William Smith's Bible Dictionary is in the Public Domain and available to all. Download a free Text or HTML copy from our Christian Home Page.
~ R ~
Smith's Bible Dictionary
Top of Page |
Table of Contents
Raamah
(horse's mane), a son of Cush and father of the Cushite Sheba
and Dedan. (Genesis 10:7) (B.C. after 2513.) The tribe of
Raamah became afterward renowned as traders. (Ezekiel 27:22)
They were settled on the Persian Gulf.
Raamiah
(thunder of Jehovah), one of the chiefs who returned with
Zerubbabel. (Nehemiah 7:7) In (Ezra 2:2) he is called
[1003]Reelaiah. (B.C. 445.)
Raamses
(Exodus 1:11) [[1004]Rameses, Or Raamses]
Rabbah
(great).
+ A very strong place on the east of the Jordan, and the chief
city of the Ammonites. In five passages-- (3:11; 2 Samuel
12:26; 17:27; Jeremiah 49:2; Ezekiel 21:20)--it is styled at
length Rabbath of the Ammonites, or the children of Ammon;
but elsewhere, (Joshua 13:25; 2 Samuel 11:1; 12:27,29; 1
Chronicles 20:1; Jeremiah 49:3) simply Rabbah. When first
named it is mentioned as containing the bed or sarcophagus of
the giant Og. (3:11) David sent Joab to besiege Rabbah. (2
Samuel 11:1,17) etc. Joab succeeded in capturing a portion of
the place--the "city of waters," that is, the lower town so
called from its containing the perennial stream which rises
in and still flows through it. The citadel still remained to
be taken, but this was secured shortly after David's arrival.
(2 Samuel 12:26-31) Long after, at the date of the invasion
of Nebuchadnezzar, (Jeremiah 49:2,3) it had walls and
palaces. It is named in such terms as to imply that it was of
equal importance with Jerusalem. (Ezekiel 21:20) From Ptolemy
Philadelphus (B.C. 285-247) it received the name of
Philadelphia. It was one of the cities of the Decapolis, and
became the seat of a Christian bishop. Its ruins, which are
considerable are found at Ammon about 22 miles from the
Jordan. It lies in a valley which is a branch, or perhaps the
main course, of the Wady Zerka usually identified with the
Jabbok. The public buildings are said to be Roman, except the
citadel, which is described as of large square stones put
together without cement, and which is probably more ancient
than the rest.
+ A city of Judah named with Kirjath-jearim in (Joshua 15:60)
only. No trace of its existence has yet been discovered.
Rabbath Of The Children Of Ammon
and Rabbath of the Ammonites, [See RABBATH]
Rabbathmoab
[[1005]Ar]
Rabbi
a title of respect signifying master, teacher, given by the
Jews to their doctors and teachers, and often addressed to our
Lord. (Matthew 23:7,8; 26:25,49; Mark 9:6; 11:21; 14:45; John
1:38,49; 3:2,26; 4:31; 6:25; 9:2; 11:8) Another form of the
title was Rabboni. (John 20:16) The titles were used with
different degrees of honor; the lowest being rab, master then
rabbi, my master ; next rabban, our master ; and greatest of
all, Rabboni, my great master .
Rabbith
(multitude) a town in the territory, perhaps on the boundary,
of Issachar. (Joshua 18:20) only.
Rabboni
(John 30:18) [[1006]Rabbi]
Rabmag
(Jeremiah 39:3,13) a title borne by Nergal-sharezer, probably
identical with the king called by the Greeks Neriglissar.
[NERGAL-SHAREZER] (it probably means chief of the magi ; at all
events it was "an office of great power and dignity at the
Babylonian court, and probably gave its possessor special
facilities for gaining the throne.")
Rabsaris
(chief of the eunuchs).
+ An officer of the king of Assyria sent up with Tartan and
Rabshakeh against Jerusalem in the time of Hezekiah. (2 Kings
18:17) (B.C. 713.)
+ One of the princes of Nebuchadnezzar, who was present at the
capture of Jerusalem, B.C. 588. (Jeremiah 39:3,13) Rabsaris
is probably rather the name of an office than of an
individual.
Rabshakeh
(chief cupbearer), (2 Kings 19:1; Isaiah 36:1; Isaiah 37:1) ...
one of the officers of the king of Assyria sent against
Jerusalem in the reign of Hezekiah. [[1007]Hezekiah] (B.C.
713.) The English version takes Rabshakeh as the name of a
person; but it is more probably the name of the office which he
held at the court, that of chief cupbearer.
Raca
a term of reproach derived from the Chaldee reka, worthless.
("Raca denotes a certain looseness of life and manners, while
'fool,' in the same passage, means a downright wicked and
reprobate person.") (Matthew 5:22)
Race
[[1008]Games]
Rachab
Rahab the harlot. (Matthew 1:15)
Rachal
(trade), (1 Samuel 30:29) a town in the southern part of the
tribe of Judah, one of the towns to which David sent presents
out of the spoil of the Amalekites.
Rachel
(ewe, or sheep), the younger of the daughters of Laban, the
wife of Jacob (B.C. 1753) and mother of Joseph and Benjamin.
The incidents of her life may be found in Genesis29-33, 35. The
story of Jacob and Rachel has always had a peculiar interest.
The beauty of Rachel, Jacob's deep love and long servitude for
her, their marriage, and Rachel's death on giving birth to
Benjamin, with Jacob's grief at her loss, (Genesis 48:7) makes
a touching tale. Yet from what is related to us concerning her
character there does not seem much to claim any high degree of
admiration and esteem. She appears to have shared all the
duplicity and falsehood of her family. See, for instance,
Rachel's stealing her father's images, and the ready dexterity
and presence of mind with which she concealed her theft.
(Genesis 31:1) ... "Rachel died and was buried on the way to
Ephrath, which is Bethlehem. (B.C. 1729.) And Jacob set a
pillar upon her grave; that is the pillar of Rachel's grave
unto this day." (Genesis 35:19,20) The site of Rachel's tomb,
"on the way to Bethlehem," "a little way to come to Ephrath,"
"in the border of Benjamin," never been questioned. It Is about
two miles south of Jerusalem and one mile north of Bethlehem.
Raddai
(trampling), one of David's brothers, fifth son of Jesse. (1
Chronicles 2:14)
Ragau
one of the ancestors of our Lord, son of Peleg. (Luke 3:35) He
is the same person with Reu, son of Peleg.
Rages
an important city in northeastern Media, where that country
bordered its ruins, still known by the name of Rhey, lie about
five miles southeast of Teheran.
Raguel, Or Reuel
(friend of God).
+ Probably the same as Jethro. [[1009]Jethro; [1010]Hobab]
(B.C. 1490.)
+ A pious Jew of "Ecbatane, a of Media," father of Sara, the
wife of Tobias. Tob. 3:7,17, etc.
Rahab
a poetical name of Egypt, (Psalms 89:10; Isaiah 51:9)
signifying "fierceness, insolence, pride." Rahab, as a name of
Egypt, occurs once only without reference to the exodus: this
is in (Psalms 87:4) In (Isaiah 30:7) the name is alluded to.
Rahab, Or Rachab
(wide), a celebrated woman of Jericho who received the spies
sent by Joshua to spy out the land, hid them in her house from
the pursuit of her countrymen, was saved with all her family
when the Israelites sacked the city, and became the wife of
Salmon and the ancestress of the Messiah. (Joshua 2:1; Matthew
1:5) (B.C. 1450.) She was a "harlot", and probably combined the
trade of lodging-keeper for wayfaring men. Her reception of the
spies, the artifice by which she concealed them from the king:
their escape, and the saving of Rahab and her family at the
capture of the city in accordance with their promise, are fold
in the narrative of (Joshua 2:1) ... As regards Rahab herself,
she probably repented, and we learn from (Matthew 1:5) that she
became the wife of Salmon the son of Naasson, and the mother of
Boaz, Jesse's grandfather. The author of the Epistle to the
Hebrews tells us that "by faith the harlot Rahab perished not
with them that believed not, when she had received the spies
with peace," (Hebrews 11:31) and St. James fortifies his
doctrine of justification by works by asking, "Was not Rahab
the harlot justified by works, when she had received the
messengers, and had sent them out another way?" (James 2:25)
Raham
(belly). In the genealogy of the descendants of Caleb the son
of Hezron, (1 Chronicles 2:44) Raham is described as the son of
Shema and father of Jorkoam.
Rahel
the original form in our Authorized Version of the now familiar
Rachel. (Jeremiah 31:15)
Rain
In the Bible "early rain" signifies the rain of the autumn,
(11:14) and "latter rain" the rain of spring. (Proverbs 16:1,5)
For six months in the year, from May to October, no rain falls,
the whole land becomes dry, parched and brown. The autumnal
rains are eagerly looked for, to prepare the earth for the
reception of the seed. These, the early rains, commence about
the latter end of October continuing through November and
December. January and February are the coldest months, and snow
falls, sometimes to the depth of a foot or more, at Jerusalem,
but it does not lie long; it is very seldom seen along the
coast and in the low plains. Rain continues to fall more or
less during the month of March it is very rare in April.
Robinson observes that there are not, at the present day, "any
particular periods of rain or succession of showers which might
be regarded as distinct rainy seasons. The whole period from
October to March now constitutes only one continued season of
rain, without any regularly-intervening term of prolonged fine
weather. Unless therefore, there has been some change in the
climate, the early and the latter rains, for which the
husbandman waited with longing, seem rather to hare implied the
first showers of autumn--which revived the parched and thirsty
soil and prepared it for the seed--and the later showers of
spring, which continued to refresh and forward both the
ripening crops and the vernal products of the fields." (James
5:7; Proverbs 16:15)
Rainbow
the token of the covenant which God made with Noah when he came
forth from the ark that the waters should no more become a
flood to destroy all flesh. The right interpretation of
(Genesis 9:13) seems to be that God took the rainbow, which had
hitherto been but a beautiful object shining in the heavens
when the sun's rays fell on falling rain, and consecrated it as
the sign of his love and the witness of his promise. Ecclus.
43:11. The rainbow is a symbol of God's faithfulness and mercy.
In the "rainbow around the throne," (Revelation 4:3) is seen
the symbol of hope and the bright emblem of mercy and love, all
the more true as a symbol because it is reflected from the
storm itself.
Raisins
[[1011]Vine]
Rakem
(flower garden), a descendant of Machir the son of Manasseh. (1
Chronicles 7:16) (B.C. before 1451.)
Rakkath
(shore), a fortified city in the tribe of Naphtali. (Joshua
19:35) It was on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee, not
far from the warm baths of Tiberias.
Rakkon
(the temple) (of the head), a well-watered place in the
inheritance of Dan, not fur from Joppa. (Joshua 19:46)
Ram
(high, exalted).
+ A son of Hezron and the father of Ammin-adab, born in Egypt
after Jacob's migration there. (Ruth 4:19) (B.C. 1706.) In
(Matthew 1:3,4) and Luke 3:33 He is called [1012]Aram in the
Authorized Version, but RAM in the Revised Version of
(Matthew 1:3,4) and [1013]Arni in the Revised Version of
(Luke 3:33)
+ The first-born of Jerahmeel, and therefore nephew of the
preceding. (1 Chronicles 3:25,27) (B.C. after 1706.)
+ One of the kindred of Elihu. (Job 32:2) Ewald identified this
Ram with [1014]Aram in (Genesis 22:21)
[See BATTERING-RAM]
Rama
(Matthew 2:15) referring to (Jeremiah 31:15) It is the Greek
form of Ramah.
Ramah
(a hill). This is the name of several places in the holy land.
+ One of the cities of the allotment of Benjamin. (Joshua
18:25) Its site is at er-Ram, about five miles from
Jerusalem, and near to Gibeah. (Judges 4:5; 19:13; 1 Samuel
22:6) Its people returned after the captivity. (Ezra 2:26;
Nehemiah 7:30)
+ The home of Elkanah, Samuel's father, (1 Samuel 1:19; 2:11)
the birthplace of Samuel himself, his home and official
residence, the site of his altar ch. (1 Samuel 7:17; 8:4;
15:34; 16:13; 19:18) and finally his burial-place, ch. (1
Samuel 25:1; 28:3) It is a contracted form of
Ramathaim-zophim. All that is directly said as to its
situation is that it was in Mount Ephraim, (1 Samuel 1:1) a
district without defined boundaries, The position of Ramah is
a much-disputed question. Tradition, however places the
residence of Samuel on the lofty and remarkable eminence of
Neby Samwil which rises four miles to the northwest of
Jerusalem. Since the days of Arcult the tradition appears to
have been continuous. Here, then, we are inclined in the
present state of the evidence, to place the Ramah of Samuel.
+ One of the nineteen fortified places of Naphtali. (Joshua
19:36) Dr. Robinson has discovered a Rameh northwest of the
Sea of Galilee, about 8 miles east-south-east of Safed.
+ One of the landmarks on the boundary of Asher, (Joshua 19:29)
apparently between Tyre and Zidon. Some place it 3 miles east
of Tyre, others 10 miles off and east-southeast of the same
city.
+ By this name in (2 Kings 8:29) and 2Chr 22:6 only, is
designated Ramoth-gilead.
+ A place mentioned in the catalogue of those reinhabited by
the Benjamites after their return from the captivity.
(Nehemiah 11:33)
Ramath Of The South
one of the towns at the extreme south limit of Simeon. (Joshua
19:8) It is in all probability the same place as south Ramoth.
(1 Samuel 30:27)
Ramathaimzophim
(the two heights of the watchers). [[1015]Ramah, 2]
Ramathite, The
Shimei the Ramathite, i.e. a native of Ramah, had charge of the
royal vineyards of King David. (1 Chronicles 27:27) (B.C.
1050.)
Ramathlehi
(hill of the jawbone, or hill of Lehi), the name bestowed by
Samson on the scene of his slaughter of the thousand
Philistines with the jaw bone, (Judges 15:17) a place by the
rock Elam, in western Judah of the Philistines.
Ramathmizpeh
(high place of the watch-tower). [RAMOTH-GILEAD]
Rameses, Or Raamses
(child of the sun), a city and district of lower Egypt.
(Genesis 47:11; Exodus 12:37; Numbers 33:3,5) This land of
Rameses either corresponds to the land of Goshen or was a
district of it, more probably the former. The city was one of
the two store-cities built for the Pharaoh who first oppressed
the children of Israel. (Exodus 1:11) (It was probably the
capital of Goshen and situated in the valley of the Pelusiac
mouth of the Nile. McClintock and Strong say that its location
is indicated by the present Tell Ramsis, a quadrangular mound
near Belbeis. Dr. Brugsch thinks that it was at Zoan-Tanis, the
modern San, on the Tanitic branch of the Nile, and that it was
built or enlarged by Rameses II and made his capital.--ED.)
Ramiah
one who had taken "a strange wife." (Ezra 10:25)
Ramothgilead
(heights of Gilead), one of the great fastnesses on the east of
jordan, and the key to an important district. (1 Kings 4:13) It
was the city of refuge for the tribe of Gad, (4:43; Joshua
20:8; 21:38) and the residence of one of Solomon's commissariat
officers. (1 Kings 4:13) During the invasion related in (1
Kings 15:20) or some subsequent incursion, this important place
had seized by Ben-hadad I., king of Syria. The incidents of
Ahab's expedition are well known. [[1016]Ahab] Later it was
taken by Israel, and held in spite of all the efforts of Hazael
who was now on the throne of Damascus, to regain it. (2 Kings
9:14) Henceforward Ramoth-gilead disappears from our view.
Eusebius and Jerome specify the position of Ramoth as 15 miles
from Philadelphia (Amman). It may correspond to the site
bearing the name of Jel'ad, exactly identical with the ancient
Hebrew Gilead, which is four or five miles north of es-Salt, 25
miles east of the Jordan and 13 miles south of the brook
Jabbok.
Rams Horns
[[1017]Cornet; [1018]Jubilee, The Year Of]
Rapha
(tall).
+ Son of Binea, among the descendants of Saul. (1 Chronicles
8:37)
+ One of Benjamin's descendants. (1 Chronicles 8:2)
Raphael
(the divine healer). According to Jewish tradition, Raphael was
one of the four angels which stood round the throne of
God--Michael, Uriel, Gabriel, Raphael.
Raphon
a city of Gilead, 1 Macc. 15:37 perhaps identical with Raphana,
which is mentioned by Pliny as one of the cities of the
Decapolis.
Raphu
the father of Palti, the Benjamite spy. (Numbers 13:9) (B.C.
before 1490.)
Raven
(black). The Hebrew oreb is applied to the several species of
the crow family, a number of which are found in Palestine. The
raven belongs to the order Insessores, family Corvidae . (It
resembles the crow, but is larger weighing three pounds; its
black color is more iridescent, and it is gifted with greater
sagacity. "There is something weird and shrewd in the
expression of the raven's countenance, a union of cunning and
malignity which may have contributed to give it among
widely-revered nations a reputation for preternatural
knowledge." One writer says that the smell of death is so
grateful to them that when in passing over sheep a tainted
smell is perceptible, they cry and croak vehemently. It may be
that in passing over a human habitation, if a sickly or
cadaverous smell arises, they should make it known by their
cries, and so has arisen the idea that the croaking of a raven
is the premonition of death.--ED.) A raven was sent out by Noah
from the ark. (Genesis 8:7) This bird was not allowed as food
by the Mosaic law. (Leviticus 11:15) Elijah was cared for by
ravens. (1 Kings 17:4,6) They are expressly mentioned as
instances of God's protecting love and goodness. (Job 38:41;
Luke 12:24) The raven's carnivorous habits, and especially his
readiness to attack the eye, are alluded to in (Proverbs 30:17)
To the fact of the raven being a common bird in Palestine, and
to its habit of flying restlessly about in constant search for
food to satisfy its voracious appetite, may perhaps be traced
the reason for its being selected by our Lord and the inspired
writers as the especial object of God's providing care.
Razor
Besides other usages, the practice of shaving the head after
the completion of a vow must have created among the Jews a
necessity for the special trade of a barber. (Leviticus 14:8;
Numbers 6:9,18; 8:7; Judges 13:5; Isaiah 7:20; Ezekiel 5:1;
Acts 18:18) The instruments of his work were probably, as in
modern times, the razor, the basin, the mirror, and perhaps
also the scissors. See (2 Samuel 14:26) Like the Levites, the
Egyptian priests were accustomed to shave their whole bodies.
Top of Page |
Table of Contents
Reaia
a Reubenite, son of Micah, and apparently prince of his tribe.
(1 Chronicles 5:5) The name is identical with Reai'ah.
Reaiah
(seen of Jehovah).
+ A descendant of Shubal the son of Judah. (1 Chronicles 4:2)
+ The children of Reaiah were a family of Nethinim who returned
from Babylon with Zerubbabel. (Ezra 2:47; Nehemiah 7:50)
(B.C. before 536.)
Reba
(four), one of the five kings of the Midianites slain by the
children of Israel when Balaam fell. (Numbers 31:8; Joshua
13:21) (B.C. 1450.)
Rebecca
(Romans 9:10) only. [[1019]Rebekah]
Rebekah
(ensnarer), daughter of Bethuel, (Genesis 22:23) and sister of
Laban, married to Isaac. She is first presented to us in
(Genesis 24:1) ... where the beautiful story of her marriage is
related. (B.C. 1857.) For nineteen years she was childless:
then Esau and Jacob were born, the younger being the mother's
companion and favorite. (Genesis 25:19-28) Rebekah suggested
the deceit that was practiced by Jacob on his blind father. She
directed and aided him in carrying it out, foresaw the probable
consequence of Esau's anger, and prevented it by moving Isaac
to send Jacob away to Padan-aram, (Genesis 27:1) ... to her own
kindred. (Genesis 29:12) Rebekah's beauty became at one time a
source of danger to her husband. (Genesis 26:7) It has been
conjectured that she died during Jacob's sojourn in Padan-aram.
Rechab
(rider).
+ One of the two "captains of bands" whom Ish-bosheth took into
his service, and who conspired to murder him. (2 Samuel 4:2)
(B.C. 1046.)
+ The father of Malchiah, ruler of part of Beth-haccerem.
(Nehemiah 3:14) (B.C. before 446.)
+ The father or ancestor of Jehonadab. (2 Kings 10:15,33; 1
Chronicles 2:65; Jeremiah 35:6-19) (B.C.before 882.) It was
from this Rechab that the tribe of the Rechabites derived
their name. In (1 Chronicles 2:55) the house of Rechab is
identified with a section of the Kenites, a Midianitish tribe
who came into Canaan with the Israelites, and retained their
nomadic habits. The real founder of the tribe was Jehonadab.
[[1020]Jehonadab] He and his people had all along been
worshippers of Jehovah, circumcised, though not looked upon
as belonging to Israel and probably therefore not considering
themselves bound by the Mosaic law and ritual. The worship of
Baal was offensive to them. Jonadab inaugurated a reformation
and compelled a more rigid adherence than ever to the old
Arab life. They were neither to drink wine, nor build houses,
nor sow seed, nor plant nor have any vineyard. All their days
they were to dwell in tents. (Jeremiah 35:6,7) This was to be
the condition of their retaining a distinct tribal existence.
For two centuries and a half they adhered faithfully to this
rule. The invasion of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar, in B.C. 607,
drove the Rechabites from their tents to Jerusalem, where
they stood proof against temptation, and were specially
blessed. (Jeremiah 35:2-19) There is much of interest in
relation to the present condition of these people. Dr. Wolf
reports that the Jews of Jerusalem and Yemen told him that he
would find the Rechabites of Jere 35 living near Mecca, in
the mountainous country northeast of Medina. When he came
near Senaa he came in contact with a tribe, the Beni-Khabir,
who identified themselves with the sons of Jehonadab. They
claimed to number 60,000, to adhere to the old rules, and to
be a fulfillment of the promise made to Jehonadab.
Rechabites
[[1021]Rechab]
Rechah
(uttermost part), probably a place in Judah--a village,
Rashiah, three miles south of Jerusalem.
Recorder
an officer of high rank in the Jewish state, exercising the
functions, not simply of an annalist, but of chancellor or
president of the privy council. In David's court the recorder
appeal's among the high officers of his household. (2 Samuel
8:16; 20:24; 1 Chronicles 18:15) In Solomon's he is coupled
with the three secretaries. (1 Kings 4:3) comp. 2Kin 18:18,37;
2Chr 34:8
Red Sea
+ Name.--The sea known to us as the Red Sea was by the
Israelites called "the sea," (Exodus 14:2,9,16,21,28;
15:1,4,8,10,19; Joshua 24:6,7) and many other passages, and
specially "the sea of Suph ." (Exodus 10:19; 13:18; 15:4,22;
23:31; Numbers 14:25) etc. This word signifies a sea-weed
resembling wool, and such sea-weed is thrown up abundantly on
the shores of the Red Sea; hence Brugsch calls it the sea of
reeds or weeds . The color of the water is not red. Ebers
says that it is of a lovely blue-green color, and named Red
either from its red banks or from the Erythraeans, who were
called the red people.
+ Physical description .--In extreme length the Red Sea
stretches from the straits of Bab el-Mendeb (or rather Ras
Bab el-Mendeb), 18 miles wide. in lat. 12 degrees 40' N., to
the modern head of the Gulf of Suez, lat. 30 degrees N., a
distance of 1450 miles. Its greatest width may be stated at
about 210 miles. At Ras Mohammed, on the north, the Red Sea
is split by the granitic peninsula of Sinai into two gulfs;
the westernmost, or Gulf of Suez, is now about 150 miles in
length, with an average width of about 20, though it
contracts to less than 10 miles; the easternmost or Gulf of
el-'Akabeh, is about 100 miles long, from the Straits of
Tiran to the 'Akabeh, and 15 miles wide. The average depth of
the Red Sea is from 2500 to 3500 feet, though in places it is
6000 feet deep. Journeying southward from Suez, on our left
is the peninsula of Sinai; on the right is the desert coast
of Egypt, of limestone formation like the greater part of the
Nile valley in Egypt, the cliff's on the sea margin
stretching landward in a great rocky plateau while more
inland a chain of volcanic mountains, beginning about lat. 28
degrees 4' and running south, rear their lofty peaks at
intervals above the limestone, generally about 15 miles
distant.
+ Ancient limits.--The most important change in the Red Sea has
been the drying up of its northern extremity, "the tongue of
the Egyptian Sea." about the head of the gulf has risen and
that near the Mediterranean become depressed. The head of the
gulf has consequently retired gradually since the Christian
era. Thus the prophecy of Isaiah has been fulfilled, (Isaiah
11:15; 10:5) the tongue of the Red Sea has dried up for a
distance of at least 50 miles from its ancient head. An
ancient canal conveyed the waters of the Nile to the Red Sea,
flowing through the Wadi-t Tumeylat and irrigating with its
system of water-channels a large extent of country. It was 62
Roman miles long, 54 feet wide and 7 feet deep. The drying up
of the head of the gulf appears to have been one of the chief
causes of the neglect and ruin of this canal. The country,
for the distance above indicated, is now a desert of gravelly
sand, with wide patches about the old sea-bottom, of rank
marsh land, now called the "Bitter Lakes." At the northern
extremity of this salt waste is a small lake, sometimes
called the Lake of Heropolis; the lake is now
Birket-et-Timsah "the lake of the crocodile," and is supposed
to mark the ancient head of the gulf. The canal that
connected this with the Nile was of Pharaonic origin. It was
anciently known as the "Fossa Regum" and the "canal of Hero."
The time at which the canal was extended, after the drying up
of the head of the gulf, to the present head is uncertain,
but it must have been late, and probably since the Mohammedan
conquest. Traces of the ancient channel throughout its entire
length to the vicinity of Bubastis exist at intervals in the
present day. The land north of the ancient gulf is a plain of
heavy sand, merging into marsh-land near the Mediterranean
coast, and extending to Palestine. This region, including
Wadi-t-Tumeylat, was probably the frontier land occupied in
pact by the Israelites, and open to the incursions of the
wild tribes of the Arabian desert.
+ Navigation.--The sea, from its dangers and sterile shores, is
entirely destitute of boats. The coral of the Red Sea is
remarkably abundant, and beautifully colored and variegated;
but it forms so many reefs and islands along the shores that
navigation is very dangerous, and the shores are chiefly
barren rock and sand, and therefore very sparsely inhabited
so that there are but three cities along the whole 1450 miles
of its west coast--Suez, at the head, a city of 14,000
inhabitants; Sanakin, belonging to Soudan, of 10,000; and
Massau, in Albyssinia, of 5000. Only two ports, Elath and
Ezion-geber, are mentioned in the Bible. The earliest
navigation of the Red Sea (passing by the pre-historical
Phoenicians) is mentioned by Herodotus:--"Seostris (Rameses
II.) was the first who passing the Arabian Gulf in a fleet of
long vessels, reduced under his authority the inhabitants of
the coast bordering the Erythrean Sea." Three centuries
later, Solomon's navy was built "in Ezion-geber, which is
beside Eloth, on the shore of the Red Sea (Yam Suph), in the
land of Edom." (1 Kings 9:20) The kingdom of Solomon extended
as far as the Red Sea, upon which he possessed the harbors of
Elath and Ezion-geber. [[1022]Elath, Eloth; EZION-GEBER] It
is possible that the sea has retired here as at Suez, and
that Ezion-geber is now dry land. Jehoshaphat also "made
ships of Tharshish to go to Ophir for gold; but they went
not; for the ships were broken at Ezion-geber." (1 Kings
22:48) The scene of this wreck has been supposed to be
Edh-Dhahab. The fleets appear to have sailed about the
autumnal equinox, and returned in December or the middle of
January. The Red Sea, as it possessed for many centuries the
most important sea-trade of the East contained ports of
celebrity. The Heroopolite Gulf (Gulf of Suez) is of the
chief interest; it was near to Goshen, it was the scene of
the passage of the Red Sea, and it was the "tongue of the
Egyptian Sea." It was also the seat of the Egyptian trade in
this sea and to the Indian Ocean.
+ Passage of the Red Sea .--The passage of the Red Sea was the
crisis of the exodus. It is usual to suppose that the most
northern place at which the Red Sea could have been crossed
is the present head of the Gulf of Suez. This supposition
depends upon the erroneous idea that in the time of Moses the
gulf did not extend farther to the northward then at present.
An examination of the country north of Suez has shown,
however, that the sea has receded many miles. The old bed is
indicated by the Birket-et Timsah, or "lake of the
crocodile," and the more southern Bitter Lakes, the
northernmost part of the former probably corresponding to the
head of it the at the time of the exodus. It is necessary to
endeavor to ascertain the route of the Israelites before we
can attempt to discover where they crossed the sea. The point
from which they started was Rameses, a place certain in the
land of Goshen, which we identified with the Wadi-t-Tumeylat
. They encamped at Succoth. At the end of the second day's
journey the camping place was at Etham, "in the edge of the
wilderness." (Exodus 13:20; Numbers 33:6) Here the
Wadi-t-Tumeylat was probably left, as it is cultivable and
terminates in the desert. At the end of the third day's march
for each camping place seems to mark the close of a day's
journey the Israelites encamped by the sea, place of this
last encampment and that of the passage would be not very far
from the Persepolitan monument at Pihahiroth. It appears that
Migdol was behind Pi-hahiroth and on the other hand
Baalzephon and the sea. From Pi-hahiroth the Israelites
crossed the sea. This was not far from halfway between the
Bitter Lakes and the Gulf of Suez, where now it is dry land.
The Muslims suppose Memphis to have been the city at which
the Pharaoh of the exodus resided before that event occurred.
From opposite Memphis a broad valley leads to the Red Sea. It
is in part called the Wadi-t-Teeh, or "Valley of the
Wandering." From it the traveller reaches the sea beneath the
lofty Gebel-et-Takah, which rises in the north and shuts off
all escape in that direction excepting by a narrow way along
the seashore, which Pharaoh might have occupied. The sea here
is broad and deep, as the narrative is generally held to
imply. All the local features seem suited for a great event.
The only points bearing on geography in the account of this
event are that the sea was divided by an east wind. Whence we
may reasonably infer that it was crossed from west to east,
and that the whole Egyptian army perished, which shows that
it must have been some miles broad. On the whole we may
reasonably suppose about twelve miles as the smallest breadth
of the sea. The narrative distinctly states that a path was
made through the sea, and that the waters were a wall on
either hand. The term "wall" does not appear to oblige us to
suppose, as many have done, that the sea stood up like a
cliff on either side, but should rather be considered to mean
a barrier, as the former idea implies a seemingly needless
addition to the miracle, while the latter seems to be not
discordant with the language of the narrative. It was during
the night that the Israelites crossed, and the Egyptians
followed. In the morning watch, the last third or fourth of
the night, or the period before sunrise Pharaoh's army was in
full pursuit in the divided sea, and was there miraculously
troubled, so that the Egyptians sought to flee. (Exodus
14:23-25) Then was Moses commanded again to stretch out his
hand and the sea returned to its strength, and overwhelmed
the Egyptians, of whom not one remained alive, Ibid. 26-28.
(But on the whole it is becoming more probable that the place
where the Israelites crossed "was near the town of Suez, on
extensive shoals which run toward the southeast, in the
direction of Ayim Musa (the Wells of Moses). The distance is
about three miles at high tide. This is the most probable
thee Near here Napoleon, deceived by the tidal wave,
attempted to cross in 1799, and nearly met the fate of
Pharaoh. But an army of 600,000 could of course never have
crossed it without a miracle."--Schaff's Through Bible Lands
. Several routes and places of crossing advocated by learned
Egyptologists can be clearly seen by the accompanying maps.
The latest theory is that which Brugsch-bey has lately
revived that the word translated Red Sea is "Sea of Reeds or
Weeds," and refers to the Serbonian bog in the northeastern
part of Egypt, and that the Israelites crossed here instead
of the Red Sea. "A gulf profound, as that Serbonian bog . . .
where armies whole have sunk."--Milton. And among these
armies that of Artarerxes, king of Persia, B.C. 350. But it
is very difficult to make this agree with the Bible
narrative, and if is the least satisfactory of all the
theories.--ED.)
Reed
Under this name may be noticed the following Hebrew words:
+ Agmon occurs in (Job 40:12,16; Isaiah 9:14) (Authorized
Version "rush"). There can be no doubt that it denotes some
aquatic reed-like plant, probably the Phragmitis communis,
which, if it does not occur in Palestine and Egypt, is
represented by a very closely-allied species, viz., the
Arundo isiaca of Delisle. The drooping panicle of this plant
will answer well to the "bowing down the head" of which
Isaiah speaks. (Isaiah 58:5)
+ Gnome, translated "rush" and "bulrush" by the Authorized
Version, without doubt denotes the celebrated paper-reed of
the ancients, Papyrus antiquorum, which formerly was common
in some parts of Egypt. The papyrus reed is not now found in
Egypt; it grows however, in Syria. Dr. Hooker saw it on the
banks of Lake Tiberias, a few miles north of the town. The
papyrus plant has an angular stem from 3 to 6 feet high,
though occasionally it grows to the height of 14 feet it has
no leaves; the flowers are in very small spikelets, which
grow on the thread-like flowering branchlets which form a
bushy crown to each stem; (It was used for making paper,
shoes, sails, ropes, mattresses, etc. The Greek name is
Biblos, from which came our word Bible--book--because books
were made of the papyrus paper. This paper was always
expensive among the Greeks, being worth a dollar a
sheet.--ED.)
+ Kaneh, a reed of any kind. Thus there are in general four
kinds of reeds named in the Bible: (1) The water reed; No, 1
above. (2) A stronger reed, Arundo donax, the true reed of
Egypt and Palestine, which grows 8 or 10 feet high, and is
thicker than a man's thumb. It has a jointed stalk like the
bamboo, and is very abundant on the Nile. (3) The writing
reed, Arundo scriptoria, was used for making pens. (4) The
papyrus; No. 2.
Reelaiah
(bearer of Jehovah), one who went up with Zerubbabel. (Ezra
2:2) In (Nehemiah 7:7) he is called [1023]Raamiah. (B.C. 445.)
Refiner
The refiner's art was essential to the working of the precious
metals. It consisted in the separation of the dress from the
pure ore, which was effected by reducing the metal to a fluid
state by the application of heat, and by the aid of solvents,
such as alkali, (Isaiah 1:25) or lead, Jere 6:29 Which,
amalgamating with the dress, permitted the extraction of the
unadulterated metal. The instruments required by the refiner
were a crucible of furnace and a bellows or blow-pipe. The
workman sat at his work, (Malachi 3:3) he was thus better
enabled to watch the process, and let the metal run off at the
proper moment.
Refuges Cities Of
[CITIES OF REFUGE] CITIES OF REFUGE - 1019
Regem
(friend) a son of Jahdai. (1 Chronicles 2:47)
Regemmelech
(friend of the king). The names of Sherezer and Regem-melech
occur in an obscure passage of Zechariah. (Zechariah 7:2) They
were sent on behalf of some of the captivity to make inquiries
at the temple concerning fasting (B.C. 617.)
Rehabiah
(enlarged by Jehovah), the only son of Eliezer the son of
Moses. (1 Chronicles 23:17; 24:21; 26:25) (B.C. about 1455.)
Rehob
+ The father of Hadadezer king of Zobah, whom David smote at
the Euphrates. (2 Samuel 8:3,12) (B.C. before 1043.)
+ A Levite or family of Levites who sealed the covenant with
Nehemiah. (Nehemiah 10:11) (B.C. 410.)
+ The northern limit of the exploration of the spies. (Numbers
13:21) Robinson fixes the position of Rehob as not far from
Tell el-Kady and Banias .
+ One of the towns allotted to Asher. (Joshua 19:28)
+ Asher contained another Rehob, (Joshua 19:30) but the
situation of these towns is unknown.
Rehoboam
(enlarger of the people), son of Solomon by the Ammonite
princess Naamah, (1 Kings 14:21,31) and his successor. (1 Kings
11:43) Rehoboam selected Shechem as the place of his coronation
(B.C. 975), probably as an act of concession to the
Ephraimites. The people demanded a remission of the severe
burdens imposed by Solomon, and Rehoboam, rejecting the advice
of his father's counsellors, followed that of his young
courtiers, and returned an insulting answer, which led to an
open rebellion among the tribes, and he was compelled to fly to
Jerusalem, Judah and Benjamin alone remaining true to him.
Jeroboam was made king of the northern tribes. [[1024]Jeroboam]
An expedition to reconquer Israel was forbidden by the prophet
Shemaiah, (1 Kings 12:21) still during Rehoboam's lifetime
peaceful relations between Israel and Judah were never
restored. (2 Chronicles 12:15; 1 Kings 14:30) In the fifth year
of Rehoboam's reign the country was invaded by a host of
Egyptians and other African nations under Shishak. Jerusalem
itself was taken and Rehoboam had to purchase an ignominious
peace by delivering up the treasures with which Solomon had
adorned the temple and palace. The rest of Rehoboam's life was
unmarked by any events of importance. He died B.C. 958, after a
reign of 17 years, having ascended the throne B.C. 975, at the
age of 41. (1 Kings 14:21; 2 Chronicles 12:13) He had 18 wives,
60 concubines, 28 sons and 60 daughters.
Rehoboth
(wide places, i.e. streets).
+ The third of the series of wells dug by Isaac, (Genesis
26:22) in the Philistines' territory, lately identified as
er-Ruheibeh, 16 miles south of Beersheba.
+ One of the four cities built by Asshur, or by Nimrod in
Asshur, according as this difficult passage is translated.
(Genesis 10:11) Nothing certain is known of its position.
+ The city of a certain Saul or Shaul, one of the early kings
of the Edomites. (Genesis 36:37; 1 Chronicles 1:48) The affix
"by the river" fixes the situation of Rehoboth as on the
Euphrates.
Rehum
(merciful).
+ One who went up from Babylon with Zerubbabel. (Ezra 2:2)
(B.C. 536.)
+ "Rehum the chancellor." (Ezra 4:8,9,17,23) He was perhaps a
kind of lieutenant-governor of the province under the king of
Persia. (B.C. 535.)
+ A Levite of the family of Bani, who assisted in rebuilding
the walls of Jerusalem. (Nehemiah 3:17) (B.C. 445.)
+ One of the chief of the people, who signed the covenant with
Nehemiah. (Nehemiah 10:25) (B.C. 410.)
+ A priestly family, or the head of a priestly house, who went
up with Zerubbabel. (Nehemiah 12:3) (B.C. 536.)
Rei
(friendly), a person mentioned (in (1 Kings 1:8) only) as
having remained firm to David's cause when Adonijah rebelled.
(B.C. 1015.)
Reins
(i.e. kidneys). In the ancient system of physiology the kidneys
were believed to be the seat of desire and longing, which
accounts for their often being coupled with the heart. (Psalms
7:9; 26:2; Jeremiah 11:20; 17:10), etc.
Rekem
one of the towns of the allotment of Benjamin. (Joshua 18:27)
Its existing site is unknown.
(variegation).
+ One of the five kings or chieftains of Midian slain by the
Israelites. (Numbers 31:8; Joshua 13:21)
+ One of the four sons of Hebron, and father of Shammai. (1
Chronicles 2:43,44)
Remaliah
(protected by Jehovah). The father of Pekah, captain of
Pekahiah; king of Israel, who slew his master and usurped his
throne. (2 Kings 15:25-37; 16:1,5; 2 Chronicles 28:6; Isaiah
7:1-9; 8:6) (B.C. 756.)
Remeth
(height), one of the towns of Issachar. (Joshua 19:21) It is
probably though not certainly, a distinct place from the RAMOTH
of (1 Chronicles 6:73)
Remmon
(pomegranate), a town in the allotment of Simeon, (Joshua 10:7)
elsewhere accurately given in the Authorized Version as Rimmon.
Remmonmethoar
a place which formed one of the landmarks of Zebulun. (Joshua
19:13) only. Methoar does not really form a part of the name,
but should be translated (as in the margin of the Authorized
Version) "Remmon which reaches to Neah." Dr. Robinson and Mr.
Van Deuteronomy Velde place Rummaneh on the south border of the
plain of Buttauf, three miles north-northeast of Seffurieh .
Remphan
(Acts 7:43) and Chi'un, (Amos 5:26) have been supposed to be
names of an idol worshipped secretly by the Israelites in the
wilderness, difficulty has been occasioned by this
corresponding occurrence of two names so wholly different in
sound. The most reasonable opinion seems to be that Chiun was a
Hebrew or Semitic name, and Remphan an Egyptian equivalent
substituted by the LXX. This idol corresponded probably to
Saturn or Molech. The mention of Chiun or Remphan as worshipped
in the desert shows that this idolatry was, in part at least
that of foreigners, and no doubt of those settled in lower
Egypt.
Rephael
(healed of God), son of Shemaiah, the first-born of Obed-edom.
(1 Chronicles 26:7) (B.C. about 1015.)
Rephah
a son of Ephraim, and ancestor of Joshua. (1 Chronicles 7:26)
Rephaiah
(healed of Jehovah).
+ The sons of Rephaiah appear among the descendants of
Zerubbabel in (1 Chronicles 3:21)
+ A Simeonite chieftain in the reign of Hezekiah. (1 Chronicles
4:42) (B.C. 727.)
+ Son of Tola the son of Issachar. (1 Chronicles 7:2)
+ Son of Binea, and descendant of Saul. (1 Chronicles 9:43)
+ The son of Hur, and ruler of a portion of Jerusalem.
(Nehemiah 3:9) (B.C. 441.)
Rephaim
[[1025]Giants]
Rephaim, The Valley Of
(1 Samuel 5:18,22; 23:13; 1 Chronicles 11:15; 14:9; Isaiah
17:5) also in (Joshua 15:8) and Josh 18:16 It is translated in
the Authorized Version "the valley of the giants," a spot which
was the scene of some of David's most remarkable adventures. He
twice encountered and defeated the Philistines there. (2 Samuel
5:17-25; 23:13) etc. Since the latter part of the sixteenth
century the name has been attached to the upland plain which
stretches south of Jerusalem and is crossed by the road to
Bethlehem--the el Buk'ah of the modern Arabs. (This valley
begins near the valley of Hinnom, southwest of Jerusalem
extending toward Bethlehem. It is about a mile long, with hills
on either side. This agrees with Josephus and is the
generally-accepted location of this valley.--ED.) Tobler,
however, in his last investigations conclusively adopts the
Wady Der Jasin, on the northwest of Jerusalem. The valley
appears to derive its name from the ancient nation of the
Rephaim. [[1026]Giants]
Rephan
the reading, in the Revised Version, for Remphan, (Acts 7:43)
Rephidim
(Exodus 17:1,8; 19:2) The name means rests or stays, i.e.
resting places. The place lies in the march of the Israelites
from Egypt to Sinai. Its site is not certain, but it is perhaps
Wady Feiran, a rather broad valley about 25 miles from Jebel
Musa (Mount Sinai). Others place it in Wady es Sheikh, an
eastern continuation of Feiran, and about 12 miles from Sinai.
Here the Israelites fought their first battle and gained their
first victory after leaving Egypt, the Amalekites having
attacked them; here also the people murmured from thirst, and
Moses brought water for them out of the rock. From this
murmuring the place was called "Massah" and "Meribah."
Resen
(bridle), (Genesis 10:12) one of the cities built by Asshur,
"between Nineveh and Calah." Assyrian remains of some
considerable extent are found near the modern village of
Selamiyeh, and it is perhaps the most probable conjecture that
these represent Resen.
Resheph
(flame), a son of Ephraim. (1 Chronicles 7:25)
Reu
(friend), son of Peleg, in the line of Abraham's ancestors.
(Genesis 11:18,19,20,21; 1 Chronicles 1:25) (B.C. about 2213.)
Reuben
(behold a son), Jacob's firstborn Child, (Genesis 29:32) the
son of Leah. (B.C. 1753.) The notices of the patriarch Reuben
give, on the whole a favorable view of his disposition. To him
and him alone the preservation of Joseph's life appears to have
been due and afterward he becomes responsible for his safety.
(Genesis 37:18-30; 42:37) Of the repulsive crime which mars his
history, and which turned the blessing of his dying father into
a curse--his adulterous connection with Bilhah-- we know from
the Scriptures only the fact. (Genesis 35:22) He was of an
ardent, impetuous, unbalanced but not ungenerous nature; not
crafty and cruel, as were Simeon and Levi, but rather, to use
the metaphor of the dying patriarch, boiling up like a vessel
of water over a rapid wood fire, and as quickly subsiding when
the fuel was withdrawn. At the time of the migration into
Egypt, Reuben's sons were four. (Genesis 46:9; 1 Chronicles
5:3) The census at Mount Sinai, (Numbers 1:20,21; 2:11) shows
that at the exodus the men of the tribe above twenty years of
age and fit for active warlike service numbered 46,600. The
Reubenites maintained the ancient calling of their forefathers.
Their cattle accompanied them in their flight from Egypt.
(Exodus 12:38) Territory of the tribe .--The portion of the
promised land selected by Reuben had the special name of "the
Mishor," with reference possibly to its evenness. Under its
modern name of the Belka it is still esteemed beyond all others
by the Arab sheep-masters. It was a fine pasture-land east of
the Jordan, lying between the river Arnon on the south and
Gilead on the north. Though the Israelites all aided the
Reubenites in conquering the land, and they in return helped
their brothers to secure their own possessions, still there was
always afterward a bar, a difference in feeling and habits,
between the eastern and western tribes. The pile of stones
which they erected on the west bank of the Jordan to mark their
boundary was erected in accordance with the unalterable habits
of Bedouin tribes both before and since. This act was
completely misunderstood and was construed into an attempt to
set up a rival altar to that of the sacred tent. No Judge, no
prophet, no hero of the tribe of Reuben is handed down to us.
The Reubenites disliked war clinging to their fields and
pastures even when their brethren were in great distress. Being
remote from the seat of the national government and of the
national religion, it is not to be wondered at that the
Reubenites relinquished the faith of Jehovah. The last
historical notice which we possess of them, while it records
this fact, records also as its natural consequence that they
and the Gadites and the half-tribe Manasseh were carried off by
Pul and Tiglath-pileser. (1 Chronicles 5:26)
Reuel
(friend of God) One of the sons of Esau, by his wife Bashemath,
sister of Ishmael. (Genesis 36:4,10,13,17; 1 Chronicles
1:36,37) (B.C. about 1790.)
+ One of the names of Moses' father-in-law. (Exodus 2:18) (B.C.
1530.)
+ Father of Eliasaph, the leader of the tribe of Gad at the
time of the census at Sinai. (Numbers 2:14) (B.C. 1490.)
+ A Benjamite, ancestor of Elah. (1 Chronicles 9:8)
Reumah
(elevated), the concubine of Nahor, Abraham's brother. (Genesis
22:4) (B.C. about 1870.)
Revelation Of St. John
the last book of the New Testament. It is often called the
Apocalypse, which is its title in Greek, signifying
"Revelation,"
+ Canonical authority and authorship.--The inquiry as to the
canonical authority of the Revelation resolves itself into a
question of authorship. Was St. John the apostle and
evangelist the writer of the Revelation? The evidence adduced
in support of his being the author consists of (1) the
assertions of the author and (2) historical tradition. (1)
The author's description of himself in the 1st and 22d
chapters is certainly equivalent to an assertion that he is
the apostle. He names himself simply John, without prefix or
addition. is also described as a servant of Christ, one who
had borne testimony as an eye-witness of the word of God and
of the testimony of Christ. He is in Patmos for the word of
God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. He is also a fellow
sufferer with those whom he addresses, and the authorized
channel of the most direct and important communication that
was ever made to the Seven Churches of Asia, of which
churches John the apostle was at that time the spiritual
governor and teacher. Lastly, the writer was a fellow servant
of angels and a brother of prophets. All these marks are
found united in the apostle John, and in him alone of all
historical persons. (2) A long series of writers testify to
St. John's authorship: Justin Martyr (cir. 150 A.D.),
Eusebius, Irenaeus (A.D. 195), Clement of Alexandria (about
200), Tertullian (207), Origen (233). All the foregoing
writers, testifying that the book came from an apostle,
believed that it was a part of Holy Scripture. The book was
admitted into the list of the Third Council of Carthage, A.D.
397.
+ Time and place of writing.--The date of the Revelation is
given by the great majority of critics as A.D. 95-97.
Irenaeus says: "It (i.e. the Revelation) was seen no very
long time ago, but almost in our own generation, at the close
of Domitian's reign. Eusebius also records that, in the
persecution under Domitian, John the apostle and evangelist
was banished to the Island Patmos for his testimony of the
divine word. There is no mention in any writer of the first
three centuries of any other time or place, and the style in
which the messages to the Seven Churches are delivered rather
suggests the notion that the book was written in Patmos.
+ Interpretation .--Modern interpreters are generally placed in
three great divisions: (a) The Historical or Continuous
exposition, in whose opinion the Revelation is a progressive
history of the fortunes of the Church from the first century
to the end of time. (b) The Praeterist expositors, who are of
opinion that the Revelation has been almost or altogether
fulfilled in the time which has passed since it was written;
that it refers principally to the triumph of Christianity
over Judaism and Paganism, signalized in the downfall of
Jerusalem and of Rome. (c) The Futurist expositors, whose
views show a strong reaction against some extravagances of
the two preceding schools. They believe that the whole book,
excepting perhaps the first three chapters, refers
principally, if not exclusively, to events which are yet-to
come. Dr.Arnold in his sermons "On the Interpretation of
Prophecy" suggests that we should bear in mind that
predictions have a lower historical sense as well as a higher
spiritual sense; that there may be one or more than one
typical, imperfect, historical fulfillment of the prophecy,
in each of which the higher spiritual fulfillment is shadowed
forth more or less distinctly.
Rezeph
(a hot stone), one of the places which Sennacherib mentions, in
his taunting message to Hezekiah, as having been destroyed by
his predecessor. (2 Kings 19:12; Isaiah 37:12)
Rezia
(delight), an Asherite, of the sons of Ulla. (1 Chronicles
7:39) (B.C. 1444.)
Rezin
(firm).
+ King of Damascus. He attacked Jotham during the latter part
of his reign, (2 Kings 15:37) but his chief war was with
Ahaz, whose territories he invaded, in conjunction with Pekah
about B.C. 741. Though unsuccessful is his siege of
Jerusalem, (2 Kings 16:5; Isaiah 7:1) he "recovered Elath to
Syria." (2 Kings 16:6) Soon after this he was attacked
defeated and slain by Tiglath-pileser II, king of Assyria. (2
Kings 16:9)
+ One of the families of the Nethinim. (Ezra 2:48; Nehemiah
7:50) (B.C. before 536.)
Rezon
(prince), son of Eliadah, a Syrian, who when David defeated
Hadadezer king of Zobah, put himself at the head of a band of
freebooters and set up a petty kingdom at Damascus. (1 Kings
11:23) He harassed the kingdom of Solomon during his whole
reign. (B.C. 1043-975.)
Top of Page |
Table of Contents
Rhegium
(breach), an Italian town situated on the Bruttian coast, just
at the southern entrance of the Straits of Messina. The name
occurs in the account of St. Paul's voyage from Syracuse to
Puteoli, after the shipwreck at Malta. (Acts 28:13) By a
curious coincidence, the figures on its coin are the very "twin
brothers" which gave the name to St. Paul's ship. It was
originally a Greek colony; it was miserably destroyed by
Dionysius of Syracuse. From Augustus it received advantages
which combined with its geographical position in making it
important throughout the duration of the Roman empire. The
modern Reggio is a town of 10,000 inhabitants. Its distance
across the straits from Messina is only about six miles.
Rhesa
(head), son of Zorobabel in the genealogy of Christ. (Luke
3:27) It is conjectured that Rhesa is no person, but merely a
title.
Rhoda
(rose), the name of a maid who announced Peter's arrival at the
door of Mary's house after his miraculous release from prison.
(Acts 12:13) (A.D. 44.)
Rhodes
(rosy), a celebrated island in the Mediterranean Sea. (It is
triangular in form, 60 miles long from north to south, and
about 18 wide. It is noted now, as in ancient times, for its
delightful climate and the fertility of its soil. The city of
Rhodes, its capital, was famous for its huge brazen statue of
Apollo called the Colossus of Rhodes. It stood at the entrance
of the harbor, and was so large that ships in full sail could
pass between its legs. ED.) Rhodes is immediately opposite the
high Carian and Lycian headlands at the southwest extremity of
the peninsula of Asia Minor. Its position had much to do with
its history. Its real eminence began about 400 B.C. with the
founding of the city of Rhodes, at the northeast extremity of
the island, which still continues to be the capital. After
Alexander's death it entered on a glorious period, its material
prosperity being largely developed, and its institutions
deserving and obtaining general esteem. We have notice of the
Jewish residents in Rhodes in 1 Macc. 15:23. The Romans, after
the defeat of Antiochus, assigned, during some time, to Rhodes
certain districts on the mainland. Its Byzantine, history is
again eminent. Under Constantine If was the metropolis of the
"Province of the Islands," It was the last place where the
Christians of the East held out against the advancing Seracens;
and subsequently it was once more famous as the home and
fortress of the Knights of St. John. (It is now reduced to
abject poverty. There are two cities--Rhodes the capital and
Lindus--and forty or fifty villages. The population, according
to Turner is 20,000, of whom 6000 are Turks and the rest
Greeks, together with a few Jews.)
Top of Page |
Table of Contents
Ribai, Or Ribai
(pleader with Jehovah), the father of Ittai the Benjamite, of
Gibeah. (2 Samuel 23:29; 1 Chronicles 11:31) (B.C. before
1020.)
Riblah
(fertility), One of the landmarks on the eastern boundary of
the land of Israel, as specified by Moses. (Numbers 34:11) It
seems hardly possible, without entirely disarranging the
specification or the boundary, that the Riblah in question can
be the same with the following.
+ Riblah in the land of Hamath, a place on the great road
between Palestine and Babylonia, at which the kings of
Babylonia were accustomed to remain while directing the
operations of their armies in Palestine and Phoenicia. Here
Nebuchadnezzer waited while the sieges of Jerusalem and of
Tyre were being conducted by his lieutenants. (Jeremiah
39:5,6; 62:9,10,26,27; 2 Kings 25:6,20,21) In like manner
Pharaoh-necho after his victory over the Babylonians at
Carchemish, returned to Riblah and summoned Jehoahaz from
Jerusalem before him. (2 Kings 23:33) This Riblah still
retains its ancient name, on the right (east) bank of the
el-Asy (Orontes) upon the great road which connects Baalbek
and Hums, about 36 miles northeast of the former end 20 miles
southwest of the latter place.
Riddle
It is known that all ancient nations, and especially Orientals,
were fond of riddles. The riddles which the queen of Sheba came
to ask of Solomon, (1 Kings 10:1; 2 Chronicles 9:1) were rather
"hard questions" referring to profound inquiries. Solomon is
said, however, to have been very fond of riddles. Riddles were
generally proposed in verse, like the celebrated riddle of
Samson. (Judges 14:14-19)
Rimmon
a deity worshipped by the Syrians of Damascus, where there was
a temple or house of Rimmon. (2 Kings 5:18) Rimmon is perhaps
the abbreviated form of Hadad-rimmon, Hadad being the sun-god
of the Syrians. Combining this with the pomegranate which was
his symbol, Hadad-rimmon would then he the sun-god of the late
summer, who ripens the pomegranate and other fruits.
(pomegranate) the name of several towns.
+ A city of Zebulun (1 Chronicles 6:77; Nehemiah 11:29) a
Levitical city, the present Rummaneh, six miles north of
Nazareth.
+ A town in the southern portion of Judah, (Joshua 15:3)
allotted to Simeon, (Joshua 19:7; 1 Chronicles 4:32) probably
13 miles southwest of Hebron.
+ Rimmon-parez (pomegranate of the breach), the name of a
march-station in the wilderness. (Numbers 33:19,20) No place
now known has been identified with it.
+ Rimmon the Rock, a cliff or inaccessible natural fastness, in
which the six hundred Benjamites who escaped the slaughter of
Gibeah took refuge. (Judges 20:45,47; 21:13) In the wild
country which lies on the east of the central highlands of
Benjamin the name is still found attached to a village
perched on the summit of a conical chalky hill, visible in
all directions, and commanding the whole country.
+ A Benjamite of Beeroth, the father of Rechab and Baanah, the
murderers of Ish-bosheth. (2 Samuel 4:2,5,9)
Ring
The ring was regarded as an indispensable article of a Hebrew's
attire, inasmuch as it contained his signet. It was hence the
symbol of authority. (Genesis 41:42; Esther 3:10) Rings were
worn not only by men, but by women. (Isaiah 3:21) We may
conclude from (Exodus 28:11) that the rings contained a stone
engraven with a device or with the owner's name. The custom
appears also to have prevailed among the Jews of the apostolic
age. (James 2:2)
Rinnah
(a shout), one of the descendants of Judah. (1 Chronicles 4:20)
(B.C. 1300.)
Riphath
(spoken), the second son of Gomer. (Genesis 10:3) The name may
be identified with the Rhipaean mountains, i.e. the Carpathian
range in the northeast of Dacia.
Rithmah
(heath), a march-station in the wilderness, (Numbers 33:18,19)
Probably northeast of Hazeroth.
Riusah
(a ruin), a march-station in the wilderness. (Numbers 33:21,22)
River
In the sense in which we employ the word viz. for a perennial
stream of considerable size, a river is a much rarer object in
the East than in the West. With the exception of the Jordan and
the Litany, the streams of the holy land are either entirely
dried up in the summer months converted into hot lanes of
glaring stones, or else reduced to very small streamlets,
deeply sunk in a narrow bed, and concealed from view by a dense
growth of shrubs. The perennial river is called nahar by the
Hebrews. With the definite article, "the river," it signifies
invariably the Euphrates. (Genesis 31:21; Exodus 23:31; Numbers
24:6; 2 Samuel 10:16) etc. It is never applied to the fleeting
fugitive torrents of Palestine. The term for these is nachal,
for which our translators have used promiscuously, and
sometimes almost alternately, "valley" "brook" and "river." No
one of these words expresses the thing intended; but the term
"brook" is peculiarly unhappy. Many of the wadys of Palestine
are deep, abrupt chasms or rents in the solid rock of-the
hills, and have a savage, gloomy aspect, far removed from that
of an English brook. Unfortunately our language does not
contain any single word which has both the meanings of the
Hebrew nachal and its Arabic equivalent wady which can be used
at once for a dry valley and for the stream which occasionally
flows through it.
River Of Egypt
+ The Nile. (Genesis 15:18) [[1027]Nile]
+ A desert stream on the border of Egypt, still occasionally
flowing in the valley called Wadi-l-'Areesh . The centre of
the valley is occupied by the bed of this torrent, which only
flows after rains, as is usual in the desert valleys. This
stream is first mentioned as the point where the southern
border of the promised land touched the Mediterranean, which
formed its western border. (Numbers 34:3-6) In the latter
history we find Solomon's kingdom extending from the
"entering in of Hamath unto the river of Egypt," (1 Kings
8:65) and Egypt limited in the same manner where the loss of
the eastern provinces is mentioned. (2 Kings 24:7)
Rizpah
concubine to King Saul, and mother of his two sons Armoni and
Mephibosheth. (B.C. 1080.) The tragic story of the love and
endurance with which she watched over the bodies of her two
sons, who were killed by the Gibeonites, (2 Samuel 21:8-11) has
made Rizpah one of the most familiar objects in the whole
Bible.
Top of Page |
Table of Contents
Road
This word occurs but once in the Authorized Version of the
Bible, viz. in (1 Samuel 37:10) where it is used in the sense
of "raid" or "inroad." Where a travelled road is meant "path"
or "way" is used, since the eastern roads are more like our
paths.
Robbery
Robbery has ever been one of the principal employments of the
nomad tribes of the East. From the time of Ishmael to the
present day the Bedouin has been a "wild man," and a robber by
trade. (Genesis 16:12) The Mosaic law on the subject of theft
is contained in (Exodus 2:2) There seems no reason to suppose
that the law underwent any alteration in Solomon's time.
Man-stealing was punishable with death. (Exodus 21:16; 24:7)
Invasion of right in land was strictly forbidden. (27:17;
Isaiah 5:8; Micah 2:2)
Roe, Roebuck
The Hebrew words thus translated denote some species of
antelope, probably the Gazella arabica of Syria and Arabia. The
gazelle was allowed as food, (12:15,22) etc.; it is mentioned
as very fleet of foot, (2 Samuel 2:18; 1 Chronicles 12:8) it
was hunted, (Isaiah 13:14; Proverbs 6:5) it was celebrated for
its loveliness. (Song of Solomon 2:9,17; 8:14)
Rogelim
(fullers) the residence of Barzillai the Gileadite, (2 Samuel
17:27; 19:31) in the highlands east of the Jordan.
Rohgah
(clamor), an Asherite, of the sons of Shamer. (1 Chronicles
7:34) (B.C. about 1490.)
Roll
A book in ancient times consisted of a single long strip of
paper or parchment, which was usually kept rolled upon a stick,
and was unrolled when a person wished to read it. The roll was
usually written on one side only, and hence the particular
notice of one that was "written within and without." (Ezekiel
2:10) The writing was arranged in columns.
Romamtiezer
one of the fourteen sons of Heman. (1 Chronicles 25:4,31) (B.C.
about 1014.)
Roman Empire
+ The first historic mention of Rome in the Bible is in 1 Macc.
1:10, about the year 161 B.C. in the year 65 B.C., when Syria
was made a Roman province by Pompey, the Jews were still
governed by one of the Asmonaean princes. The next year
Pompey himself marched an army into Judea and took Jerusalem.
From this time the Jews were practically under the government
of Rome. Finally, Antipater's son Herod the Great was made
king by Antony's interest, B.C. 40, and confirmed in the
kingdom by Augustus, B.C. 30. The Jews, however, were all
this time tributaries of Rome, and their princes in reality
were Roman procurators, On the banishment of Archelaus, A.D.
6, Judea became a mere appendage of the province of Syria,
and was governed by a Roman procurator, who resided at
Caesarea. Such were the relations of the Jewish people to the
Roman government at the time when the New Testament history
begins.
+ Extent of the empire .--Cicero's description of the Greek
states and colonies as a "fringe on the skirts of barbarism"
has been well applied to the Roman dominions before the
conquests of Pompey and Caesar. The Roman empire was still
confined to a narrow strip encircling the Mediterranean Sea.
Pompey added Asia Minor and Syria. Caesar added Gaul. The
generals of Augustus overran the northwest Portion of Spain
and the country between the Alps and the Danube. The
boundaries of the empire were now the Atlantic on the west,
the Euphrates on the east, the deserts of Africa, the
cataracts of the Nile and the Arabian deserts on the south,
the British Channel, the Rhine, the Danube and the Black Sea
on the north. The only subsequent conquests of importance
were those of Britain by Claudius and of Dacia by Trajan. The
only independent powers of importance were the Parthians on
the east and the Germans on the north. The population of the
empire in the time of Augustus has been calculated at
85,000,000.
+ The provinces .--The usual fate of a country conquered by
Rome was to be come a subject province, governed directly
from Rome by officers sent out for that purpose. Sometimes,
however, petty sovereigns were left in possession of a
nominal independence on the borders or within the natural
limits of the province. Augustus divided the provinces into
two classes-- (1) Imperial; (2) Senatorial; retaining in his
own hands, for obvious reasons, those provinces where the
presence of a large military force was necessary, and
committing the peaceful and unarmed provinces to the senate.
The New Testament writers invariably designate the governors
of senatorial provinces by the correct title anthupatoi,
proconsuls. (Acts 13:7; 18:12; 19:38) For the governor of an
imperial province, properly styled "legatus Caesaris," the
word hegemon (governor) is used in the New Testament. The
provinces were heavily taxed for the benefit of Rome and her
citizens. They are said to have been better governed under
the empire than under the commonwealth, and those of the
emperor better than those of the senate.
+ The condition of the Roman empire at the time when
Christianity appeared has often been dwelt upon as affording
obvious illustrations of St. Paul's expression that the
"fullness of time had come." (Galatians 4:4) The general
peace within the limits of the empire the formation of
military roads, the suppression of piracy, the march of the
legions, the voyages of the corn fleets, the general in
crease of traffic, the spread of the Latin language in the
West as Greek had already spread in the East, the external
unity of the empire, offered facilities hitherto unknown for
the spread of a world-wide religion. The tendency, too, of
despotism like that of the Roman empire to reduce all its
subjects to a dead level was a powerful instrument in
breaking down the pride of privileged races and national
religious, and familiarizing men with the truth that "God had
made of one blood all nations on the face of the earth."
(Acts 17:24,26) Put still more striking than this outward
preparation for the diffusion of the gospel was the
appearance of a deep and wide-spread corruption, which seemed
to defy any human remedy.
Romans, Epistle To The
+ The date of this epistle is fixed at the time of the visit
recorded in Acts 20:3 during the winter and spring following
the apostle's long residence at Ephesus A.D. 58. On this
visit he remained in Greece three months.
+ The place of writing was Corinth.
+ The occasion which prompted it,,and the circumstances
attending its writing, were as follows:--St. Paul had long
purposed visiting Rome, and still retained this purpose,
wishing also to extend his journey to Spain. Etom. 1:9-13;
15:22-29. For the time, however, he was prevented from
carrying out his design, as he was bound for Jerusalem with
the alms of the Gentile Christians, and meanwhile he
addressed this letter to the Romans, to supply the lack of
his personal teaching. Phoebe, a deaconess of the neighboring
church of Cenchreae, was on the point of starting for Rome,
ch. (Romans 16:1,2) and probably conveyed the letter. The
body of the epistle was written at the apostle's dictation by
Tertius, ch. (Romans 16:22) but perhaps we may infer, from
the abruptness of the final doxology, that it was added by
the apostle himself.
+ The origin of the Roman church is involved in obscurity. If
it had been founded by St. Peter according to a later
tradition, the absence of any allusion to him both in this
epistle and in the letters written by St. Paul from Rome
would admit of no explanation. It is equally clear that no
other apostle was like founder. The statement in the
Clementines--that the first tidings of the gospel reached
Rome during the lifetime of our Lord is evidently a fiction
for the purposes of the romance. On the other hand, it is
clear that the foundation of this church dates very far back.
It may be that some of these Romans, "both Jews and
proselytes," present. On the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:10)
carried back the earliest tidings of the new doctrine; or the
gospel may have first reached the imperial city through those
who were scattered abroad to escape the persecution which
followed on the death of Stephen. (Acts 8:4; 11:10) At first
we may suppose that the gospel had preached there in a
confused and imperfect form, scarcely more than a phase of
Judaism, as in the case of Apollos at Corinth, (Acts 18:25)
or the disciples at Ephesus. (Acts 19:1-3) As time advanced
and better-instructed teachers arrived the clouds would
gradually clear away, fill at length the presence of the
great apostle himself at Rome dispersed the mists of Judaism
which still hung about the Roman church.
+ A question next arises as to the composition of the Roman
church at the time when St. Paul wrote. It is more probable
that St. Paul addressed a mixed church of Jews and Gentiles,
the latter perhaps being the more numerous. These Gentile
converts, however, were not for the most part native Romans.
Strange as the: paradox appears, nothing is more certain than
that the church of Rome was at this time a Greek and not a
Latin church. All the literature of the early Roman church
was written in the Greek tongue.
+ The heterogeneous composition of this church explains the
general character of the Epistle to the Romans. In an
assemblage so various we should expect to find, not the
exclusive predominance of a single form of error, but the
coincidence of different and opposing forms. It was:
therefore the business of the Christian teacher to reconcile
the opposing difficulties and to hold out a meeting-point in
the gospel. This is exactly what St. Paul does in the Epistle
to the Romans.
+ In describing the purport of this epistle we may start from
St. Paul's own words, which, standing at the beginning of the
doctrinal portion, may be taken as giving a summary of the
contents. ch. (Romans 1:16,17) Accordingly the epistle has
been described as comprising "the religious philosophy of the
world's history "The atonement of Christ is the centre of
religious history. The epistle, from its general character,
lends itself more readily to an analysis than is often the
case with St. Paul's epistles. While this epistle contains
the fullest and most systematic exposition of the apostle's
teaching, it is at the same time a very striking expression
of his character . Nowhere do his earnest and affectionate
nature and his tact and delicacy in handling unwelcome topics
appear more strongly than when he is dealing with the
rejection of his fellow country men the Jews. Internal
evidence is so strongly in favor of the genuineness of the
Epistle to the Romans that it has never been seriously
questioned.
Rome
the famous capital of the ancient world, is situated on the
Tiber at a distance of about 15 miles from its mouth. The
"seven hills," (Revelation 17:9) which formed the nucleus of
the ancient city stand on the left bank. On the opposite side
of the river rises the far higher side of the Janiculum. Here
from very early times was a fortress with a suburb beneath it
extending to the river. Modern Rome lies to the north of the
ancient city, covering with its principal portion the plain to
the north of the seven hills, once known as the Campus Martius,
and on the opposite bank extending over the low ground beneath
the Vatican to the north of the ancient Janiculum. Rome is not
mentioned in the Bible except in the books of Maccabees and in
three books of the New Testament, viz., the Acts, the Epistle
to the Romans and the Second Epistle to Timothy.
+ Jewish inhabitants. the conquests of Pompey seem to have
given rise to the first settlement of Jews at Rome. The
Jewish king Aristobulus and his son formed part of Pompey's
triumph, and many Jewish captives and immigrants were brought
to Rome at that time. A special district was assigned to
them, not on the site of the modern Ghetto, between the
Capitol and the island of the Tiber, but across the Tiber.
Many of these Jews were made freedmen. Julius Caesar showed
them some kindness; they were favored also by Augustus, and
by Tiberius during the latter part of his reign. It is
chiefly in connection with St. Paul's history that Rome comes
before us in the Bible. In illustration of that history it
may be useful to give some account of Rome in the time of
Nero, the "Caesar" to whom St. Paul appealed, and in whose
reign he suffered martyrdom.
+ The city in Paul's time.--The city at that time must be
imagined as a large and irregular mass of buildings
unprotected by an outer wall. It had long outgrown the old
Servian wall; but the limits of the suburbs cannot be exactly
defined. Neither the nature of the buildings nor the
configuration of the ground was such as to give a striking
appearance to the city viewed from without. "Ancient Rome had
neither cupola nor camyanile," and the hills, never lofty or
imposing, would present, when covered with the buildings and
streets of a huge city, a confused appearance like the hills
of modern London, to which they have sometimes been compared.
The visit of St. Paul lies between two famous epochs in the
history of the city, viz, its restoration by Augustus and its
restoration by Nero. The boast of Augustus is well known,
"that he found the city of brick, and left it of marble."
Some parts of the city, especially the Forum and Campus
Martius, must have presented a magnificent appearance, of
which Niebur's "Lectures on Roman History," ii. 177, will
give a general idea; but many of the principal buildings
which attract the attention of modern travellers in ancient
Rome were not yet built. The streets were generally narrow
and winding, flanked by densely crowded lodging-houses
(insulae) of enormous height. Augustus found it necessary to
limit their height to 70 feet. St, Paul's first visit to Rome
took place before the Neronian conflagration but even after
the restoration of the city which followed upon that event,
many of the old evils continued. The population of the city
has been variously estimated. Probably Gibbon's estimate of
1,200,000 is nearest to the truth. One half of the population
consisted, in all probability, of slaves. The larger part of
the remainder consisted of pauper citizens supported in
idleness by the miserable system of public gratuities. There
appears to have been no middle class, and no free industrial
population. Side by side with the wretched classes just
mentioned was the comparatively small body of the wealthy
nobility, of whose luxury and profligacy we learn so much
from the heathen writers of the time, Such was the population
which St. Paul would find at Rome at the time of his visit.
We learn from the Acts of the Apostles that he was detained
at Rome for "two whole years," "dwelling in his own hired
house with a soldier that kept him," (Acts 28:16; 30) to whom
apparently, according to Roman custom, he was hound with a
chain. (Acts 28:20; Ephesians 6:20; Philemon 1:13) Here he
preached to all that came to him, no man forbidding him.
(Acts 28:30,31) It is generally believed that on his "appeal
to Caesar" he was acquitted, and after some time spent in
freedom, was a second time imprisoned at Rome. Five of his
epistles, viz., those to the Colossians, Ephesians,
Philippians, that to Philemon, and the Second Epistle to
Timothy, were in all probability written from Rome, the
latter shortly before his death (2 Timothy 4:6) the others
during his first imprisonment. It is universally believed
that he suffered martyrdom at Rome.
+ The localities in and about Rome especially connected with
the life of Paul are-- (1) The Appian Way, by which he
approached Rome. (Acts 28:15) [[1028]Appii Forum FORUM] (2)
"The palace," Or "Caesar's court" (praetorium,) (Philemon
1:13) This may mean either the great camp of the Praetorian
guards which Tiberius established outside the walls on the
northeast of the city, or, as seems more probable, a barrack
attached to the imperial residence on the Palatine. There is
no sufficient proof that the word "praetorium" was ever used
to designate the emperors palace, though it is used for the
official residence of a Roman governor. (John 18:28; Acts
23:35) the mention of "Caesar's household," (Philemon 4:22)
confirms the notion that St. Paul's residence was in the
immediate neighborhood of the emperor's house on the
Palatine. (3) The connection of other localities at home with
St. Paul's name rests only on traditions of more or less
probability. We may mention especially-- (4) The Mamertine
prison, of Tullianum, built by Ancus Martius near the Forum.
It still exists beneath the church of St. Giuseppe dei
Falegnami. It is said that St. Peter and St. Paul were fellow
prisoners here for nine months. This is not the place to
discuss the question whether St. Peter was ever at Rome. It
may be sufficient to state that though there is no evidence
of such a visit in the New Testament, unless Babylon in (1
Peter 5:13) is a mystical name for Rome yet early testimony
and the universal belief of the early Church seems sufficient
to establish the fact of his having suffered martyrdom there.
[[1029]Peter] The story, however, of the imprisonment in the
Mamertine prison seems inconsistent with (2 Timothy 4:11) (5)
The chapel on the Ostian road which marks the spot where the
two apostles are said to, have separated on their way to
martyrdom. (6)The supposed scene of St. Paul's martyrdom,
viz., the church of St. Paolo alle tre fontane on the Ostian
road. To these may be added-- (7) The supposed scene of St.
Peter's martyrdom, viz., the church of St. Pietro in
Montorio, on the Janiculum. (8) The chapel Domine que Vadis,
on the Aypian road,the scene of the beautiful legend of our
Lord's appearance to St. Peter as he was escaping from
martyrdom. (9) The places where the bodies of the two
apostles, after having been deposited first in the catacombs,
are supposed to have been finally buried--that of St. Paul by
the Ostian road, that of St. Peter beneath the dome of the
famous Basilica which bears his name. We may add, as sites
unquestionably connected with the Roman Christians of the
apostolic age-- (10) The gardens of Nero in the Vatican. Not
far from the spot where St. Peter's now stands. Here
Christians, wrapped in the skins of beasts, were torn to
pieces by dogs, or, clothed in inflammable robes, were burnt
to serve as torches during the midnight games. Others were
crucified. (11) The Catacombs. These subterranean galleries,
commonly from 8 to 10 feet in height and from 4 to 6 in
width, and extending for miles, especially in the
neighborhood of the old Appian and Nomentan Ways, were
unquestionably used as places of refuge, of worship and of
burial by the early Christians. The earliest dated
inscription in the catacombs is A.D. 71. Nothing is known of
the first founder of the Christian Church at Rome.
Christianity may, perhaps, have been introduced into the city
not long after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day
of Pentecost by the "strangers of Rome, who were then at
Jerusalem, (Acts 2:10) It is clear that there were many
Christians at Rome before St. Paul visited the city. (Romans
1:8,13,15; 15:20) The names of twenty-four Christians at Rome
are given in the salutations at the end of the Epistle to the
Romans. Linus, who is mentioned (2 Timothy 4:21) and Clement,
Phil 4:3 Are supposed to have succeeded St. Peter as bishops
of Rome.
Roof
[[1030]House]
Room
The references to "room" in (Matthew 23:6; Mark 12:39; Luke
14:7,8; 20:46) signify the highest place on the highest couch
round the dinner or supper table--the "uppermost seat", as it
is more accurately rendered in (Luke 11:43)
Rose
occurs twice only, viz. in (Song of Solomon 2:1; Isaiah 35:1)
There is much difference of opinion as to what particular
flower is here denoted; but it appears to us most probable that
the narcissus is intended. Chateaubriand mentions the narcissus
as growing in the Plain of Sharon. Roses are greatly prized in
the East, more especially for the sake of the rose-water, which
is much request. Dr. Hooker observed seven species of wild
roses in Syria.
Rosh
(Ezekiel 38:2,3; 39:1) probably a proper name, referring to the
first of the three great Scythian tribes of which Magog was the
head.
(head). In the genealogy of (Genesis 46:21) Rosh is reckoned
among the sons of Benjamin.
Rosin
Properly "naphtha," as it is both in the LXX. and the Vulgate,
as well as in the Peshito-Syriac. Pliny mentions naphtha as a
product of Babylonia, similar in appearance to liquid bitumen,
and having a remarkable affinity to fire.
Top of Page |
Table of Contents
Rubies
Concerning the meaning of the Hebrew words translated "rubies"
there is much difference of opinion. (Job 28:18) see also Prov
3:15; 8:11; 31:10 Some suppose "coral" to be in tended; others
"pearl," supposing that the original word signifies merely
"bright in color," or "color of a reddish tinge." (The real
ruby is a red sapphire, next in value to the diamond. The
finest rubies are brought chiefly from Ceylon and Burmah.)
Rue
occurs only in (Luke 11:42) The rue here spoken of is doubtless
the common Ruta graveolens a shrubby plant about two feet high,
of strong medicinal virtues. It is a native of the
Mediterranean coasts, and has been found by Hasselquist on
Mount Tabor. The Talmud enumerates rue amongst kitchen herbs,
and regards it as free of tithe as being a plant not cultivated
in gardens. In our Lord's time however rue was doubtless a
garden plant, and therefore tithable.
Rufus
(red) is mentioned in (Mark 15:21) as a son of Simon the
Cyrenian. (Luke 23:26) (A.D. 29.) Again, in (Romans 16:13) the
apostle Paul salutes a Rufus whom he designates as "elect in
the Lord." This Rufus was probably identical with the one to
whom Mark refers.
Ruhamah, Or Ruhamah
(having obtained mercy). (Hosea 2:1) The name if name it be, is
symbolical, and is addressed to the DAUGHTERS of the people, to
denote that they were still the objects of love and tender
compassion.
Rumah
(high), mentioned once only-- (2 Kings 23:36) It has been
conjectured to be the same place as Arumah. (Judges 9:41) which
was apparently near Shechem. It is more probable that it is
identical with Dumah. (Joshua 15:52)
Ruth
(a female friend) a Moabitish woman, the wife, first of Mahlon,
second of Boaz, the ancestress of David and Christ,and one of
the four women who are named by St. Matthew in the genealogy of
Christ. A severe famine in the land of Judah induced Elimelech,
a native of Bethlehem--ephratah, to emigrate into the land of
Moab, with his wife Naomi, and his two sons, Mahlon and
Chilion. This was probably about the time of Gideon, B.C. 1250.
At the end of ten years Naomi now left a widow and childless,
having heard that there was plenty again in Judah, resolved to
return to Bethlehem, and her daughter-in-law Ruth returned with
her. They arrived at Bethlehem just at the beginning of barley
harvest, and Ruth, going out to glean, chanced to go into the
field of wheat, a wealthy man and a near kinsman of her
father-in-law, Elimelech. Upon learning who the stranger was,
Boaz treated her with the utmost kindness and respect, and sent
her home laden with corn which she had gleaned. Encouraged by
this incident, Naomi instructed Ruth to claim at the hand of
Boaz that he should perform the part of her husband's near
kinsman, by purchasing the inheritance of Elimelech and taking
her to be his wife. With all due solemnity, Boaz took Ruth to
be his wife, amidst the blessings and congratulations of their
neighbors. Their son, Obed, was 'the father of Jesse, who was
the father of David.
Ruth, Book Of
contains the history of Ruth, as narrated in the preceding
article. The main object of the writer is evidently to give an
account of David's ancestors; and the book was avowedly
composed long after the time of the heroine. See (Ruth 1:1;
4:7,17) Its date and author are quite uncertain. Tradition is
in favor of Samuel. It is probable that the books of Judges,
Ruth, Samuel and Kings originally formed but one work. The book
of Ruth clearly forms part of the books of Samuel, supplying as
it does the essential point of David's genealogy and early
family history, and is no less clearly connected with the book
of Judges by its opening verse and the epoch to which the whole
book relates.
Top of Page |
Table of Contents
Rye
(Heb. cussemeth) occurs in (Exodus 9:32; Isaiah 28:25) in the
latter the margin reads "spelt." In (Ezekiel 4:9) the text has
"fitches" and the margin "rie." It is probable that by
cussemeth "spelt" is intended. Spelt (Triticum spelta) is grown
in some parts of the south of Germany; it differs but slightly
from our common wheat (T. vulgare).