אֲרוֹמִי
an Edomite (as in the margin)
Definition
The Hebrew word אֲרוֹמִי (ʼĂrôwmîy) is a textual variant or scribal error for אֱדֹמִי (ʼĔḏōmîy, H130), meaning 'Edomite,' referring to a descendant of Esau or an inhabitant of the land of Edom. In its sole biblical occurrence in 2 Kings 16:6, it is used in the Masoretic Text to describe Rezin, the king of Aram (Syria), but the context and parallel passages (e.g., 2 Chronicles 28:17) strongly suggest the intended reading is 'Edomite,' as the Edomites were attacking Judah at that time. The KJV translation 'Syrian' follows the received Hebrew text, but modern translations often emend it to 'Edomite' based on context and textual criticism.
Biblical Usage
This word appears only once in the Old Testament, in 2 Kings 16:6, within a historical narrative describing the military pressures on Judah during the reign of King Ahaz. The verse states that Rezin, king of Aram, recovered Elath for Aram and drove the Judahites from Elath, where the Arameans (or, contextually, Edomites) then settled. The usage is debated due to the textual issue, but it serves to highlight a period of conflict and territorial loss for Judah, with the surrounding context implicating both Aramean and Edomite hostilities.
Etymology
The word אֲרוֹמִי is likely a scribal corruption of אֱדֹמִי (H130), 'Edomite,' which derives from אֱדוֹם (ʼĔḏōm), the name 'Edom' (meaning 'red'), referring to Esau (Genesis 25:30). The confusion may stem from the visual similarity between the Hebrew letters ד (d) and ר (r) in some scripts. Cognates include Aramaic and other Semitic terms for Edom. The error illustrates how minor textual variations can arise in manuscript transmission, affecting interpretation.
Semantic Range
This word, though a textual variant, connects to the broader biblical theme of the enduring conflict between the descendants of Jacob (Israel) and Esau (Edom), as prophesied in Genesis 25:23 and developed in books like Obadiah. Understanding this enriches reading by highlighting God's sovereignty in the histories of nations, even in textual details. It also reminds readers of the importance of careful textual study to discern the original intent, as the correction to 'Edomite' aligns with the historical and prophetic narrative of Edom's hostility toward Judah.
In its original setting, identifying someone as an Edomite carried significant cultural and political weight, as the Edomites were traditional adversaries of Israel, descended from Esau. The confusion with 'Aramean' (Syrian) in 2 Kings 16:6 may reflect the complex alliances and conflicts in the ancient Near East, where multiple nations, including Aram and Edom, posed threats to Judah. This illustrates how scribes might inadvertently conflate similar-sounding or contextually plausible terms in historical records.
אֱדֹמִי (ʼĔḏōmîy, H130) — The correct term for an Edomite, a descendant of Esau. אֲרַמִּי (ʼĂrammîy, H761) — An Aramean or Syrian, from Aram, a different nation to the north. עֵשָׂו (ʻĒśāw, H6215) — Esau, the progenitor of the Edomites.
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
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