8425. Togarmah
Lexical Summary
Togarmah: Togarmah

Original Word: תּוֹגַרְמָה
Part of Speech: proper name, of a territory
Transliteration: Towgarmah
Pronunciation: toh-GAR-mah
Phonetic Spelling: (to-gar-maw')
KJV: Togarmah
NASB: Togarmah
Word Origin: [probably of foreign derivation]

1. Togarmah, a son of Gomer and his posterity

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
heaviness, sorrow

Or Togarmah {to-gar-maw'}; probably of foreign derivation; Togarmah, a son of Gomer and his posterity -- Togarmah.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
probably of foreign origin
Definition
a son of Gomer, also his desc. and their land
NASB Translation
Beth-togarmah* (2), Togarmah (2).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
תֹּגַרְמָה, ׳תּו

proper name, of a territory Genesis 10:3 = ׳תּו 1 Chronicles 1:6; ׳בֵּית תּו Ezekiel 27:14; Ezekiel 38:6; Θοργαμα, Θεργ., etc.; it lay in (southwest) Armenia according to DiGenesis 10:2 (and references), DlPa 246 (Til-garimmu); > northwest Asia Minor (Greek Τευθρανία) LagGes. Abh. 257; Armen. Stud. § 865; Abh. GGW. xxxv (1888). 142.

תִּדְהָר see above.

Topical Lexicon
Biblical References

Genesis 10:3; 1 Chronicles 1:6; Ezekiel 27:14; Ezekiel 38:6

Genealogical Roots

Togarmah appears twice in the Table of Nations (Genesis 10:3; 1 Chronicles 1:6) as the third son of Gomer, son of Japheth, son of Noah. These genealogies are more than ancient family trees; they trace the orderly dispersion of humanity after the Flood and underline God’s sovereign oversight of every nation’s origin. Togarmah’s inclusion affirms that all peoples, including those later known in Asia Minor and the Armenian Highlands, are within the Creator’s redemptive scope.

Geographical Identification

The name is widely linked with the mountainous region north and east of the Euphrates, roughly corresponding to historical Armenia and parts of eastern Anatolia. Assyrian inscriptions mention “Tilgarimmu,” a fortified city in this area, strengthening the identification. Positioned at the nexus of trade routes between Mesopotamia, Anatolia, and the Caucasus, Togarmah’s land was ideally situated to supply both goods and forces to surrounding powers.

Commercial and Military Significance

Ezekiel portrays “the house of Togarmah” as a first-rank supplier of cavalry to the Phoenician emporium of Tyre:

“The house of Togarmah supplied your marketplace with horses, war horses, and mules” (Ezekiel 27:14).

In the ancient Near East, horses were strategic assets, essential for both commerce and conquest. Togarmah’s reputation for quality livestock highlighted its economic vitality and military relevance, foreshadowing the later fame of Armenian steeds in classical sources. The passage also reminds readers of Tyre’s reliance on distant nations—a dependence soon judged by the Lord (Ezekiel 26–28).

Eschatological Role

In the prophecy against Gog, the prophet lists “Gomer with all its troops, and Beth Togarmah from the far north with all its troops” (Ezekiel 38:6). The phrase “from the far north” pinpoints a region beyond the immediate neighbors of Israel, reinforcing the Armenian-Anatolian setting. Togarmah’s troops join a confederation hostile to God’s covenant people, yet their ultimate defeat underscores the certainty of divine victory in the “latter days” (Ezekiel 38:16, 23; 39:7).

Historical Corroboration

• Assyrian king Tiglath-Pileser I (twelfth century BC) lists Tilgarimmu among northern foes.
• Hittite archives reference “Tarkhummi/Tarqumi,” likely cognate, in central Anatolia.
• Classical geographers place “Tegarama” (modern Gürün, Turkey) along a key caravan corridor.

These sources align with the biblical profile: a northern people economically strong, militarily capable, and strategically positioned.

Theological Themes

1. Sovereignty of God over Nations: From Noah’s sons to the eschaton, Togarmah moves at God’s command.
2. Accountability in Prosperity: The wealth gained through horse-trading could not shield Tyre—or Togarmah—from judgment.
3. The Gathering Storm and Certain Triumph: Even distant allies of Gog cannot revoke God’s covenant with Israel.

Ministry Insights

• Genealogies Matter: Pastors can highlight that the Table of Nations grounds humanity’s diversity in a common origin, encouraging unity in the gospel.
• Wealth and Worship: Ezekiel’s indictment of Tyre warns modern believers against trusting economic networks apart from the Lord.
• Eschatological Vigilance: Beth Togarmah’s place in the Gog coalition reminds the church to watch for global movements that Scripture anticipates, while resting in Christ’s assured victory.

Forms and Transliterations
וְתֹגַרְמָֽה׃ וְתוֹגַרְמָֽה׃ ותגרמה׃ ותוגרמה׃ תּֽוֹגַרְמָ֔ה תּוֹגַרְמָ֑ה תוגרמה tō·w·ḡar·māh togarMah tōwḡarmāh vetogarMah wə·ṯō·ḡar·māh wə·ṯō·w·ḡar·māh wəṯōḡarmāh wəṯōwḡarmāh
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Englishman's Concordance
Genesis 10:3
HEB: אַשְׁכֲּנַ֥ז וְרִיפַ֖ת וְתֹגַרְמָֽה׃
NAS: and Riphath and Togarmah.
KJV: Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah.
INT: Ashkenaz and Riphath and Togarmah

1 Chronicles 1:6
HEB: אַשְׁכֲּנַ֥ז וְדִיפַ֖ת וְתוֹגַרְמָֽה׃
NAS: Diphath, and Togarmah.
KJV: Ashchenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah.
INT: Ashkenaz and Riphath and Togarmah

Ezekiel 27:14
HEB: מִבֵּ֖ית תּוֹגַרְמָ֑ה סוּסִ֤ים וּפָֽרָשִׁים֙
KJV: They of the house of Togarmah traded
INT: of the house of Togarmah horses and war

Ezekiel 38:6
HEB: אֲגַפֶּ֔יהָ בֵּ֚ית תּֽוֹגַרְמָ֔ה יַרְכְּתֵ֥י צָפ֖וֹן
KJV: the house of Togarmah of the north
INT: troops the house of Togarmah the remote of the north

4 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 8425
4 Occurrences


tō·w·ḡar·māh — 2 Occ.
wə·ṯō·ḡar·māh — 2 Occ.

8424
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