Once again, if the Jews were to heed the command purportedly given by God in "Exodus," then the Jews would not have named their children and the cities after supposedly false gods and goddesses. The only conclusion to be derived by the objective scholar is this: originally"Make not mention of other gods, they shall not be heard on your lips." Ex: 23: 13Rama in the Old Testament
Numerous people as well as places were named after Rama.
1. Early patriarchs of Judaism were named after Hindu personalities and members of the Hindu pantheon, entities such as Rama, Shiva, Asura, Naamah, Arjuna and Asura. Jacob names his son Asher after Asherah, who is Asura of the Hindus. Abraham himself names his son Shuah after Shu, the father sky god of Egypt who fathered Seb, the Lord of the Earth, who is none other than Seba or Shiva. The stelae and pyramids of Egypt were called matsteba, which is simply the local version of the Hebrew masseva or matseba, the name for pillars of erected to God in the Old Testament. Both in Egypt and in Palestine the pillars were named after Seb or Seba, that is, Shiva. So too, the influence of Rama, like that of Shiva and Kana (Krishna) was pervasive, as is seen by the numerous people and places named after Rama. Long after the command in Exodus not to utter the names of false gods the Jews continued to name their children after the deities of the Hindu (and Egyptian) pantheon. As any complete concordance will verify, the name of Rama is seen frequently in the Old Testament.
2. Abraham's original name was Abram, which is Ab-Ram, which, whether interpreted to mean the father abba of Ram or simply of Ram, meaning from the source of Ram, is a reference to the Hindu deity and hero of the Ramayana. In ancient Hindu times and today Rama was and is considered a divine personality.
Sabaeans venerated Rama, who is known in the Old Testament as Rimmon, Raamah, Ram and Rahman. Abraham's original name, Abram, or Ab-Ram, means more than Strong's Hebrew Dictionary meaning of high father, ram meaning high and ab meaning father in Hebrew. For Ram was worshiped by the Sabeans in Harran, and the name of Ram or Rama was venerated: he was the epic hero experiencing the adventures of the Ramayana and he was a deity in the Hindu pantheon. So Ab-Ram very significantly meant Father-Ram or fathered by Ram, that is, of the lineage of Ram, and the name was a sign of one's spirituality, of one's spiritual allegiance to a deity worshipped by Shaivite and Vaishnava Hindus. Rama was vegetarian.
3. The father of Moses is named Amram, Am-Ram, which combines the sacred Aum or Om sound with the name of Ram.
4. Ram, Rama, Raamah, Ramah, Ramath, Rahman, Ramath, Rameses or Raamses, Rimmon, Amram, Abram, Abiram, Jehoram, Hadoram, Joram, Piram, Hiram, Huram and Horam are all Old Testament names.
5. The root Ram is used as a frequent prefix, such as in Ramahthites, Ramathim-Zophim, Ramath, such as Ramath-Lehr, Ramath-Mizpah, Ramath-Mizpeh, Ramoth-Gilead, and Ramoth Negev.
6. Pomegranates and bulls
were sculpted on Solomon's Pillars. Pomegranates were a fruit
connected with Rama and
the bull was associated with Shiva, who had a sacred bull named Nandi.
Moreover, Huram, Solomon's architect, has a name which means the divine
He-Ram, Hu being the divine He and Ram being Ramah.
He also made two rows of pomegranates that encircled the latticework to
decorate the
capitals over the pillars. 1Ki 7: 18
Each capital on the two pillars had two hundred pomegranates in two rows
around them,
beside the rounded surface next to the latticework. 1Ki 7: 20
7. Significantly in the "Book of Job" the final questioner of Job is the young Elihu from the family of Ram. Hu is a sacred word to the Hindus. Hu in Sanskrit designates Jehovah, the God of the Jews, as well as the word Jehudhi itself, which means Jew. The astute reader and literary critic realizes that the final chapter of Job is a phoney ending attempting to discredit the numerous elaborate narratives against the animal sacrifices that precede the final chapter. Job's name means enemy or adversary for a good reason. The original version of the Book of Job was an extended diatribe against the animal sacrifices as well as against the unjust patriarchal system that promoted them.
8. A natural lingam of Siva exists 15 miles north of Jerusalem. It is also 6 miles from Jiba, which is Jiva of the Hindus. At Rimmon there are remnants of a stone representing the seven-branched candelabra, the minora, which represents the seven chakras of the spirit-body. The names Ramah and Sheva are more than once mentioned together in the Old Testament.
8. In Ethiopia Rama was
worshipped as Ramman, and in Egypt the name was the root of
Rameses.
9. Rahmann is also an
important name is Islam. Though now it is considered the Islamic orthodoxy
to mean an aspect of Allah, it was originally used to designate a separate
and independent entity worthy of veneration, thus showing that the religion
of Islam went through a transition similar to that of Judaism: the original
vegetarian and egalitarian purity was countered by an elitist patriarchal
system promoting animal sacrifices for the profit of the patriarch cattlemen.
The original Jews first worshipped a pantheon, but the people of Israel
were then debriefed, or conditioned by the revised scriptures written by
the scribes of the cattlemen, much as Constantine in New Testament times
ignored the original Ebionite Gospel and substituted scriptures which conformed
more readily to orthodox Roman standards. The Sacred Stone of the Muslims,
the Kaaba, is, as many writers have said, a Shiva Lingam. And the
name of the Shiites who claim that the Sunnis corrupted the original vegetarian
faith of Islam, may be seen as a version of Shivite. That is, they were
originally followers of
Shiva.
Hari Krishna,
Hari Rama is a commonly known chant of contemporary Hindus. Krishna aka
Vishnu and Rama have been the material of chants since time immemorial.
THE RAM NAME PERSISTED IN ORTHODOX JUDAISM
The
names of the North african philosopher Rambam, or Maimonides (1135-1204)
and Ramban (1194 - 1270), who is regarded as the most prominent Spanish
talmudist, shows how the name Ram persisted in orthodox Judaism, even though
the original significance of the term was lost.
Rama in Samuel's Time
Ramah
during Samuel's day was not just a place mentioned in passing, but a center
of
activity for Samuel.
Samuel's name is a combination of Sambu, one of Shiva's names, and
El, signifying Almighty
God. Why, if the Jews of Samuel's time regarded the names of other
gods as not to be utter, did they not change the name of the city of Ramah?
Except to those addicted to the notion that orthodox Judaism is a true
religion, the answer is obvious: they didn't change the name of the city,
because Ramah was named after a deity that they venerated.
Also Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth, Jo 18: 25
including all the villages as far south as Baalath-beer (also known as
Ramah of the
Negev). This was the inheritance of the families of the tribe of Simeon.
Jos 19: 8
Then the boundary turned toward Ramah and the fortified city of Tyre and
came to the
Mediterranean Sea at Hosah. The territory also included Mehebel, Aczib,
Jos 19: 29
Adamah, Ramah, Hazor, Jos 19: 36
She would hold court under the Palm of Deborah, which stood between Ramah
and
Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites came to her to
settle their disputes.
Jud: 4-5
We will find a place to spend the night in either Gibeah or Ramah." Jud 19: 13
There was a man named Elkanah who lived in Ramah in the hill country of
Ephraim. He
was the son of Jeroham and grandson of Elihu, from the family of Tohu and
the clan of
Zuph. 1Sa 1: 1
The entire family got up early the next morning and went to worship the
LORD once more.
Then they returned home to Ramah. When Elkanah slept with Hannah, the LORD
remembered her request, 1Sa 1: 19
Then Elkanah and Hannah returned home to Ramah without Samuel. And the
boy became
the LORD's helper, for he assisted Eli the priest. 1Sa 2: 11
Then he would return to his home at Ramah, and he would hear cases there,
too. And
Samuel built an altar to the LORD at Ramah. 1Sa 7: 17.
Finally, the leaders of Israel met at Ramah to discuss the matter with Samuel. 1Sa 8: 4.
Then Samuel went home to Ramah, and Saul returned to his house at Gibeah. 1Sa 15: 34
So as David stood there among his brothers, Samuel took the olive oil he
had brought and
poured it on David's head. And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon
him from that
day on. Then Samuel returned to Ramah. 1Sa 16: 13?
So David got away and went to Ramah to see Samuel, and he told him all
that Saul had
done to him. Then Samuel took David with him to live at Naioth. 1Sa
19: 18.
When the report reached Saul that David was at Naioth in Ramah...1Sa 19:19
Finally, Saul himself went to Ramah and arrived at the great well in Secu.
"Where are
Samuel and David?" he demanded. "They are at Naioth in Ramah," someone
told him. 1Sa
19: 22
David now fled from Naioth in Ramah and found Jonathan. "What have I done?"
he
exclaimed. "What is my crime? How have I offended your father that he is
so determined to
kill me?" 1Sa 20: 1
Now Samuel died, and all Israel gathered for his funeral. They buried him
near his home at
Ramah. Then David moved down to the wilderness of Maon. 1Sa 25: 1
Meanwhile, Samuel had died, and all Israel had mourned for him. He was
buried in
Ramah, his hometown. And Saul had banned all mediums and psychics from
the land of
Israel. 1Sa 28: 3
King Baasha of Israel invaded Judah and fortified Ramah in order to prevent
anyone from
entering or leaving King Asa's territory in Judah. 1Ki 15: 17
As soon as Baasha of Israel heard what was happening, he abandoned his
project of
fortifying Ramah and withdrew to Tirzah. 1Ki 15: 21
Then King Asa sent an order throughout Judah, requiring that everyone,
without
exception, help to carry away the building stones and timbers that Baasha
had been using
to fortify Ramah. Asa used these materials to fortify the town of Geba
in Benjamin and the
town of Mizpah. 1Ki 15: 22
Shimei from Ramah was in charge of the king's vineyards. Zabdi from Shepham
was
responsible for the grapes and the supplies of wine. 1Ch 27:27
In the thirty-sixth year of Asa's reign, King Baasha of Israel invaded
Judah and fortified
Ramah in order to prevent anyone from entering or leaving King Asa's territory
in Judah.
2Ch 16:1
As soon as Baasha of Israel heard what was happening, he abandoned his
project of
fortifying Ramah. 2Ch 16:5
Then King Asa called out all the men of Judah to carry away the building
stones and
timbers that Baasha had been using to fortify Ramah. Asa used these materials
to fortify
the towns of Geba and Mizpah. 2Ch 16:6
The peoples of Ramah and Geba - 621 Ezr 2:26
The peoples of Ramah and Geba - 621 Ne 7:30
Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim, Ne 11:33
They are crossing the pass and are staying overnight at Geba. Fear strikes
the city of
Ramah. All the people of Gibeah - the city of Saul - are running for their
lives. Isa 10:29
This is what the LORD says: "A cry of anguish is heard in Ramah - mourning
and weeping
unrestrained. Rachel weeps for her children, refusing to be comforted -
for her children are
dead." Jer 31:15
The LORD gave a message to Jeremiah after Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard,
had
released him at Ramah. He had found Jeremiah bound in chains among the
captives of
Jerusalem and Judah who were being sent to exile in Babylon. Jer 40:1 NLT
"Blow the ram's horn in Gibeah! Sound the alarm in Ramah! Raise the battle
cry in
Beth-aven ! Lead on into battle, O warriors of Benjamin Ho 5:8 NLT
"A cry of anguish is heard in Ramah - weeping and mourning unrestrained.
Rachel weeps
for her children, refusing to be comforted - for they are dead." Mt 2:18
NLT
Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living
Translation,
copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers,
Inc., Wheaton, Illinois
60189. All rights reserved.
THE NAME OF RAM INVOLVES HEIGHTS IN ANCIENT HEBREW
Like the names Sheba (Shiva), Hara, and Kana, the name Rama was so ingrained in the ancient Hebrew language that the name itself and its abbreviated forms were used to designate moral and emotional heights as well as actual physical heights.
1027 Beyth ha-Ram, house of the height, a place east of the Jordan, Beth-aram.
3413 Yeremay, elevated, Jeremai, an Israelite
3414 Yirmeyah or Yirmeyahuw,
from 7311 and 3050, Jirmejah, the name of nine or ten Israelites. Jeremiah.
The Name Jeremiah
Je Ram Iah Jeremiah's
name itself is a short chant, or part of a longer chant, which one
hears in Shaivite or
Vaishnava Hindu circles. One hears Je Ram in chanting circles.
7311 ruwm, to rise or raise in various applications, bring up, extol, give, go up, to promote.
7312 ruwm or rum, elevation or elation, haughtiness.
7313, ruwm, room, extol, lift up, set up.
7314 ruwm, altitude, height
7315 rowm, rome, elevation aloft, on high.
7316 Ruwmah, height, a place in Palestine. Rumah.
7317 rowmah, feminine of 7315, elation, proudly, haughtily.
7318 Rowmam, exaltation, praise, be extolled.
7319 Rowmemah, from 7426, exaltation, praise, high
7426 Ramam, raw-mam, to rise, exalt, get up, lift up, mount up.
7416 rimmown or rimmon, pomegranate, the tree (from its upright growth), the fruit
7417 Rimmownow. the name of a Syrian deity, also the name of five places in Palestine.
The
term Aramaic, referring to the Aramaic language, has been deduced to have
derived from the immense influence of the figure and name of Rama.