Difference between revisions of "High Place"

<p> <em> Bâmâh </em> ( '''''בּוּם''''' , Strong'S #1116), “high place.” This noun occurs in other Semitic languages, meaning the “back” of an animal or of a man (Ugaritic), the incline or “back” of a mountain (Akkadian), and the “block” (of stone) or grave of a saint (Arabic). <em> Bâmâh </em> is used about 100 times in biblical Hebrew, and the first occurrence is in Lev. 26:30: “And I will destroy your high places, and cut down your images, and cast your carcases upon the carcases of your idols, and my soul shall abhor you.” Most of the uses are in the Books of Kings and Chronicles, with the sense of “cultic high place.” The word is rarely used in the [[Pentateuch]] or in the poetic or prophetic literature. </p> <p> <em> Bâmâh </em> with the sense of “back” is still to be found in the [[Hebrew]] Old Testament: “So your enemies shall cringe before you, and you shall tread upon their high places” (Deut. 33:29, NASB). Compare this with the NEB “Your enemies come crying to you, and you shall trample their bodies [ <em> bâmâh </em> ] underfoot.” </p> <p> The Bible’s metaphorical use of the “backs” of the clouds and the waves of the sea gives problems to translators: “I will ascend above the heights [ <em> bâmâh </em> ] of the clouds; I will be like the most High” (Isa. 14:14), and "[He] alone spreadeth out the heavens, and treadeth upon the waves [literally, “high places”] of the sea” (Job 9:8). A similar problem is found in Ps. 18:33 (cf. 2 Sam. 22:34; Hab. 3:19): “He maketh my feet like hinds’ feet, and setteth me upon my high places.” In these passages, <em> bâmâh </em> must be understood idiomatically, meaning “authority.” </p> <p> The word is used metaphorically to portray the Lord as providing for His people: “He made him ride on the high places of the earth, that he might eat the increase of the fields; and he made him to suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock” (Deut. 32:13; cf. Isa. 58:14). The idiom, “to ride upon the high places of the earth,” is a Hebraic way of expressing God’s protection of His people. It expresses the exalted nature of Israel, whose God is the Lord. Not every literal <em> bâmâh </em> was a cultic high place; the word may simply refer to a geographical unit; cf. “Therefore shall [[Zion]] for your sake be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the [temple] as the high places of the forest” (cf. Amos 4:13; Mic. 3:12). The [[Canaanites]] served their gods on these hills, where pagan priests presented the sacrifices to the gods: Israel imitated this practice (1 Kings 3:2), even when they sacrificed to the Lord. The surrounding nations had high places dedicated to Chemosh (1 Kings 11:7)Baal (Jer. 19:5), and other deities. On the “high place,” a temple was built and dedicated to a god: "[Jeroboam] made a house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi” (1 Kings 12:31). Cultic symbols were added as decoration; thus, the sacred pillars ( <em> ‘asherah </em> ) and sacred trees or poles ( <em> matstsebah </em> ) were associated with a temple: “For they also built them high places, and [sacred stones], and groves, on every high hill [ <em> gib’ah </em> ], and under every green tree” (1 Kings 14:23; cf. 2 Kings 16:4). Before the temple was built, Solomon worshiped the Lord at the great <em> bâmâh </em> of [[Gideon]] (1 Kings 3:4). This was permissible until the temple was constructed; however, history demonstrates that Israel soon adopted these “high places” for pagan customs. The <em> bâmâh </em> was found in the cities of [[Samaria]] (2 Kings 23:19)in the cities of Judah (2 Chron. 21:11), and even in Jerusalem (2 Kings 23:13). The <em> bâmâh </em> was a place of cult prostitution: "[They] pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poor, and turn aside the way of the meek: and a man and his father will go in unto the same maid, to profane my holy name: And they lay themselves down upon clothes laid to pledge by every altar, and they drink the wine of the condemned in the house of their god” (Amos 2:7-8). </p> <p> The [[Septuagint]] gives the following translations: <em> hupselos </em> (“high; lofty; elevated”), <em> bama </em> (a transliteration of the Hebrew), <em> bomos </em> (“altar”), <em> stele </em> (“pillar”) and <em> hupsos </em> (“height; high place”). </p>

1. General <p> (1) "High place" is the normal translation of בּמה , <i> ''''' bāmāh ''''' </i> , a word that means simply "elevation" (&nbsp; Jeremiah 26:18; &nbsp;Ezekiel 36:2 , etc.; compare the use in &nbsp;Job 9:8 of the waves of the sea. For the plural as a proper noun see [[Bamoth]] ). In the King James Version of &nbsp;Ezekiel 16:24 , &nbsp;Ezekiel 16:25 , &nbsp;Ezekiel 16:31 , &nbsp;Ezekiel 16:39 , "high places" is the translation of רמה , <i> ''''' rāmāh ''''' </i> (the Revised Version (British and American) "lofty places"), a common word (see [[Ramah]] ) of exactly the same meaning, indistinguishable from bamah in &nbsp;Ezekiel 16:16 . In three of these verses of Ezek (&nbsp;Ezekiel 16:24 , &nbsp;Ezekiel 16:31 , &nbsp;Ezekiel 16:39 ) <i> ''''' ramah ''''' </i> is paralleled by גּב , <i> ''''' gabh ''''' </i> , which again has precisely the same sense ("eminent place" in the King James Version, the English Revised Version), and the "vaulted place" of the American Standard Revised Version (English Revised Version margin) is in disregard of Hebrew parallelism. In particular, the high places are places of worship, specifically of <i> idolatrous </i> worship. So the title was transferred from the elevation to the sanctuary on the elevation (&nbsp; 1 Kings 11:7; &nbsp;1 Kings 14:23; compare the burning of the "high place" in &nbsp;2 Kings 23:15 ), and so came to be used of any idolatrous shrine, whether constructed on an elevation or not (note how in &nbsp;2 Kings 16:4; &nbsp;2 Chronicles 28:4 the "high places" are distinguished from the "hills"). So the "high places" in the cities (&nbsp; 2 Kings 17:9; &nbsp;2 Chronicles 21:11 (Septuagint)) could have stood anywhere, while in &nbsp; Ezekiel 16:16 a portable structure seems to be in point. (2) The use of elevations for purposes of worship is so widespread as to be almost universal, and rests, probably, on motives so primitive as to evade formal analysis. If any reason is to be assigned, the best seems to be that to dwellers in hilly country the heaven appears to rest on the ridges and the sun to go forth from them - but such reasons are certainly insufficient to explain everything. [[Certain]] it is that Israel, no less than her neighbors, found special sanctity in the hills. Not only was' [[Sinai]] the "Mount of God," but a long list can be drawn up of peaks that have a special relation to [[Yahweh]] (see Mount; [[Mountain]]; and for the New Testament, compare &nbsp;Mark 9:2; &nbsp;Hebrews 12:18-24 , etc.). And the choice of a hilltop for the Temple was based on considerations other than convenience and visibility. (But <i> ''''' bāmāh ''''' </i> is not used of the Temple Mount.) </p> 2. Description <p> Archaeological research, particularly at [[Petra]] and Gezer, aided by the Old [[Testament]] notices, enables us to reconstruct these sanctuaries with tolerable fullness. The cult was not limited to the summit of the hill but took place also on the slopes, and the objects of the cult might be scattered over a considerable area. The most sacred objects were the upright stone pillars ( <i> ''''' maccēbhāh ''''' </i> ), which seem to have been indispensable. (Probably the simplest "high places" were only a single upright stone.) They were regarded as the habitation of the deity, but, none the less, were usually many in number (a fact that in no way need implicate a plurality of deities). At one time they were the only altars, and even at a later period, when the altar proper was used, libations were sometimes poured on the pillars directly. The altars were of various shapes, according to their purpose (incense, whole burnt offerings, etc.), but were always accompanied by one or more pillars. Saucer-shaped depressions, into which sacrifices could be poured, are a remnant of very primitive rites (to this day in Samaria the paschal lamb is cooked in a pit). The trees of the high place, especially the "terebinths" (oaks?), were sacred, and their number could be supplemented or their absence supplied by an artificial tree or pole ( <i> ''''' 'ăshērāh ''''' </i> , the "grove" of the King James Version). (Of course the original meaning of the pillar and asherah was not always known to the worshipper.) An amusing feature of the discoveries is that these objects were often of minute size, so that the gods could be gratified at a minimum of expense to the worshipper. [[Images]] (ephods?; the <i> ''''' terāphı̄m ''''' </i> were <i> household </i> objects, normally) are certain, but in Palestine no remnants exist (the little Bes and [[Astarte]] figures were not idols used in worship). Other necessary features of a high place of the larger size were ample provision of water for lustral purposes, kitchens where the sacrifices could be cooked (normally by boiling), and tables for the sacrificial feasts. Normally, also, the service went on in the open air, but slight shelters were provided frequently for some of the objects. If a regular priest was attached to the high place (not always the case), his dwelling must have been a feature, unless he lived in some nearby village. Huts for those practicing incubation (sleeping in the sanctuary to obtain revelations through dreams) seem not to have been uncommon. But formal temples were very rare and "houses of the high places" in &nbsp; 1 Kings 12:31; &nbsp;1 Kings 13:32; &nbsp;2 Kings 17:29 , &nbsp;2 Kings 17:32; &nbsp;2 Kings 23:19 may refer only to the slighter structures just mentioned (see the comm.). In any case, however, the boundaries of the sanctuary were marked out, generally by a low stone wall, and ablutions and removal of the sandals were necessary before the worshipper could enter. </p> <p> For the ritual, of course, there was no uniform rule. The gods of the different localities were different, and in Palestine a more or less thorough rededication of the high places to Yahweh had taken place. So the service might be anything from the orderly worship of Yahweh under so thoroughly an accredited leader as Samuel (&nbsp;1 Samuel 9:11-24 ) to the wildest orgiastic rites. That the worship at many high places was intensely licentious is certain (but it must be emphasized against the statements of many writers that there is no evidence for a <i> specific </i> phallic cult, and that the explorations have revealed no unmistakable phallic emblems). The gruesome cemetery for newly born infants at Gezer is only one of the proofs of the prevalence of child-sacrifice, and the evidence for human sacrifice in other forms is unfortunately only too clear. See [[Gezer]] , and illustration on p. 1224. </p> 3. History <p> (1) The opposition to the high places had many motives. When used for the worship of other gods their objectionable character is obvious, but even the worship of Yahweh in the high places was intermixed with heathen practices (&nbsp;Hosea 4:14 , etc.). In &nbsp;Amos 5:21-24 , etc., sacrifice in the high places is denounced because it is regarded as a substitute for righteousness in exactly the same way that sacrifice in the Temple is denounced in &nbsp;Jeremiah 7:21-24 . Or, sacrifice in the high places may be denounced under the best of conditions, because in violation of the law of the one sanctuary (&nbsp;2 Chronicles 33:17 , etc.). </p> <p> (2) In 1 Samuel, sacrifice outside of Jerusalem is treated as an entirely normal thing, and Samuel presides in one such case (&nbsp;1 Samuel 9:11-24 ). In 1 Ki the practice of using high places is treated as legitimate before the construction of the Temple (&nbsp;1 Kings 3:2-4 ), but after that it is condemned unequivocally. The primal sin of Northern Israel was the establishment of high places (&nbsp;1 Kings 12:31-33; &nbsp;1 Kings 13:2 , &nbsp;1 Kings 13:33 f), and their continuance was a chief cause of the evils that came to pass (&nbsp; 2 Kings 17:10 f), while worship in them was a characteristic of the mongrel throng that repopulated Samaria (&nbsp; 2 Kings 17:32 ). So Judah sinned in building high places (&nbsp;1 Kings 14:23 ), but the editor of Kings notes with obvious regret that even the pious kings (Asa, &nbsp;1 Kings 15:14; Jehoshaphat, &nbsp;1 Kings 22:43; Jehoash, &nbsp;2 Kings 12:3; Amaziah, &nbsp;2 Kings 14:4;Azariah, &nbsp;2 Chronicles 15:4; Jotham, &nbsp;2 Kings 15:35 ) did not put them away; i.e. the editor of Kings has about the point of view of &nbsp;Deuteronomy 12:8-11 , according to which sacrifice was not to be restricted to Jerusalem until the country should be at peace, but afterward the restriction should be absolute. The practice had been of such long standing that Hezekiah's destruction of the high places (&nbsp;2 Kings 18:4 ) could be cited by [[Rabshakeh]] as an act of apostasy from Yahweh (&nbsp;2 Kings 18:22; &nbsp;2 Chronicles 32:12; &nbsp;Isaiah 36:7 ). Under Manasseh they were rebuilt, in connection with other idolatrous practices (&nbsp;2 Kings 21:3-9 ). This act determined the final punishment of the nation (&nbsp;2 Kings 21:10-15 ), and the root-and-branch reformation of Josiah (2 Ki 23) came too late. The attitude of the editor of Chronicles is still more condemnatory. He explains the sacrifice at Gibeon as justified by the presence of the [[Tabernacle]] (&nbsp;1 Chronicles 16:39; &nbsp;1 Chronicles 21:29; &nbsp;2 Chronicles 1:3 , &nbsp;2 Chronicles 1:13 ), states that God-fearing northerners avoided the high places (&nbsp;2 Chronicles 11:16; compare &nbsp;1 Kings 19:10 , &nbsp;1 Kings 19:14 ), and (against Kings) credits Asa (&nbsp;2 Chronicles 14:3 , &nbsp;2 Chronicles 14:5 ) and Jehoshaphat (&nbsp;2 Chronicles 17:6 ) with their removal. (This last notice is also in contradiction with &nbsp;2 Chronicles 20:33 , but <i> &nbsp;1 Chronicles 16:17 </i> is probably meant to refer to the Northern Kingdom, despite &nbsp;1 Chronicles 16:17 .) On the other hand, the construction of high places is added to the sins of Jehoram (&nbsp;2 Chronicles 21:11 ) and of Ahaz (&nbsp;2 Chronicles 28:4 , &nbsp;2 Chronicles 28:5 ). </p> <p> (3) Among the prophets, [[Elijah]] felt the destruction of the many altars of God as a terrible grief (&nbsp;1 Kings 19:10 , &nbsp;1 Kings 19:14 ). Amos and Hosea each mention the high places by name only once (&nbsp;Amos 7:9; &nbsp;Hosea 10:8 ), but both prophets have only denunciation for the sacrificial practices of the Northern Kingdom. That, however, these sacrifices were offered in the wrong <i> place </i> is not said. Isa has nothing to say about the high places, except in &nbsp; Isaiah 36:7 , while &nbsp;Micah 1:5 equates the sins of Jerusalem with those of the high places (if the text is right), but promises the exaltation of Jerusalem (&nbsp; Micah 4:1 f). In the references in &nbsp; Jeremiah 7:31; &nbsp;Jeremiah 19:5; &nbsp;Jeremiah 32:35; &nbsp;Ezekiel 6:3 , &nbsp;Ezekiel 6:1; &nbsp;Ezekiel 16:16; &nbsp;Ezekiel 20:29; &nbsp;Ezekiel 43:7 , idolatry or abominable practices are in point (so probably in &nbsp;Jeremiah 17:3 , while &nbsp;Jeremiah 48:35 and &nbsp; Isaiah 16:12 refer to non-Israelites). </p> <p> (4) The interpretation of the above data and their historical import depend on the critical position taken as to the general history of Israel's religion. See [[Religion Of Israel]]; [[Criticism]]; [[Deuteronomy]] , etc. </p> Literature <p> See, especially, [[Idolatry]] , and also Altars; Asherah , etc. For the archaeological literature, see Palestine . </p>