Rabbah
/ˈræbə/noun
An ancient biblical city, especially Rabbah of the Ammonites, identified with modern Amman in Jordan.
Did you know?Rabbah of the Ammonites appears in the Hebrew Bible as a fortified royal city and was later known in Greek and Roman times as Philadelphia.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*r-b-b
“A root associated with greatness, abundance, or authority”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
רַבָּה (Rabbāh)
“Great; the great city”
Iron Age
Ammonite/Hebrew
Rabbah of the Ammonites
“The chief city of the Ammonites”
Hellenistic Period
Greek
Philadelphia
“The city renamed Philadelphia under Ptolemaic rule”
Roman Period
Latin/Greek
Philadelphia
“The classical name of the city, later associated with modern Amman”
Modern English
English
Rabbah
“The biblical name for the ancient city, usually identified with Amman, Jordan”