Original Word: רֹמַח
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: romach
Pronunciation: roh'-makh
Phonetic Spelling: (ro'-makh)
KJV: buckler, javelin, lancet, spear
NASB: spears, spear, lances
Word Origin: [from an unused root meaning to hurl]

1. a lance (as thrown)
2. especially the iron point

buckler, javelin, lancet, spear

From an unused root meaning to hurl; a lance (as thrown); especially the iron point -- buckler, javelin, lancet, spear.

Word Origin
from an unused word
Definition
a spear, lance
NASB Translation
lances (1), spear (5), spears (9).

רֹ֫מַח noun [masculine] spear, lance (etymology unknown; Aramaic רוּמְחָא, ; Arabic ; Ethiopic ); — often +חֶרֶב, צִנָּה, מָגֵן, קֶשֶׁת, etc.; — absolute ׳ר Judges 5:8; Numbers 25:7 (P), Ezekiel 39:9; 1 Chronicles 12:9; 1 Chronicles 12:25 (van d. H. v.1 Chronicles 12:8; v.1 Chronicles 12:24), 2 Chron 14:7; 2 Chronicles 25:5; plural רְמָחִים 1 Kings 18:28; Jeremiah 46:4; Joel 4:10; Nehemiah 4:10; Nehemiah 4:15; 2Chronicles 11:12; 26:14; suffix רָמְחֵיהֶם Nehemiah 4:7.

Physical Description and Function

The רֹמַח is a long-shafted thrusting or throwing weapon—longer and heavier than a javelin, lighter than a pike, normally tipped with bronze or iron. It served both as a primary battlefield arm and as a symbol of authority in the Ancient Near East.

Biblical Distribution and Contexts

1. Holy Zeal and Covenant Purity – Numbers 25:7

“When Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw this, he left the assembly, took a spear in his hand”. The spear ends the plague by removing blatant idolatry, linking the weapon with decisive holiness and atonement.

2. National Vulnerability – Judges 5:8

“Not a shield or spear was found among forty thousand in Israel”. The absence of spears illustrates Israel’s disarmament under Canaanite oppression and the need for divine deliverance.

3. Pagan Frenzy – 1 Kings 18:28

“So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears”. Here the spear is an object of self-destructive worship, contrasting the self-sacrifice of God’s people with the futile extremism of idolatry.

4. David’s Warriors – 1 Chronicles 12:9, 25

David’s Gadite and Benjaminite recruits are “equipped with shield and spear,” signifying trained readiness in righteous warfare.

5. Royal Defense Policy – 2 Chronicles 11:12; 14:8; 25:5; 26:14

Rehoboam, Asa, Amaziah, and Uzziah stockpile spears for fortified cities and standing armies. The chronicler records totals reaching into the hundreds of thousands, underscoring responsible leadership, preparedness, and divine blessing on orderly defense.

6. Rebuilding under Threat – Nehemiah 4:13, 16, 21

Workers rebuild Jerusalem’s wall “with one hand doing the work and the other holding a spear.” Faith expresses itself in vigilance; prayer does not cancel practical security.

7. International Conflict – Jeremiah 46:4

The Egyptian cavalry is told, “Take your positions with helmets on, polish your spears.” The prophet depicts human might that will ultimately fail against the purposes of the LORD.

8. Final Cleansing and Judgment – Ezekiel 39:9; Joel 3:10

After Gog’s defeat, Israel will burn enemy spears for fuel; Joel calls nations to “beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears,” portraying both the escalation of rebellion and its ultimate futility.

Historical Background

In the Late Bronze and Iron Ages the spear became the backbone of infantry combat. Bronze points gave way to iron, increasing penetration. Wealthier forces added sockets to secure the head, while ordinary levies carried simpler versions. Israel’s ability or inability to field spears reflects larger political realities: Philistine arms monopolies (1 Samuel 13:19-22, involving a different term) or, conversely, divine favor that enables stockpiling.

Symbolic and Theological Insights

• Instrument of Judgment – Phinehas’ spear halts covenant violation, foreshadowing divine wrath satisfied through a single decisive act.
• Measure of Spiritual Health – The loss (Judges 5:8) or abundance (Nehemiah 4) of spears mirrors Israel’s faith posture.
• Futility of False Worship – The prophets of Baal spill their own blood with spears, achieving nothing, while Elijah calls down fire by prayer.
• Eschatological Reversal – Ezekiel 39:9 anticipates a day when hostile weapons become fuel, paralleling Isaiah 2:4’s vision of swords into plowshares. Present militancy gives way to messianic peace.

Practical Ministry Applications

1. Zeal without Carnality – Phinehas models righteous indignation controlled by covenant law, warning against both apathy and fleshly violence.
2. Spiritual Preparedness – Believers are urged to “take up the full armor of God” (Ephesians 6:13). The chronicled stockpiles teach responsible readiness in spiritual and practical domains.
3. Watchful Work – Nehemiah’s builders encourage church workers to labor and guard simultaneously—constructing gospel witness while discerning threats to purity and doctrine.
4. Discernment in Worship – Elijah’s contest exposes religious expressions that wound participants but do not reach God; true worship rests on revelation, not emotional frenzy.

Christological Foreshadowing

The soldier’s spear that pierces Messiah’s side (John 19:34, Greek λόγχη) recalls Phinehas’ act. Where Phinehas’ spear stops wrath by taking life, the spear at Calvary confirms that wrath is finished by the Son giving His life. Thus the Old Testament spear prefigures substitutionary atonement accomplished once for all.

Related Terms and Distinctions

חֲנִית (chănîyth) often denotes a lighter javelin; כִּידוֹן (kîdôn) a dart or short spear. רֹמַח is the common, versatile lance used by rank-and-file and elite alike.

Summary

The רֹמַח thread winds from covenant zeal, through national defense and prophetic drama, to eschatological victory, consistently affirming God’s sovereignty over warfare, holiness, and redemption.

בָּֽרְמָחִ֔ים ברמחים הָֽרְמָחִ֔ים הרמחים וְהָרְמָחִ֣ים וָרֹ֑מַח וָרֹ֔מַח וָרֹמַח֒ וּבְרֹ֑מַח וּבָֽרְמָחִ֑ים וּרְמָחִ֔ים וּרְמָחִים֙ וברמח וברמחים והרמחים ורמח ורמחים לִרְמָחִ֑ים לרמחים רָמְחֵיהֶ֖ם רֹ֖מַח רֹ֥מַח רמח רמחיהם bā·rə·mā·ḥîm baremaChim bārəmāḥîm hā·rə·mā·ḥîm haremaChim hārəmāḥîm lir·mā·ḥîm lirmaChim lirmāḥîm rā·mə·ḥê·hem ramecheiHem rāməḥêhem rō·maḥ Romach rōmaḥ ū·ḇā·rə·mā·ḥîm ū·ḇə·rō·maḥ ū·rə·mā·ḥîm ūḇārəmāḥîm ūḇərōmaḥ uremaChim ūrəmāḥîm uvaremaChim uveRomach vaRomach veharemaChim wā·rō·maḥ wārōmaḥ wə·hā·rə·mā·ḥîm wəhārəmāḥîmInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts