest. p. 649, 650). About two miles east of the Jordan, near the road from Jericho to es-Salt, are the ruins of Nimrim, on the banks of a wady of the same name. The ruins are now desolate, but near them are copious springs and marshy ground. There can be little doubt that this is the site of Nimrah, or Beth-Nimrah, which Joshua locates in the valley (13:27); and that these springs are "the waters of Nimrim" on which Isaiah pronounced the curse (Porter, Hand-book, p. 308; Robinson, Bib. Res. 1:551: Burckhardt, Syria, p. 355, 391). (See BETH-NIMRAH).
These files are public domain.
McClintock, John. Strong, James. Entry for 'Nimrah'. Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature. https://www.studylight.org/encyclopedias/eng/tce/n/nimrah.html. Harper & Brothers. New York. 1870.
