Lexical Summary Piram: Piram Original Word: פִרְאָם Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Piram From pere'; wildly; Piram, a Canaanite -- Piram. see HEBREW pere' NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom the same as pere Definition a Canaanite king NASB Translation Piram (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs מִּרְאָם proper name, masculine Canaanite king of Jarmuth Joshua 10:3, Φειδων, ᵐ5L Φεδαμ, A Φερααμ. מֹּראֹת see מּאֹרָה. מַּרְבָּר see [מַּרְוָר]. p. 802, 826. Topical Lexicon Name and Background Piram (פִרְאָם) appears once in Scripture, identified as the king of Jarmuth in the days of Joshua. His name likely conveys a sense of wildness or untamed vigor, fitting an Amorite ruler who opposed Israel’s advance. Biblical Context Joshua 10:3: “So Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem sent word to Hoham king of Hebron, Piram king of Jarmuth, Japhia king of Lachish, and Debir king of Eglon …”. Piram is one member of a five-king coalition that gathered to punish Gibeon for making peace with Israel. Their alliance becomes the backdrop for one of the most dramatic victories in the conquest narrative. Historical Setting Jarmuth lay in the Shephelah, the Judean foothills west of Bethlehem, controlling an important approach to the highlands. Archaeological identification points to modern Tel Yarmuth. As Amorite kings governed independent city-states, Piram would have held civic, military, and religious authority, leading his people in resistance against the incoming Israelites. The Five-King Coalition Adoni-zedek (Jerusalem), Hoham (Hebron), Piram (Jarmuth), Japhia (Lachish), and Debir (Eglon) formed a tactical alliance: Yet their strategy ignored divine promises previously announced to Abraham (Genesis 15:16-21) and reaffirmed to Moses (Deuteronomy 7:1-2). Their resistance, therefore, set them in direct conflict with God’s redemptive plan. God’s Intervention and Israel’s Victory When Gibeon appealed for help, Joshua marched overnight from Gilgal. The Lord disoriented the Amorite armies, Israel pursued them down the descent of Beth-horon, “and there were more who died from the hailstones than were killed by the Israelites with the sword” (Joshua 10:11). The coalition fled to the cave at Makkedah. Joshua later executed the five kings and hanged their bodies as a public sign of God’s judgment, then sealed them in the very cave they had chosen for refuge (Joshua 10:24-27). Theological and Ministry Significance 1. Divine Sovereignty over Nations: Piram’s stand against Israel exhibits how kings may “take their stand” (Psalm 2:2) yet remain subject to God’s overarching purposes. Lessons for Today • Personal and corporate opposition to God’s revealed will cannot prosper. See Also Adoni-zedek; Hoham; Japhia; Debir; Jarmuth; Amorites; Conquest of Canaan Forms and Transliterations פִּרְאָ֨ם פראם pir’ām pir·’ām pirAmLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Joshua 10:3 HEB: חֶ֠בְרוֹן וְאֶל־ פִּרְאָ֨ם מֶֽלֶךְ־ יַרְמ֜וּת NAS: of Hebron and to Piram king KJV: of Hebron, and unto Piram king INT: of Hebron and to Piram king of Jarmuth 1 Occurrence |
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