ZEMARAIM zĕm’ ə rā’ əm (צְמָרַ֖יִם, meaning uncertain). The name of a city in Benjamin and of a mountain in Ephraim.

Zemaraim of Joshua 18:22 is one of twelve cities belonging to Benjamin. Since Jericho, Bethel, etc. are included, the location of Zemaraim is to be sought near modern day Ramallah and el-Bireh (a few m. N of Jerusalem).

Mount Zemaraim, according to 2 Chronicles 13:4, was located in the hill country of Ephraim. Since Benjamin on its N bordered on Ephraim, and since Abijah of Judah is associated with Mount Zemaraim in his attack on Israel and is credited with capturing, among other cities, Bethel which was located on the Ephraim-Benjamin, Israel-Judah border (2 Chron 13:4, 19), it is probable that the city and the mountain were both near Bethel and shared the same name.

Bibliography E. G. Kraeling, Bible Atlas (1956), 271; Y. Aharoni, The Land of the Bible (1967), 287.