Ram

Aram (Hebrew Ram, the exalted) is an ancestor of our Lord Jesus Christ according to the flesh, the son of Hezron of the tribe of Judah, the father of Amminadab and an ancestor of King David. He is mentioned only in genealogies, so almost nothing is known about him apart from his place in the line of generations.

In Scripture The Old Testament names him in the First Book of Chronicles and in the Book of Ruth, where it is said that Hezron begot Ram and Ram begot Amminadab. In the New Testament the name is given as Aram, in the Gospel of Matthew, and as Arni, in the Gospel of Luke. His father Hezron was among the descendants of Jacob who went down to Egypt, so Aram lived in Egypt, before the Exodus of the Israelites. His elder brother Jerahmeel named his firstborn son Ram.

In the genealogy of the Saviour In the two genealogies of Jesus Christ, in Matthew and in Luke, Aram stands among the ancestors. According to one traditional interpretation, Matthew gives the genealogy of Joseph and Luke that of the Virgin Mary, and Aram lies in the part of the line common to both, up to the point where the branches divide. His mention in different places across a long span of biblical history indicates a certain genealogical importance.

Veneration The Orthodox Church counts him among the righteous forefathers of Christ and remembers him on the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers of the Lord, before the Nativity. The name Aram is found today among Arab Christians, Muslims and Israelites, among the latter mainly as the feminine name Ram.