Jastrow: בִּימָה

בִּימָה f. (cmp. בָּמָה) elevated stand for public meetings (for speakers, readers, holding court &c.). Sot. VII, 8. Succ. 51ᵇ. Ab. Zar. I, 7 (ib. 16ᵇ בימא). Gen. R. s. 76 as if seated על ב׳ ודן upon the platform and holding court. Lev. R. s. 13 ונראית כאילו מצעת ב׳ and gives itself the appearance as if holding court (giving the form of legality to robberies). Gen. R. s. 37 ב׳ של רשע the court of injustice (Rome).—Koh. R. to I, 8 (Ab. Zar. 16ᵇ גרדום; Tosef. Ḥull. II, 24 במה); a. fr.—Pl. (of בימא) בִּימָאוֹת. Pesik. B’shall. p. 84ᵃ (Ms. O. כסאות; Tanḥ. ed. Bub. B’shall. 5 מגדלים) (wooden) platforms.—בִּימוֹת. Meg. 32ᵃ הלוחות והב׳ (Ms. M. והבמות; Y. ib. III, 73ᵈ bot. בימה ולווחין) the tablets (in Synagogues, prob. used for announcements) and the raised seats (for readers or distinguished persons to speak from). [Ar. s. v. במות, ref. to Meg. l. c., explains, לוחות the board-covers of books, במות wooden stands (עמוד) for exhibiting the Torah scrolls during the services; another opinion quot. in Ar.: לוחות the blank margins between the columns of the scroll, במות the upper and lower as well as the front and back margins; cmp. אריח a. לבנה.] [A derivation of our w. fr. βῆμα is excluded, because the sing., in that case, would be בימא or בימטא a. the pl. בימטין or בימטאות.]