Bible Studies

THE MEANING OF ARMAGEDON

by Jeff Van Hatten
11/08/20
Free to Share
Author requests article critique

  Message Writer
  Hire Writer

Tweet

Revelation 16:16 – “And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armagedon.”
Throughout scripture a theme of final climactic battle is taught. This battle is often referred to as the Battle of Armagedon. Several themes are mentioned throughout scripture in relation to this battle: the sickle, a harvest, all nations, and a valley of judgment. Let’s take a look at these themes, and a couple more that are relevant.

Traditional View
The traditional view of this battle is that it is fought at the Mount(ain) of Megiddo or Megiddon. Unfortunately, there is no mountain [har H2022] at Megiddo – only a small hill, often called a tell. 2 Chronicles 35:22 only speaks of the Plain [biqah H1237] of Megiddo, as does Zechariah 12:11. Judges 5:19 speaks of the waters [mayim H4325] of Megiddo, but again, no mountain.

The Scrolls
Revelation 16:16 states clearly that this word, Armagedon, must be understood in the “Hebrew tongue.” There are about 5000 scrolls that make up the Majority or Byzantine Text. Only between six and twelve of these scrolls (The Textus Receptus) were used to translate the Authorized King James version of the Bible.

It is only in the Textus Receptus scrolls that one finds the word armageddon [G717] spelled with two “d”s. The vast majority of the other scrolls spell this word with only one “d”. Also, the vowels of armagedon and of Megiddo do not match. Megiddo is spelled with an: e - - i, not an: a - - e, and has no H in front! Furthermore, Megiddo is not mentioned once in the Newer Covenant. The Greek ‘A, when written in Hebrew, becomes the letters Heh Aleph. And in Hebrew, the heh simple means: the. It does not connect to the ar to become har!

Most translations follow the King James, spelling: Armageddon. The CEV and Darby spell it correctly as Armagedon., The NASB, ASV, and NRSV add the “H” and spell it Harmagedon, and the CJB calls it Har Meggido.

The Word Armagedon
The word ‘Armagedon’ is made up of three Hebrew words presented below:
Aremah – [H6194]: a heap, a pile, a heap of sheaves. Aremah comes from aram [H6192]: to be heaped up. This word is taken from “pile her up like heaps of grain” (Jeremiah 50:26). Boaz slept on an aremah. During harvest time they would tie the grain stalks into bundles, and then heap them up into piles (Ruth 3:7). Micah 4:12 says: “For He has gathered them like sheaves [amir H5995] to the threshing floor.”

Amir, aram, and amar all mean to heap up, and all use essentially the same Hebrew letters, ayin, resh, and mem as the first three letters in the Greek armagedon, just in differing order. This is very typical of Hebrew writing, which regularly transposes letters in like meaning words.

Gaye – [H1516]: a valley, a steep valley, a narrow gorge. This word can be found in Joshua 15:8 & 18:16, 2 Kings 23:10, Nehemiah 11:30, and Jeremiah 7:31-32 – speaking of the valley of Ben-Hinnom.

Don – from diyn [H1777 or den H1778]: meaning to judge, contend, plead, judgment. It is essentially the same word as shaphat [H8199], as in Jeho-shaphat (Yahweh Judges).

When all these elements are combined, the word is found to mean: “A heap of sheaves in a valley for judgment.”

The Sickle And The Heap of Sheaves
Joel 3:13 – “Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, tread, for the wine press is full; the vats overflow, for their wickedness is great multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision!”
Micah 4:12 – “He has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor.”
Revelation 14:14-20 – “Put in your sickle and reap, for the hour to reap has come, because the harvest of the earth is ripe . . . and the wine press was trodden outside the city [of Jerusalem].”
The harvest theme during which the sickle is used to harvest the ripe grains and the wine press is trodden are common themes regarding the last days, the time of the battle of Armagedon. Each of these themes also has in common that they take place outside the city of Jerusalem within the surrounding peoples.

All Nations At The Valley of Judgment
Micah 4:11 – “And now many nations have been assembled against [Zion], who say ‘Let her be defiled’.”
Zechariah 12:9 – “I will destroy all nations that come against Jerusalem.”
Zechariah 14:2 – “I will gather all the nations to fight against Jerusalem.”
Joel 3:2 – “Let the nations be called to arms. Let them march to the valley of Jehoshaphat. There I, Yahweh, will sit to pronounce judgment on them all.”
Joel 3:12 – “Let the nations be aroused and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat, For there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations.”
Joel 3:14 – “For the day of Yahweh is near in the valley of decision.”
All the action takes place outside the city of Jerusalem, not sixty miles north near Megiddo. In Joel 3:11-17, details of a major conflict in the Valley of Jehoshaphat are given. This account runs parallel to that battle of Armagedon recorded in Revelation 16:14-18. The Middle East will be the focal point of the battle of Armagedon in the southern part of Israel, in the Valley of Jehoshaphat. The Valley of Jehoshaphat is also known as the Kidron Valley. Armagedon, therefore, takes place in the Kidron Valley.

Conclusions
Revelation 16:16 – “And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armagedon.”
This verse states clearly that this word, Armagedon, must be understood in the “Hebrew tongue.” It is made up of three Hebrew words: Aremah, Gaye, and Don. When all these elements are combined, the word is found to mean: “A heap of sheaves in a valley for judgment,” which parallels the many scriptures which speak of the final battle and judgments.

All nations are gathered together in a valley and the sickle is brought out to harvest the fields and heap up the sheaves. That valley is clearly described in scripture as the Valley of Jehoshaphat, another name for the Kidron Valley – a valley that sits just outside the city of Jerusalem to the east and just west of Edom, not sixty miles north near Megiddo.! Armagedon, therefore, takes place in the Kidron Valley, just outside the city of Jerusalem, exactly as prophesied in the Bible scriptures.