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 Ammonand
Rabbath of the Ammonites, [See RABBATH]
Rabbathmoab[[1005]Ar]
Rabbia
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.
Racaa
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]
RachabRahab
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)
Ragauone
of the ancestors of our Lord, son of Peleg. (Luke 3:35) He is the same
person with Reu, son of Peleg.
Ragesan
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.
Rahaba
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.
Rahelthe
original form in our Authorized Version of the now familiar Rachel.
(Jeremiah 31:15)
RainIn
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)
Rainbowthe
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 Southone
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,
TheShimei
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.)
Ramiahone
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.
Raphona
city of Gilead, 1 Macc. 15:37 perhaps identical with Raphana, which is
mentioned by Pliny as one of the cities of the Decapolis.
Raphuthe
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.
RazorBesides
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.
Reaiaa
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.
Recorderan
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.)
ReedUnder
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.)
RefinerThe
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.
Rekemone
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.
Remmonmethoara
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.)
Rephaha
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]
Rephanthe
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. Johnthe
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.)
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.)
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.
RiddleIt
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)
Rimmona
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)
RingThe
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)
RiverIn
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)
Rizpahconcubine
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.
RoadThis
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.
RobberyRobbery
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,
RoebuckThe
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.)
RollA
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.
Romamtiezerone
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.
Romethe
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]
RoomThe
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)
Roseoccurs
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.
RosinProperly
"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.
RubiesConcerning
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.)
Rueoccurs
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 Ofcontains
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.
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).