LATER REGISTRATIONS

Other registrations were taken by succeeding kings of Israel and Judah. In the days of King Amaziah the men in Judah and Benjamin from twenty years upward numbered 300,000. (2 Chron. 25:5) In King Uzziah’s registration the army forces were 307,500 men, with 2,600 of the heads of the paternal houses over them.—2 Chron. 26:11-13.

The returning exiles under Zerubbabel, in 537 B.C.E., were also enumerated, totaling 49,897, made up of 42,360 of the congregation apart from 7,337 slaves and 200 singers (the Masoretic text of Nehemiah says 245 singers).—Ezra 2:64, 65; Neh. 7:66, 67; see NEHEMIAH, BOOK OF.

AT THE TIME OF JESUS’ BIRTH

Two registrations are mentioned in the Christian Greek Scriptures as taking place after Judea came under subjection to Rome. Such were not merely to ascertain population figures but, rather, were mainly for purposes of taxation and conscription of men for military service. Concerning the first of these we read: “Now in those days [c. 2 B.C.E.] a decree went forth from Caesar Augustus for all the inhabited earth to be registered; (this first registration took place when Quirinius was governor of Syria;) and all people went traveling to be registered, each one to his own city.” (Luke 2:1-3) This edict of the emperor proved providential, for it compelled Joseph and Mary to journey from the city of Nazareth to Bethlehem in spite of the fact that Mary was then heavy with child; thus Jesus was born in the city of David in fulfillment of prophecy.—Luke 2:4-7; Mic. 5:2.

Two registrations under Quirinius

Bible critics have said that the only census taken while Publius Sulpicius Quirinius was governor of Syria was about 6 C.E., which event sparked a rebellion by Judas the Galilean and the Zealots. (Acts 5:37) This was really the second registration under Quirinius, for inscriptions discovered at Rome and Antioch revealed that some years earlier Quirinius had served as the emperor’s legate in Syria at the time Saturninus was proconsul. Concerning this, the Dictionnaire du Nouveau Testament in Crampon’s French Bible (1939 ed., p. 360) says: “The scholarly researches of Zumpt (Commentat. epigraph., II, 86-104; De Syria romana provincia, 97-98) and of Mommsen (Res gestœ divi Augusti) place beyond doubt that Quirinius was twice governor of Syria.” Many scholars locate the time of Quirinius’ first governorship as somewhere between the years 4 to 1 B.C.E., probably from 3-2 B.C.E. Their method of arriving at these dates, however, is not solid and the actual period of governorship remains indefinite. (See QUIRINIUS.) His second governorship ran from 759 to 765 [6 to 12 C.E.], as Josephus expressly attests.

So historian and Bible writer Luke was correct when he said concerning the registration at the time of Jesus’ birth: “this first registration took place when Quirinius was governor of Syria,” distinguishing it from the second, which occurred later under the same Quirinius and to which Gamaliel makes reference as reported by Luke at Acts 5:37.

REHABIAH

(Re·ha·biʹah) [Jehovah has made wide].

Grandson of Moses, only son of Eliezer, and founder of a family of Levites that still existed when David was king.—1 Chron. 23:15, 17; 24:21; 26:25.

REHOB

(Reʹhob) [open space or market].

1. Father of Hadadezer the king of Zobah against whom David warred victoriously.—2 Sam. 8:3-12.

2. One of the Levites or the forefather of one attesting by seal a covenant in the tine of Nehemiah and Ezra.—Neh. 10:1, 9, 11.

3. A place or city mentioned in the exploration of Canaan by the twelve Hebrew spies sent out by Moses. (Num. 13:21) It is probably the same place as “Rehob” and “Beth-rehob” mentioned at 2 Samuel 10:6, 8.—See BETH-REHOB.

4. The name of at least one and perhaps two cities in the territory of Asher. (Josh. 19:24, 28, 30) While some authorities consider both references to denote the same city, other related texts appear to indicate separate sites. Thus, Judges 1:31, 32 says that “Asher did not drive out the inhabitants of . . . Rehob,” so that the Asherites were obliged to dwell among the Canaanites of the land, whereas Joshua 21:27, 31 and 1 Chronicles 6:71, 75 state that Rehob was given to the sons of Gershom as a Levitical city. Those favoring but one site consider these texts to mean that the task of evicting the Canaanites from Rehob was hindered originally but was accomplished at a later time, thus allowing for its occupation by the Levites. Those favoring two sites suggest one town as remaining in Canaanite hands, the other as among those initially captured by Asher and given to the Levites. For the two, sites, these suggest an identification with Khirbet el-ʽAmri, about two and a half miles (4 kilometers) NE of Achzib, for the Rehob of Joshua 19:28, and for that of the other texts, they suggest Tell el-Gharbi, about six miles (10 kilometers) E-SE of Acco. This latter site is the one preferred by those who consider the name to refer to but one town.

REHOBOAM

(Re·ho·boʹam) [the people is (has) enlarged, or, who enlarges the people].

Son of Solomon by his Ammonite wife Naamah. He succeeded his father to the throne in 997 B.C.E. at the age of forty-one and reigned for seventeen years. (1 Ki. 14:21; 1 Chron. 3:10; 2 Chron. 9:31) Rehoboam had the distinction of being the last king of the united monarchy and the first ruler of the southern two-tribe kingdom of Judah and Benjamin, for shortly after he was crowned king at Shechem by all Israel, the united kingdom of David and Solomon was divided. Ten tribes withdrew their support of Rehoboam and made Jeroboam their king, even as Jehovah by the prophet Ahijah had foretold.—1 Ki. 11:29-31; 12:1; 2 Chron. 10:1.

This separation took place after a delegation of the people, with Jeroboam as their spokesman, pleaded with Rehoboam to remove some of the oppressive measures laid upon them by Solomon. Rehoboam took the matter under advisement. First he consulted the older men, who counseled him to heed the cry of the people and reduce their burdens, thereby proving himself a wise king, loved by his people. But Rehoboam spurned this mature advice and sought the counsel of young men with whom he had grown up. They told the king he should in effect make his little finger as thick as his father’s hips, increasing their yoke burden and chastising them with scourges instead of whips.—1 Ki. 12:2-15; 2 Chron. 10:3-15; 13:6, 7.

This arrogant, high-handed attitude adopted by Rehoboam completely alienated from him the majority of the people. The only tribes continuing to support the house of David were Judah and Benjamin, while the priests and Levites of both kingdoms, as well as isolated individuals of the ten tribes, also gave support.—1 Ki. 12:16, 17; 2 Chron. 10:16, 17; 11:13, 14, 16.

Subsequently, when King Rehoboam and Adoram (Hadoram), who was over the conscripted forced laborers, entered the territory of the secessionists, Adoram was stoned to death but the king managed to escape with his life. (1 Ki. 12:18; 2 Chron. 10:18) Rehoboam then mustered an army of 180,000 from among Judah and Benjamin, determined that the ten tribes would be forcibly brought under his subjection. But Jehovah through the prophet Shemaiah forbade them to fight against their brothers, since God himself had decreed the division of the kingdom. Though open warfare on the battlefield was thus avoided, hostilities between the two factions continued all the days of Rehoboam.—1 Ki. 12:19-24; 15:6; 2 Chron. 10:19; 11:1-4.

For a time Rehoboam walked quite closely to the laws of Jehovah, and early in his reign he built and fortified a number of cities, some of which he stocked with food supplies. (2 Chron. 11:5-12, 17) However, when his kingship was firmly established he abandoned Jehovah’s worship and led Judah in the practice of detestable sex worship, perhaps due to Ammonite influence on his mother’s side of the family. (1 Ki. 14:22-24; 2 Chron. 12:1) This, in turn, provoked Jehovah’s anger and in expression thereof he raised up the king of Egypt, Shishak, who, together with his allies, overran the land and captured a number of cities in Judah in the fifth year of Rehoboam’s reign. Had it not been that Rehoboam and his princes humbled themselves in repentance, not even Jerusalem would have escaped. As it was, the treasures of the temple and the king’s house, including the gold shields that Solomon had made, were taken by Shishak as his booty. Rehoboam then replaced these shields with copper ones.—1 Ki. 14:25-28; 2 Chron. 12:2-12.

During his lifetime Rehoboam married eighteen wives, including Mahalath a granddaughter of David, and Maacah the granddaughter of David’s son Absalom. Maacah was his favorite wife and the mother of Abijah (Abijam), one of his twenty-eight sons and the heir apparent to the throne. Other members of Rehoboam’s family included sixty concubines and sixty daughters.—2 Chron. 11:18-22.

Before his death at the age of fifty-eight, and the ascension of Abijah to the throne in 980 B.C.E., Rehoboam distributed many gifts among his other sons, presumably to prevent any revolt against Abijah after his death. (1 Ki. 14:31; 2 Chron. 11:23; 12:16) On the whole, Rehoboam’s life is best summed up in this commentary: “He did what was bad, for he had not firmly established his heart to search for Jehovah.”—2 Chron. 12:14.

REHOBOTH

(Re·hoʹboth) [broad places].

1. The name that Isaac gave to a well he dug. (Gen. 26:22) Though its exact location is unknown, many geographers have identified Rehoboth with Ruheibeh, some nineteen miles (30 kilometers) SW of Beer-sheba. The names bear certain similarities. In naming the well Isaac said that now God had given ample room. He and his shepherds could be fruitful without interfering with, or getting interference from, others.

2. A city of unknown location from which came Shaul, an early Edomite king. (Gen. 36:31, 37; 1 Chron. 1:43, 48) In both references to it, the place is called “Rehoboth by the River.” Generally in the Bible the designation “the River” means the Euphrates. (Ps. 72:8; 2 Chron. 9:26; compare Exodus 23:31 and Deuteronomy 11:24.) Thus some authorities have suggested either of two sites near the junction of the Khabur and Euphrates Rivers. This would mean, however, that Shaul was from a city far outside of Edomite territory. Certain modern geographers, however, believe that in these two instances “the River” refers to a river in Edom or near one of its borders, such as the Zered running into the southern end of the Dead Sea. Dr. J. Simons proposes a site about twenty-three miles (37 kilometers) SE of the tip of the Dead Sea.

REHOBOTH-IR

(Re·hoʹboth-Ir) [broad places of the city].

Evidently a suburb of ancient Nineveh. The exact location is not now known. It was built by Nimrod.—Gen. 10:10, 11.

REHSH

or, as commonly anglicized, resh [ך]. The twentieth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, later used also, outside the Hebrew Scriptures, as a number to denote two hundred.

Rehsh is the origin of our English letter “r” through the Greek hro. Due to the similarity in form between rehsh [ך] and daʹleth [ד], the two were sometimes confused by copyists.

In the Hebrew, this letter appears as the initial letter in each of the eight verses of Psalm 119:153-160.

REHUM

(Reʹhum) [compassion].

1. One of those listed at the head of the register of exiles who returned from Babylon to Jerusalem with Zerubbabel and Jeshua. (Ezra 2:1, 2) His name is spelled Nehum at Nehemiah 7:7.

2. A priest listed among those who returned with Zerubbabel. (Neh. 12:1, 3) A simple transposition of Hebrew characters would make him the one called Harim in verse 15 and elsewhere.—See HARIM No. 1.

3. The “chief government official” of the Persian Empire residing presumably in Samaria who took the lead in writing a letter to King Artaxerxes falsely accusing the Jews concerning their intentions for rebuilding Jerusalem. The imperial reply ordered Rehum and his compatriots to go to Jerusalem and forcibly put a stop to the Jews’ rebuilding work on the temple. (Ezra 4:8-24) Haggai and Zechariah, however, not long thereafter stirred up the Jews to resume their rebuilding, which was finally sanctioned by the Persian review of Cyrus’ original decree.—Ezra 5:1–6:13.

4. A Levite son of Bani who helped repair Jerusalem’s wall.—Neh. 3:17.

5. The head of a postexilic family whose representative, if not himself, attested to the covenant of faithfulness during Nehemiah’s governorship.—Neh. 10:1, 14, 25.

REI

(Reʹi) [friendly].

One of David’s mighty men who refused to join Adonijah’s conspiracy.—1 Ki. 1:8.

REKEM

(Reʹkem) [friendship; or, variegation].

1. A king of Midian, one of five such who were slain when Midian was punished for having seduced Israel with immorality. The five, presumably vassals of the Amorites, were also called “dukes of Sihon.”—Num. 31:8; Josh. 13:21.

2. A descendant of Manasseh.—1 Chron. 7:14, 16.

3. A descendant of Judah through Hezron’s son Caleb.—1 Chron. 2:4, 5, 9, 42-44.

4. A city in Benjamin’s territory allotment, the location of which is unknown.—Josh. 18:21, 27, 28.

RELIEF

A distinguishing feature of God’s faithful servants has been their willingness to assist needy persons. (Job 29:16; 31:19-22; Jas. 1:27) After the outpouring of God’s spirit on the festival day of Pentecost in 33 C.E., for example, many who became followers of Jesus Christ voluntarily sold their possessions and turned over the funds to the apostles for distribution to needy fellow believers. Their generosity made it possible for those who had come from distant places for the festival to extend their stay in Jerusalem and continue to benefit from the teaching of the apostles. (Acts 2:41-47; 4:34, 35) The Jerusalem congregation also arranged for distributing food to needy Christian widows and, later, seven qualified men were appointed to see to it that no deserving widows were overlooked in the daily distribution.—Acts 6:1-6.

Years afterward, the apostle Paul, in his letter to Timothy, pointed out that the congregation’s relief to widows should be limited to those not less than sixty years of age. Such widows were to be persons having a record of good works in the advancement of Christianity. (1 Tim. 5:9, 10) However, it was the primary obligation of children and grandchildren, not of the congregation, to care for aged parents and grandparents. As Paul wrote: “If any widow has children or grandchildren, let these learn first to practice godly devotion in their own household and to keep paying a due compensation to their parents and grandparents, for this is acceptable in God’s sight.”—1 Tim. 5:4, 16.

There were times when Christian congregations shared in relief measures in behalf of their brothers in other places. Thus, when the prophet Agabus foretold that a great famine would occur, the disciples in the congregation of Syrian Antioch “determined, each of them according as anyone could afford it, to send a relief ministration to the brothers dwelling in Judea.” (Acts 11:28, 29) Other organized relief measures for needy brothers in Judea were likewise strictly voluntary.—Rom. 15:25-27; 1 Cor. 16:1-3; 2 Cor. 9:5, 7.