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Ramah

Biblical
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Ramah is a biblical town associated with mourning, exile, and Rachel’s lament.

Detailed Definition
Ramah appears in Jeremiah as the place where cries are heard for children carried into exile, and Matthew applies the passage to the slaughter of infants. The town thus becomes a resonant location of maternal grief and historical violence. In poetry, Ramah can name the sound of a nation mourning through one mother’s voice, where private sorrow expands until it fills the borders of collective memory.
Example
Example in poetry:
“A voice was heard in Ramah” gives a poem a setting of mourning and exile; Ramah can symbolize the grief of mothers separated from their children; A poet may contrast Ramah’s lament with Bethlehem’s promised joy; “From Ramah’s hill, the old cries rise” uses the place as an emblem of historical sorrow.
Additional Notes
Ramah appears in the Rachel lament of Jeremiah 31:15, later echoed in Matthew’s account of Herod’s massacre. It can symbolize grief, displacement, and a community mourning its lost children. In poetry, the place name may evoke exile even when no journey is described.
Other Meanings of “Ramah”
Also Known As
Ramah of Benjamin Rama
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