sound reason for accepting as factual his reference to Quirinius as governor of Syria around the time of Jesus’ birth. It may be remembered that Josephus, virtually the only other source of information, was not born until 37 C.E., hence nearly four decades after Jesus’ birth. Luke, on the other hand, may well have been living in 2 B.C.E. and most certainly was born before Josephus, inasmuch as Luke was already a physician traveling with the apostle Paul by about 49 C.E. when Josephus was but a boy of twelve. Of the two, Luke, even on ordinary grounds, is the more likely source for reliable information on the matter of the Syrian governorship just prior to Jesus’ birth. Early Christian writers, such as Justin Martyr, a Palestinian of the second century C.E., cite the Roman records as proof of Luke’s accuracy as regards Quirinius’ governorship at the time of Jesus’ birth. There is no evidence that Luke’s account, or the later references to it by these Christian writers, was ever challenged, even by early critics such as Celsus.

QUIVER

See ARMS, ARMOR.

RAAMAH

(Raʹa·mah).

A son of Ham’s firstborn, Cush, and brother of Nimrod. Raamah and his two sons Sheba and Dedan founded three of the seventy post-Flood families. (Gen. 10:6-8; 1 Chron. 1:9) Many centuries later the tribal descendants of Raamah, Dedan and Sheba all carried on trade with Tyre. (Ezek. 27:20, 22) Just where the tribe springing from Raamah resided is uncertain, but the city of Raamah near Maʽin in SW Arabia mentioned in a Minaean inscription is likely.

RAAMIAH

(Ra·a·miʹah) [perhaps, Jehovah has thundered].

One who returned to Jerusalem with Zerubbabel. The name is an alternate form of Reelaiah.—Neh. 7:7; Ezra 2:2.

RAAMSES

(Ra·amʹses), Rameses (Ramʹe·ses) [Ra (the sun-god) has begotten him].

When Jacob’s family moved into Egypt they were assigned to live in “the land of Rameses.” (Gen. 47:11) Since elsewhere they are spoken of as residing in the land of Goshen, it appears that Rameses was either a district within Goshen or was another name for Goshen. (Gen. 47:6) Later, the Israelites were enslaved and put to building cities “as storage places for Pharaoh, namely, Pithom and Raamses [the vowel pointing here differs slightly from that of “Rameses”].” (Ex. 1:11) Many scholars suggest that Raamses was so named for the district of Rameses in which they assume it was located.

When the exodus from Egypt began, Rameses is given as the starting point. Most scholars assume that the city is here meant, perhaps being the rendezvous site where the Israelites gathered from various parts of Goshen. But Rameses may here refer to a district, and it may be that the Israelites pulled away from all parts of the district, converging on Succoth as the place of rendezvous.—Num. 33:3-5.

The exact location of this starting point, if a city rather than a district is meant, is very uncertain. Modern scholars identify Rameses with the city called Per-Ramses (House of Ramses) in Egyptian records, placed by some at San el-Hagar in the NE corner of the delta, and by others at Qantir, about eleven miles (c. 18 kilometers) to the S. But this identification rests on the theory that Ramses II was the Pharaoh of the Exodus. This theory, in turn, is based on inscriptions of Ramses II giving his claim to having built the city bearing his name (Per-Ramses), using slave labor. There is little reason, however, to believe that Ramses II was the ruler at the time of the Exodus, since his rule is not likely to have been much earlier than the thirteenth century B.C.E., or some two hundred years after the Exodus (1513 B.C.E.). The Biblical Raamses began to be built before Moses’ birth, hence over eighty years before the Exodus. (Ex. 1:11, 15, 16, 22; 2:1-3) Furthermore, it is held that Per-Ramses was the capital city in the time of Ramses II, whereas the Biblical Raamses was only a ‘storage place.’ It is generally accepted that Ramses II was guilty of taking credit for certain achievements of his predecessors, and this raises the possibility that, at best, he only rebuilt or enlarged Per-Ramses. Finally, the name Rameses was clearly in use as far back as the time of Joseph (in the eighteenth century B.C.E.); so there is no reason to assume that its application (in the form Raamses) as the name of a city was exclusive with the time of Ramses II. (Gen. 47:11) Its very meaning, too, makes it likely that it was popular among the Egyptians from early times. By the reign of Ramses II there were a number of towns that bore that name. D. B. Redford says: “Biblical Raamses and the capital Pr Rʽ-ms-sw [Per-Ramses], apart from the personal name, seem to have nothing in common. In the complete lack of corroborative evidence it is absolutely essential to exercise caution in equating the two.”—Vetus Testamentum, Oct. 1963, p. 410.

Due to the lack of reliable information, it can only be said that Rameses was likely not far from the Egyptian capital of the time of the Exodus. This would allow for Moses to have been at Pharaoh’s palace on the night of the tenth plague and, before the next day’s end, to begin leading the people of Israel on their march out of Egypt. (Ex. 12:31-42; Num. 33:1-5) If the capital was then at Memphis, a city holding that position for many centuries, this would explain the Jewish tradition, expressed by the ancient historian Josephus, that the exodus march (with Rameses as its starting point) began from the neighborhood of Memphis.

RABBAH

(Rabʹbah) [great].

1. A city in the SW extremity of the ancient kingdom of Ammon after its loss of territory to the Amorites. Rabbah (Rab·bathʹ b^enehʹ ʽAm·mohnʹ) is the only city of the Ammonite kingdom that is named in the Biblical record, so it is assumed to have been the capital. It lay about twenty-three miles (37 kilometers) E of the Jordan. The city was on the N bank of a tributary of the upper Jabbok, and was thus in position to benefit from the rich fertility of that region. Also, it was an important link in the trade route between Damascus and Arabia.

“Rabbah of the sons of Ammon” is first mentioned in the Bible as being the location of the iron bier of Og king of Bashan. (Deut. 3:11) When the Israelites came to the Promised Land, the tribe of Gad received Amorite land (formerly, it seems, held by Ammon) “as far as Aroer, which is in front of [perhaps to the NE of] Rabbah.”—Josh. 13:25.

Captured by David

The city is mentioned again in connection with the war resulting from the abuse of David’s messengers by King Hanun of Ammon. (2 Sam. 10:1-19; 1 Chron. 19:1-19) Joab and his troops fought Syrians hired by the Ammonites, while the Israelites under Abishai went up against the Ammonites “at the entrance of the city,” evidently Rabbah. When the Syrians were defeated, the Ammonites retreated into the city. The next spring Joab and his army besieged Rabbah. It was during this campaign that David in Jerusalem sinned with Bath-sheba. The king sent her husband Uriah the Hittite back to battle, and, according to David’s instructions, Uriah was put in the front lines. When some Ammonites sallied forth from Rabbah, the battle brought Uriah close enough to be killed by an archer on the wall.—2 Sam. 11:1-25; 1 Chron. 20:1.

In time Joab succeeded in his fight against Rabbah to the point of capturing “the city of the waters.” (2 Sam. 12:27) Since Joab then informed David of the situation so that the king would come and complete the conquest and thus get credit for capturing Rabbah, it seems that Joab captured only a portion of the city. The expression “city of the waters” may refer to a part on the riverbank, as distinguished from some other part of the city, or it may mean that he secured control of the city’s principal water supply.—2 Sam. 12:26-28.

David came and completed the capture of Rabbah and “the spoil of the city that he brought out was very much.” (2 Sam. 12:29-31; 1 Chron. 20:2-4) Eventually the Ammonites became independent again. In the ninth century B.C.E., Amos foretold judgment against the Ammonites and he specifically mentioned that Rabbah would be burned. (Amos 1:13, 14) Both Jeremiah and Ezekiel also delivered messages against Rabbah. As shown under AMMONITES, these prophecies were evidently fulfilled in Nebuchadnezzar’s time.—Jer. 49:2, 3; Ezek. 21:19-23; 25:5.

In the third century B.C.E. Ptolemy Philadelphus rebuilt Rabbah and renamed the city Philadelphia. It was later included among the cities of the Decapolis, and apparently was quite prosperous and strong. The modern city of Amman is located here, and there are considerable ancient ruins, including a huge amphitheater, but these date mainly from Roman times.

2. One of the cities given to the tribe of Judah in its territorial allotment. Its exact location is unknown. In Joshua 15:60 it is listed with Kiriath-jearim, which was in the hill country of Judah seven and a half miles (12 kilometers) W-NW of Jerusalem.

RABBI

[teacher (John 1:38), my great one; my excellent one].

“Rabbi” comes from the Hebrew word rav, meaning “great, master, chief.” “Rab” is used in the composition of several names, such as Rabsaris (chief attendant), Rabshakeh (chief cupbearer), and Rabmag (chief prince or magician). (2 Ki. 18:17; Jer. 39:3, 13) The designation “Rabbi” can be used in a de facto sense as “teacher.” But among the Jews, shortly before the birth of Jesus, it came to be used also as a form of address and as a title of respect and honor, the title being demanded by some of the learned men, scribes, teachers of the Law. They delighted to be called “Rabbi” as an honorary title. Jesus Christ condemned such title seeking and forbade his followers to be called “Rabbi,” as he was their teacher.—Matt. 23:6-8.

In the Bible we find the term “Rabbi” only in the Christian Greek Scriptures. It is employed twelve times in connection with Jesus, in the de facto sense of “Teacher”: twice by Peter (Mark 9:5; 11:21), once by two disciples of John (John 1:38), once by Nathanael (John 1:49), once by Nicodemus (John 3:2), three times by disciples of Jesus whose names are not specified (John 4:31; 9:2; 11:8), once by the crowds (John 6:25) and two times by Judas (one instance is repeated). (Matt. 26:25, 49; Mark 14:45) Jesus is addressed by Mary Magdalene as Rabboni (My Teacher), also by a blind man whom he healed. The personal pronoun “my” is a suffix here, but because of usage it seems to have lost its significance, as in Monsieur, originally meaning “my lord.” (John 20:16; Mark 10:51) John the Baptist is once addressed as Rabbi.—John 3:26.

The title “Rabbi,” with variations, later came to be used in the Jewish schools as an honorary title. “Rab” was the lowest in dignity in such Jewish schools, while “Rabbi” was next higher and “Rabban” (“Rabboni”) the highest, but these distinctions do not appear to have been practiced as early as the time of Jesus’ earthly ministry. The title “Rabbi” is applied today to religious leaders of Jewish congregations of Judaism.

RABBITH

(Rabʹbith) [possibly, multitude].

According to the Masoretic text, a site on Issachar’s boundary. (Josh. 19:17, 18, 20) It is thought to be the same as Daberath. (Josh. 19:12) Supporting this view is the fact that Vatican Manuscript No. 1209, of the fourth century C.E., has Da·bei·ronʹ in place of “Rabbith.”—See DABERATH.

RABBONI

(Rab·boʹni).

A Semitic word meaning “My Teacher.” (Mark 10:51) It may be that “Rabboni” was a more respectful form than “Rabbi,” which title of address means “Teacher,” or that it conveyed more personal warmth. (John 1:38) However, when John wrote, perhaps the first person suffix (i) on this word had lost its special significance in the title, since John translates it as meaning merely “Teacher.”—John 20:16.

RABMAG

(Rabʹmag) [possibly, chief prince or magician].

The title of a major official of the Babylonian Empire at the time that Jerusalem was destroyed in 607 B.C.E. The title has been identified on monuments recently excavated. Nergal-sharezer the Rabmag was one of the men in the special tribunal of high Babylonian princes who sat in judgment in Jerusalem’s Middle Gate after the city fell to Nebuchadnezzar and who arranged for Jeremiah’s release from prison.—Jer. 39:3, 13, 14.

RABSARIS

(Rabʹsa·ris) [chief attendant; he who stands by the king].

The title of a chief court official in the Assyrian and Babylonian Empires. The Rabsaris was one of the committee of three high Assyrian dignitaries that was sent by the king of Assyria to demand the surrender of Jerusalem in King Hezekiah’s time.—2 Ki. 18:17.

The Rabsaris was one of the Babylonian officials taking control of Jerusalem for Nebuchadnezzar when the city fell in 607 B.C.E., and Nebushazban is named as the Rabsaris joining in ordering Jeremiah’s release from imprisonment. (Jer. 39:3, 13, 14) Excavations have unearthed monuments bearing the title.

RABSHAKEH

(Rabʹsha·keh) [great or chief cup-bearer].

The title of a major Assyrian official. (2 Ki. 18:17) Like the titles “Rabmag” and “Rabsaris,” “Rabshakeh” is also a compound word. Some believe that “Rabshakeh” as a title comes from the two Assyrian words rab and saqu, which, when combined, mean “chief cupbearer,” “chief of the officers” or a general, a high officer of state. A building inscription of the Assyrian king Tiglath-Pileser III says: “I sent an officer of mine, the rabsaq, to Tyre.” Also, from a tablet in the British Museum an inscription of King Ashurbanipal reads: “I ordered to add to my former (battle-) forces (in Egypt) the rabsaq -officer.” Incidentally, for further evidence that the Hebrew word rav is used as part of a title, take note of the common title “Rabbi,” which literally means “my great one.”

While Sennacherib the king of Assyria was laying siege to the Judean fortress of Lachish he sent a heavy military force to Jerusalem under the Tartan, the commander-in-chief, along with two other high officials, the Rabsaris and the Rabshakeh. (2 Ki. 18:17; the entire account appears also at Isaiah chapters 36 and 37.) Of these three superior Assyrian officials, Rabshakeh was the chief spokesman in an effort to force King Hezekiah to capitulate in surrender. (2 Ki. 18:19-25) The three stood by the conduit of the upper pool. This Rabshakeh, whose personal name is not revealed, was a fluent speaker in Hebrew as well as Syrian. He called out in Hebrew to King Hezekiah, but three of Hezekiah’s officials came out to meet him. King Hezekiah’s officers asked Rabshakeh to speak to them in the Syrian language rather than in the Jews’ language because the common people on the wall were listening. (2 Ki. 18:26, 27) But the situation suited Rabshakeh’s purpose as a propagandist. He wanted the people to hear, with a view to demoralizing their ranks. By words calculated to induce terror, by false promises and lies, by ridicule and by reproach toward Jehovah, Rabshakeh spoke even more loudly in Hebrew, submitting arguments to the people to turn traitor to King Hezekiah by surrendering to the Assyrian army. (2 Ki. 18:28-35) Nevertheless, the people of Jerusalem remained loyal to Hezekiah.—2 Ki. 18:36.

The taunting words of Rabshakeh were taken by