Bamah

The Hebrew word meaning height, ridge, or elevation in the landscape (2 Samuel 1:19, 25; 22:34). It is written in English once (Ezra 20:29). It refers to hills or mountains overlooking the Arnon River (Numbers 21:28). The plural form, Bamoth, is used for the name of towns in Moab (Numbers 21:19–20; 22:41; Joshua 13:17).

Metaphorically, the word signifies:

A place of security (Deuteronomy 32:13; Hebrews 3:19)

The high ground a military commander aims to control in battle.

Controlling an enemy’s "heights" meant subjugating that enemy (Deuteronomy 33:29; Ezekiel 36:2). The term often combines both literal and figurative meanings when referring to Jerusalem, a "high place" in ruin overgrown with plants (Micah 3:12; see also Jeremiah 26:18; Ezekiel 36:1–2).

In Canaanite religion, a "high place" was a local shrine on a hill near a town or village, unlike the larger temples spread throughout the land.

4oSee also High Place.