4
city in the southern part of Memphis itself. Goodwin (Rec. of Past,
Old
Series, VI, 11) gives an Egyptian letter describing the “city of
Rameses-
Miamun,” which appears to be Zoan, since it was on the seacoast. It
was a
very prosperous city when this letter was written, and a pa-khennu
or
“palace city.” It had canals full of fish, lakes swarming with
birds, fields of
lentils, melons, wheat, onions and sesame, gardens of vines,
almonds and
figs. Ships entered its harbor; the lotus and papyrus grew in its
waters. The
inhabitants greeted Rameses II with garlands of flowers. Besides
wine and
mead, of the “conqueror’s city,” beer was brought to the harbor
from the
Kati (in Cilicia), and oil from the “Lake Sagabi.” There is no
reason to
suppose that Zoan was less prosperous in the early Hyksos age, when
the
Hebrews dwelt in its plain, whatever be the conclusion as to the
date when
the city Rameses received that name. The description above given
agrees
with the Old Testament account of the possession given by Joseph to
his
family “in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses”
(<014711>Genesis 47:11).
C. R. Conder
(1) ([hB;r ” , rabbah]; [ JRabba>, Rhabba],
[ JRabba>q, Rhabbath], [
JRabba>n, Rhabban]. The full name is [yneB]t B”
r ” ˆwOM[ “, rabbath
bene `ammon]; [ hJ a]kra tw~n uiJw~n jAmmw>n, he akra ton
huion
Ammon], [ JRabba>q uiJw~n jAmmw>n, Rhabbath huion
Ammon], “Rabbah
of the children of Ammon”): This alone of the cities of the
Ammonites
is mentioned in Scripture, so we may take it as the most important.
It is
first named in connection with the “bed” or sarcophagus of Og, king
of
Bashan, which was said to be found here (<050311>Deuteronomy
3:11). It
lay East of the territory assigned to Gad (<061325>Joshua
13:25). Whatever
may have been its history in the interval, it does not appear again
in
Scripture till the time of David. This monarch sent an embassy
of
sympathy to King Hanun when his father Nahash died. The
kindness
was met by wanton insult, which led to the outbreak of war.
The
Ammonites, strengthened by Aramean allies, were defeated by
the
Israelites under Joab, and took refuge in Rabbah. After David’s
defeat
of the Arameans at Helam a year later, the Ammonites were
exposed
alone to the full-force of Israel, the ark of the covenant being
carried
with the troops. The country was ravaged and siege was laid
to
5
Rabbah. It was during this siege that Uriah the Hittite by
David’s
orders was exposed “in the forefront of the hottest battle”
(<101115>2
Samuel 11:15), where, treacherously deserted by his comrades, he
was
slain. How long the siege lasted we do not know; probably some
years;
but the end was in sight when Joab captured “the city of
waters” (<101227>2
Samuel 12:27). This may mean that he had secured control of the
water
supply. In the preceding verse he calls it the “royal city.” By
the
chivalry of his general, David was enabled in person to enjoy the
honor
of taking the city. Among the booty secured was the crown of
Melcom,
the god of the Ammonites. Such of the inhabitants as survived
he
treated with great severity (<101226>2 Samuel 12:26-31;
<132001>1 Chronicles
20:1 ff).
In the utterances of the prophets against Ammon, Rabbah stands for
the
people, as their most important, or perhaps their only
important, city
(<244902>Jeremiah 49:2,3; <262120>Ezekiel 21:20; 25:5;
<300101>Amos 1:14). <244904>Jeremiah
49:4 speaks of the “flowing valley” — a reference perhaps to
the
abundance of water and fruitfulness — and the treasures in which
she
gloried. <262121>Ezekiel 21:21 represents the king of Babylon
at “the head of
the two ways” deciding by means of the divining arrows whether he
should
march against Jerusalem or against Rabbah. Amos seems to have
been
impressed with the palaces of Rabbah.
The city retained its importance in later times. It was captured by
Ptolemy
Philadelphus (285-247 BC), who called it Philadelphia. It was a
member of
the league of ten cities. Antiochus the Great captured it by means
of
treachery (Polyb. v.71). Josephus (BJ, III, iii, 3) names it as
lying East of
Peraea. In the 4th century AD, it ranked with Bostra and Gerasa as
one of
the great fortified cities of Coele-Syria (Ritter, Erdkunde, XV,
ii, 1154 f).
It became the seat of a bishop. Abulfeda (1321 AD) says that Rabbah
was
in ruins at the time of the Moslem conquest.
Rabbah is represented by the modern `Amman, a ruined site with
extensive
remains, chiefly from Roman times, some 14 miles Northeast of
Heshbon,
and about 22 miles East of the Jordan. It lies on the northern bank
of Wady
`Amman, a tributary of the upper Jabbok, in a well-watered and
fruitful
valley. Possibly the stream which rises here may be “the waters”
referred to
in <101227>2 Samuel 12:27. Ancient Rabbah may have stood on
the hill now
occupied by the citadel, a position easy of defense because of
its
precipitous sides. The outer walls of the citadel appear to
be very old; but
6
it is quite impossible to say that anything Ammonite is now above
ground.
The citadel is connected by means of an underground passage with a
large
cistern or tank to the North, whence probably it drew its
watersupply. This
may be the passage mentioned in the account of the capture of the
city by
Antiochus. “It is,” says Conder (Heth and Moab, 158), “one of the
finest
Roman towns in Syria, with baths, a theater, and an odeum, as well
as
several large private masonry tombs built in the valley probably in
the 2nd
century. The fortress on the hill, now surrounding a considerable
temple, is
also probably of this same date. The church with two chapels
farther
North, and perhaps some of the tombs, must belong to a later
age, perhaps
the 4th century. The fine mosque and the fine Moslem building on
the
citadel hill cannot be earlier than the 7th, and are perhaps as
late as the
11th century; and we have thus relics of every building epoch
except the
Crusading, of which there appears to be no indication.”
The place is now occupied by Arabs and Circassians who profit by
the
riches of the soil. It is brought into contact with the outside
world by
means of the Damascus-Hejaz Railway, which has a station
here.
(2) ([hB;r ” h;, ha-rabbah]; Codex Vaticanus [ Swqhba~,
Sotheba];
Codex Alexandrinus [ jArebba>, Arebba]): An unidentified
city of
Judah named along with Kiriath-jearim (<061560>Joshua
15:60).
W. Ewing
RABBI
<rab’-i>, <rab’-i> ([yBir ” , rabbi]; [rJabbi>,
rhabbi], or [rJabbei>, rhabbei]): A term used by the Jews of
their religious teachers as a title of
respect, from [br ” , rabh], “great,” so “my great one” (compare
Latin
magister), once of masters of slaves, but later of teachers
(<402307>Matthew
23:7); therefore translated by [dida>skalov, didaskalos],
“teacher”
(<402308>Matthew 23:8; <430138>John 1:38; compare
1:49). In the King James
Version frequently rendered “Master” (<402625>Matthew
26:25,49; <410905>Mark
9:5; 11:21; 14:45; <430431>John 4:31; 9:2; 11:8). John the
Baptist (<430326>John
3:26), as well as Christ, is addressed with the title
(<430149>John 1:49; 6:25),
both by disciples and others. Jesus forbade its use among His
followers
(<402308>Matthew 23:8). Later (Galilean) form of same,
RABBONI (which
RABBITH
<rab’-ith> ([t yBir ” h;, ha-rabbith]; Codex Vaticanus
[ Dabeirw>n, Dabeiron]; Codex Alexandrinus [
JRabbw>q, Rhabboth]): A town in the
territory of Issachar (<061920>Joshua 19:20) which is
probably represented today
by Raba, a village in the southern part of the Gilboa range
and North of
Ibzaq. The “ha” is, of course, the definite article.
RABBLE
<rab’-l >: This word is not found in the King James
Version. the Revised
Version (British and American) has it once as the translation
of
[ajgorai~ov, agoraios] (literally, “lounger in the market place”),
in <441705>Acts
17:5, where it replaces “baser sort” of the King James Version. It
has the
common meaning of an unruly, lawless set who are ready to join a
mob.
RABBONI
(<411051>Mark 10:51); [rJabbouni>, rhabbouni]
(Westcott-Hort rhabbounei,
(<432016>John 20:16)).
RAB-MAG
<rab’-mag > ([gm;Abr ” , rabh-magh];. Septuagint has it
as a proper noun,
[ JRabama>q, Rhabamath]): The name of one of the Babylonian
princes
who were present at the destruction of Jerusalem by
Nebuchadnezzar,
during the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah (<243903>Jeremiah
39:3,13). The
word is a compound, the two parts seemingly being in apposition
and
signifying tautologically the same thing. The last syllable or
section of the
word, magh, was the designation among the Medes, Persians and
Babylonians for priests and wise men. Its original significance was
“great”
or “powerful”; Greek [me>gav, megas], Latin magis, magnus. The
first
syllable, rabh, expresses practically the same idea, that of
greatness, or
abundance in size, quantity, or power. Thus it might be interpreted
the
“allwise” or “all-powerful” prince, the chief magician or
physician. It is,
therefore, a title and not a name, and is accordingly put in
appositive
8
relations to the proper name just preceding, as “Nergal-sharezer,
the Rab-
mag,” translated fully, “Nergal-sharezer the chief prince or
magician.”
See NERGAL-SHAREZER.
In harmony with the commonly accepted view, the proper rendering of
the
text should be, “All the princes of the king of Babylon came in,
and sat in
the middle gate, to wit, Nergal-sharezer, Samgarnebo, Sarsechim,
(the)
Rab-saris, Nergal-sharezer, (the) Rab-mag” (<243903>Jeremiah
39:3); and “so
Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard sent, and Nebushazban,
(the) Rab-
saris, and Nergal-sharezer, (the) Rab-mag, and all the chief
officers of the
king of Babylon” (<243913>Jeremiah 39:13).
Walter G. Clippinger
RAB-SARIS
<rab’-sa-ris> ([syr is ;Abr ” , rabh-caric]): As with
Rab-mag, which is not
regarded as a name, but a title, so this is to be regarded as a
descriptive
title for the person whose name precedes it
(see RAB-MAG). The first part,
rabh, signifies “great” or “chief,” the second, caric, is the title
for eunuch
or chamberlain. The translation then would be chief eunuch or the
chief of
the eunuchs (or chamberlains).
The oriental custom was for the king to surround himself with a
number of
eunuchs, who performed varied kinds of services, both menial
and
dignified. They usually had charge of his harem; sometimes they
occupied
court positions. Frequently they superintended the education of the
youth.
The term itself was sometimes used to designate persons in places
of trust
who were not emasculated. The above title describes the highest or
chief in
rank of these eunuchs.
See EUNUCH.
The full title is used 3 times, once in connection with the titles
of other
important officers who were sent by the king of Assyria with a
large army
to demand the surrender of Jerusalem. The passage would be
translated
properly, `And the king of Assyria sent the Tartan and the
Rab-saris (the
chief eunuch) and the Rabshakeh from Lachish to king Hezekiah’
(<121817>2
Kings 18:17). Again, it refers to a Babylonian whose real name
was
Sarsechim, who with the other Babylonian princes sat in the middle
gate
during the capture of Jerusalem. This event is described as having
occurred
9
in the 11th year of Zedekiah, king of Judah (<243903>Jeremiah
39:3). The third
use is in connection with the name Nebushazban, who, with the other
chief
officers of the king of Babylon, sent and took Jeremiah out of the
court of
the guard and committed him to Gedaliah, who was to take him home
to
dwell with his own people (<243913>Jeremiah 39:13).
Thus, it is seen that based upon this accepted theory the three
titles would
be in their connections as follows:
(1) simply “the chief eunuch,”
(2) Sarsechim, the Rab-saris (or chief eunuch), and
(3) Nebushazban, the Rab-saris (or chief eunuch).
See also ASSYRIA, X.
<rab’-sha-ke>, <rab-sha’-ke> ([hqev ;b]r ” ,
rabhshaqeh]): A compound
word, the first part, [rabh], indicating “head” or “chief”
(see RAB-MAG;
RAB-SARIS ). The second part, which in the Aramaic,
probably meant
“cupbearer,” had in this connection and elsewhere, according to
later
discoveries, an extended significance, and meant chief officer,
i.e. chief of
the heads or captains.
Rabshakeh was one of the officers sent by Sennacherib, the king
of
Assyria, with the Tartan and the Rabsaris to demand the surrender
of
Jerusalem, which was under siege by the Assyrian army
(<121817>2 Kings
18:17,19,26,27,28,37; 19:4,8; <233602>Isaiah
36:2,4,11,12,13,22; 37:4,8). The
three officers named went from Lachish to Jerusalem and appeared by
the
conduit of the upper pool. Having called upon King Hezekiah,
his
representatives Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, Shebnah, the scribe,
and Joah,
the recorder, appeared. Rabshakeh sent through them a message to
the
king in which he represented himself as the spokesman for the king
of
Assyria. He derided King Hezekiah in an insolent fashion in
representing
his trust in Egypt as a bruised reed which would pierce the hand.
Likewise
his confidence in Yahweh was vain, for He also would be unable to
deliver
them. Then the officers of the king replied, requesting him to
speak in the
Syrian language-which they understood, and not in the Jews’
language
Syrian language-which they understood, and not in the Jews’
language
10
still more loudly in order that they might hear and be persuaded.
By bribery
and appeal, by promise and by deception he exhorted them to turn
traitor
to Hezekiah and surrender to him. The people, however, true to
the
command of Hezekiah (<121836>2 Kings 18:36), “held their
peace, and answered
him not a word.” Afterward Rabshakeh returned and “found the king
of
Assyria warring against Libnah”. (<121908>2 Kings 19:8). From
this description
it is inferred that Rabshakeh was a man of considerable literary
attainment,
being able, in all probability, to speak in three languages.
He had, in
addition to his official power, dauntless courage, an insolent
spirit and a
characteristic oriental disregard for veracity.
Walter G. Clippinger
<ra’-ka, <ra-ka’ > ([rJaka>, rhaka], Westcott and
Hort, The New
Testament in Greek with Codices Sinaiticus (corrected), Vaticanus,
Codex
E, etc.; [rJaca>, rhacha], Tischendorf with Codices Sinaiticus
(original
hand) and Bezae; Aramaic [aq;yr e, reqa’ ], from [qyr e, req],
“empty”):
Vain or worthless fellow; a term of contempt used by the Jews in
the time
of Christ. In the Bible, it occurs in <400522>Matthew 5:22
only, but John
Lightfoot gives a number of instances of the use of the word by
Jewish
writers (Hot. Hebrew., edition by Gandell, Oxford, 1859, II,
108).
Chrysostom (who was acquainted with Syriac as spoken in the
neighborhood of Antioch) says it was equivalent to the Greek
[su>, su],
“thou,” used contemptuously instead of a man’s name. Jerome
rendered it
inanis aut vacuus absque cerebro. It is generally explained as
expressing
contempt for a man’s intellectual capacity (= “you simpleton!”),
while
[mwre>, more] (translated “thou fool”), in the same verse is
taken to refer
to a man’s moral and religious character (= “you rascal!” “you
impious
fellow!”). Thus we have three stages of anger, with three
corresponding
grades of punishment:
(1) the inner feeling of anger ([ojrgizo>menov, orgizomenos]),
to be
punished by the local or provincial court ([th~ |
kri>sei, te krisei], “the
judgment”);
(2) anger breaking forth into an expression of scorn (Raca), to
be
punished by the Sanhedrin ([tw~ | sunedri>w|,
to sunedrio], “the
(3) anger culminating in abusive and defamatory language
( More), to
be punished by the fire of Gehenna. This view, of a double
climax,
which has been held by foremost English and Gor.
commentators,
seems to give the passage symmetry and gradation. But it is
rejected
among others by T. K. Cheyne, who, following J. P. Peters,
rearranges
the text by transferring the clause “and whosoever shall say to
his
brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council” to the end
of the
preceding verse (Encyclopaedia Biblica, IV, cols. 4001 f).
There
certainly does not seem to be trustworthy external evidence to
prove
that the terms “the judgment,” “the council,” “the Gehenna of
fire”
stand to each other in a relation of gradation, as lower and higher
legal
courts, or would be so understood by Christ’s hearers. What is
beyond
dispute is that Christ condemns the use of disparaging and
insulting
epithets as a supreme offense against the law of humanity,
which
belongs to the same category as murder itself. It should be
added,
however, that it is the underlying feeling and not the verbal
expression
as such that constitutes the sin. Hence, our Lord can, without any
real
inconsistency, address two of His followers as “foolish men”
(<422425>Luke
24:25, [ajno>htoi, anoetoi], practically equivalent to Raca, as
is also
James’s expression, “O vain man,” <590220>James 2:20).
D. Miall Edwards
RACAL
<ra’-kal > ([l k ;r ;, rakhal ], “trader”): A place
in Judah, enumerated among
“the places where David himself and his men were wont to haunt,” to
the
elders of which he sent a share of his spoils (<093029>1
Samuel 30:29). The
Septuagint reading “Carmel” has been adopted, by many, because of
the
similarity of the words in Hebrew ([l k r , rakal ] and [l mr
k , karmel ]) and
because there was a Carmel in the neighborhood of Hebron
(<061555>Joshua
15:55; <091512>1 Samuel 15:12), which figures in the story of
David’s
adventures when pursued by Saul (1 Samuel 25) in a manner that
makes it
improbable that he would overlook the place in his good fortune
(the King
James Version “Rachal”).
Nathan I saacs
RACES
RACHAB
<ra’-kab> ([ JRaca>b, Rhachab]): the King James
Version; Greek form of
“Rahab” (thus <400105>Matthew 1:5 the Revised Version
(British and
American)).
RACHAL
RACHEL
<ra’-chel > ([l j er ;, rachel ], “ewe”; [
JRach>l, Rhachel ] (<012906>Genesis 29:6;
<243115>Jeremiah 31:15, the King James Version
“Rahel”)):
1. BIOGRAPHY:
An ancestress of Israel, wife of Jacob, mother of Joseph and
Benjamin.
Rachel was the younger daughter of Laban, the Aramean, the brother
of
Jacob’s mother; so Rachel and Jacob were cousins. They met for the
first
time upon the arrival of Jacob at Haran, when attracted by her
beauty he
immediately fell in love with her, winning her love by his
chivalrous act
related in <012910>Genesis 29:10 ff. According to the custom
of the times Jacob
contracted with Laban for her possession, agreeing to serve him 7
years as
the stipulated price (29:17-20). But when the time had passed,
Laban
deceived Jacob by giving him Leah instead of Rachel. When
Jacob
protested, Laban gave him Rachel also, on condition that
Jacob serve 7
years more (29:21-29). To her great dismay “Rachel was
barren”
(<012930>Genesis 29:30,31), while Leah had children. Rachel,
envious of her
sister, complained to Jacob, who reminded her that children are the
gift of
God. Then Rachel resorted to the expedient once employed by Sarah
under
13
as a concubine, to “obtain children by her” (30:3). Daniel and
Naphtali
were the offspring of this union. The evil of polygamy is apparent
from the
dismal rivalry arising between the two sisters, each seeking by
means of
children to win the heart of Jacob. In her eagerness to become a
mother of
children, Rachel bargained with Leah for the mandrakes, or
love-apples of
her son Reuben, but all to no avail (<013014>Genesis 30:14).
Finally God heard
her prayer and granted her her heart’s desire, and she gave birth
to her
firstborn whom she named Joseph (<013022>Genesis
30:22-24).
Some years after this, when Jacob fled from Laban with his wives,
the
episode of theft of the teraphim of Laban by Rachel, related in
<013119>Genesis
31:19,34,35, occurred. She hoped by securing the household gods of
her
father to bring prosperity to her own new household. Though
she
succeeded by her cunning in concealing them from Laban, Jacob
later,
upon discovering them, had them put away (35:2-4). In spite of all,
she
continued to be the favorite of Jacob, as is clearly evidenced by
33:2,
where we are told that he assigned to her the place of greatest
safety, and
by his preference for Joseph, her son. After the arrival in
Canaan, while
they were on the way from Beth-el to Ephrath, i.e. Bethlehem,
Rachel gave
birth to her second son, Benjamin, and died (35:16 ff).
2. CHARACTER:
In a marked manner Rachel’s character shows the traits of her
family,
cunning and covetousness, so evident in Laban, Rebekah and
Jacob.
Though a believer in the true God (<013006>Genesis
30:6,8,22), she was yet
given to the superstitions of her country, the worshipping of the
teraphim,
etc. (<013119>Genesis 31:19). The futility of her efforts in
resorting to self-help
and superstitious expedients, the love and stronger faith of her
husband
(<013502>Genesis 35:2-4), were the providential means of
purifying her
character. Her memory lived on in Israel long after she died. In
<080411>Ruth
4:11, the names of Rachel and Leah occur in the nuptial benediction
as the
foundresses of the house of Israel.
RACHEL’S TOMB
([l j er ;t r ” buq]t b,X,m” , matstsebheth qebhurath
rachel ): In <013520>Genesis
35:20 we read: “Jacob set up a pillar upon her grave: the same is
the Pillar
of Rachel’s grave unto this day,” i.e. the time of the writer.
Though the
pillar, i.e sepulchral monument, has long disa d, the spot is
marked
14
until this day, and Christians, Jews and Mohammedans unite in
honoring it.
The present tomb, which, apparently, is not older than the 15th
century, is
built in the style of the small-domed buildings raised by
Moslems in honor
of their saints. It is a rough structure of four square walls, each
about 23 ft.
long and 20 ft. high; the dome rising 10 ft. higher is used
by
Mohammedans for prayer, while on Fridays the Jews make
supplication
before the empty tomb within. It is doubtful, but probable,
that it marks the
exact spot where Rachel was buried. There are, apparently, two
traditions
as to the location of the place. The oldest tradition, based upon
<013516>Genesis
35:16-20; 48:7, points to a place one mile North of Bethlehem and 4
miles
from Jerusalem. <400218>Matthew 2:18 speaks for this place,
since the
evangelist, reporting the slaughter of the innocents of
Bethlehem,
represents Rachel as weeping for her children from her neighboring
grave.
But according to <091002>1 Samuel 10:2 ff, which apparently
represents another
tradition, the place of Rachel’s grave was on the “border of
Benjamin,”
near Beth-el, about 10 miles North of Jerusalem, at another
unknown
Ephrath. This location, some believe, is corroborated by
<243115>Jeremiah
31:15, where the prophet, in relating the leading away of the
people of
Ramah, which was in Benjamin, into captivity, introduces Rachel
the
mother of that tribe as bewailing the fate of her descendants.
Those that
believe this northern location to be the place of Rachel’s
grave take the
words, “the same is Beth-lehem,” in <013519>Genesis 35:19;
48:7, to be an
incorrect gloss; but that is a mere assumption lacking sufficient
proof.
Mr. Nathan Strauss, of New York City, has purchased the land
surrounding Rachel’s grave for the purpose of erecting a Jewish
university
in the Holy Land.
RADDAI
<rad’-a-i>, <ra-da’-i> ([yD” r ” , radday], “beating
down”(?)): The 5th
of the 7 sons of Jesse, father of David, according to
<130214>1 Chronicles 2:14
Septuagint, Codex Alexdrinus, “Rhaddai”; Lucian, “Rhedai”;
others,
“Zaddai”).
RADIANT
<ra’-di-ant > ([r h” n;, nahar ], “to sparkle” i.e.
(figurative) be cheerful;
assemble; flow (together), be lightened): the American Standard
Revised
Version substitutes the active “radiant” for the passive “were
lightened” in <193405>Psalm 34:5; <236005>Isaiah 60:5
(English Revised Version, the King James
Version “flow together”). As the earth and moon, both being dark,
face a
common sun and lighten each other, they are not only lightened,
but
radiant. So with the believers, “They looked unto him (Yahweh), and
were
radiant.” Thus nahar combines the two ideas of being lightened
and
flowing together. This appears, also, in a different connection, in
<236005>Isaiah
60:5, “Then thou shalt see and be radiant.” “It is liquid light —
light that
ripples and sparkles and runs across the face; .... the light which
a face
catches from sparkling water” (G.A. Smith, Isaiah, II, 430).
M. O. Evans
RAFTER
RAG
Plural in <202321>Proverbs 23:21, “Drowsiness will clothe a
man with rags”
([µy[ ir ;q], qera’im] “torn garment”; compare <111130>1
Kings 11:30), and
figuratively in <236406>Isaiah 64:6 the King James Version,
“All our
righteousnesses are as filthy rags,” in the sense of “tattered
clothing”
([dg,B,, beghedh], the Revised Version (British and American)
“garment”).
In <243811>Jeremiah 38:11,12 the American Standard Revised
Version translates
[hb; j ;s ], cechabhah], as “rag” (the King James Version, the
English
Revised Version “old cast clout”), while the King James Version,
the
English Revised Version use “rotten rag” for [ j l ” m,,
melach] (the
American Standard Revised Version “worn-out garment”). Both
cechabhah and melach mean “worn out.”
<ra’-go> ([ JRagau~, Rhagau] (Westcott-Hort): the King
James Version;
Greek form of “Reu” (thus, the Revised Version (British and
American))
(<420335>Luke 3:35).
(“Rages,” Tobit 1:14; 4:1,20; 5:5; 6:9,12; 9:2; “Ragau,” Judith
1:5,15; [
JRagai>, Rhagai], [ JRa>ga, Rhaga], [
JRa>gh, Rhage], [ JRagau>, Rhagau]; in
Darius’ Behistun Inscriptions, II, 71, 72, Raga, a province;
in Avesta,
Vend. I, 15, Ragha, city and province; perhaps, “the
excellent”): In Eastern
Media, one forced march from Caspian Gates, 11 days’ journey
from
Ecbatana, 5 1/2 miles South of present Tehran; the capital of the
province
of the same name, though by Ptolemy called Rhagiana.
2. HISTORY:
(1) Ancient.
A very ancient city, the traditional birthplace of Zoroaster
(Zarathustra;
Pahlavi Vendidad, Zad sparad XVI, 12, and Dabistan i Mazahib). In
Yasna
XIX, 18, of the Avesta, it is thus mentioned: “The Zoroastrian,
four-chief-
possessing Ragha, hers are the royal chiefs, both the
house-chief, the
village-chief, and the town-chief: Zoroaster is the fourth.” In
Vend. I, 15:
“As the tenth, the best of both districts and cities, I, who am
Ahura Mazda,
did create Ragha, which possesses the three classes,” i.e.
fire-priests,
charioteers, husbandmen. Later it was the religious center of
magism. A
large colony of captive Israelites settled there. Destroyed in
Alexander’s
time, it was rebuilt by Seleucus Nicator (circa 300 BC), who named
it
Europos. Later, Arsaces restored it and named it Arsacia.
(2) Medieval.
In the early Middle Ages Ragha, then called Rai, was a great
literary and
often political center with a large population. It was the
birthplace of
Harun’al Rashid (763 AD). It was seized and plundered (1029 AD)
by
Sultan Machmud, but became Tughril’s capital. In the Vis o Roman
(circa
17
1048 AD) it is an important place, 10 days journey across the Kavir
desert
from Merv. It was a small provincial town in about 1220 AD. It
was
sacked by Mongols in 1220 AD and entirely destroyed under Ghazan
Khan
circa 1295. A Zoroastrian community lived there in 1278 AD, one
of
whom composed the Zardtusht-Namah.
(3) Present Condition.
Near the ruins there now stands the village of Shah Abdu’l
‘Acim,
connected with Tehran by the only railway in Persia (opened in
1888).
LITERATURE
Ptolemy, Diodorus Siculus, Pliny, Strabo; Ibnu’l Athir, Jami’u t
Tawarikh,
Tarikh i Jahan-gusha Yaqut; Justi, Iranisches Namenbuch; E.G.
Browne,
Literary Hist of Persia; modern travelers.
W. St. Clair Tisdal l
RAGUEL (1)
<ra-gu’-el >, <rag’-u-el > ([
JRagouh>l, Rhagouel ): “The friend of God,”
of
Ecbatana, the husband of Edna, father of Sarah, and father-in-law
of
Tobias (Tobit 3:7,17; 6:10; 7:2 f; 14:12). In Tobit 7:2 he is
called cousin of
Tobit, and in Tobit 6:10 the King James Version he is
erroneously
represented as “cousin” of Tobias = “kinsman” in the Revised
Version
(British and American). In Enoch 20:4 Raguel appears as one of
the
archangels, perhaps by confusion for Raphael (Tobit 3:17). Another
form
of the name is REUEL (which see).
RAGUEL (2)
<ra-gu’-el >, <rag’-u-el > ([l aeW[ r ],
re`u’-el ]; Septuagint: Rhagouel ): The
Midianite chothen, i.e. either father-in-law or brother-in-law of
Moses
(<041029> Numbers 10:29 the King James Version, the
Revised Version (British
and American) “Reuel”), the father of Hobab, called a Kenite, who
is
likewise described as a chothen of Moses (<070411>Judges
4:11). See
RELATIONSHIPS , FAMILY. Moses’ wife’s father is called
re`u’el in <020218>Exodus 2:18 where Lucian reads
“Iothor” and English Versions of the
Bible “Reuel,” which transliteration is adopted in the Revised
Version
(British and American) in <041029> Numbers 10:29 also.
In other passages the
chothen of Moses is called “Jether” or “Jethro.” Among the
harmonizations suggested the following are worthy of
consideration:
(a) that all are names or perhaps titles of one man (Rashi);
(b) that Reuel was the father of Hobab and Jethro, that Jethro was
the
father-in-law of Moses, and that the word “father” is used
for
grandfather in <020218>Exodus 2:18;
(c) that Reuel was the father-in-law and Jethro and Hobab
brothers-in-
law;
(d) that either Reuel or Hobab is to be identified with Jethro.
None of
these views is free from difficulty, nor is the view of those who
would
give Jethro as the name in the Elohist (E) and Reuel as that in
the
Jahwist (Jahwist) and (J-E).
<ra’-hab>:
(1) ([bj ;r ;, rachabh], “broad”; in Josephus, Ant, V, i, 2, 7, [
JRa>cab, Rhachab]; <581131>Hebrews 11:31 and
<590225>James 2:25, [ JRa>ab, Rhaab]): A
zonah, that is either a “harlot,” or, according to some, an
“innkeeper”
in Jericho; the Septuagint [po>rnh, porne], “harlot”). The
two spies
sent by Joshua from Shittim came into her house and lodged
there
(<060201>Joshua 2:1). She refused to betray them to the king
of Jericho, and
when he demanded them, she hid them on the roof of her house
with
stalks of flax that she had laid in order to dry. She pretended
that they
had escaped before the shutting of the gate, and threw their
pursuers
off their track. She then told the spies of the fear that the
coming of the
Israelites had caused in the minds of the Canaanites — “Our hearts
did
melt .... for Yahweh your God, he is God in heaven above, and
on
earth beneath” — and asked that the men promise to spare her
father,
mother, brothers and sisters, and all that they had. They promised
her
to spare them provided they would remain in her house and
provided
she would keep their business secret. Thereupon she let them down
by
19
and gave them directions to make good their escape
(<060201>Joshua 2:1-
24). True to their promise, the Israelites under Joshua spared
Rahab
and her family (<060616>Joshua 6:16 ff the King James
Version); “And,” says
the author of Josh, “she dwelleth in Israel even unto this day.”
Her
story appealed strongly to the imagination of the people of later
times. <581131>Hebrews 11:31 speaks of her as having been
saved by faith; James,
on the other hand, in demonstrating that a man is justified by
works and
not by faith only, curiously chooses the same example
(<590225>James 2:25).
Jewish tradition has been kindly disposed toward Rahab; one
hypothesis goes so far as to make her the wife of Joshua himself
(Jew
Encyclopedia, under the word). Naturally then the other translation
of
zonah, deriving it from zun, “to feed,” instead
of zanah, “to be a
harlot,” has been preferred by some of the commentators.
(2) ( JRa>cab, Rhachab): Josephus, Ant, V, 1, 2, 7, so
spells the name
of (1) Septuagint and New Testament contra). The wife of Salmon
and
mother of Booz (Boaz) according to the genealogy in
<400105>Matthew 1:5.
Query, whether there was a tradition identifying (1) and (2);
see
Lightfoot, Horae Hob on <400105>Matthew 1:5.
(3) ([bh” r ” , rahabh], literally, “storm,” “arrogance”): A
mythical
sea-monster, probably referred to in several passages where the
word is
translated as a common noun “pride” (<180913>Job 9:13), “the
proud”
(<182612>Job 26:12; compare <198910>Psalm 89:10). It is
used in parallelism with
tannin, “the dragon” (<235109>Isaiah 51:9). It is most
familiar as an emblem
of Egypt, `the boaster that sitteth still’ (<233007>Isaiah
30:7; <198704>Psalm 87:4;
compare 89:10). The Talmud in Babha’ Bathra’ speaks of rahabh
as
sar ha-yam, “master of the sea.”
See also ASTRONOMY.
Nathan I saacs
RAHAM
<ra’-ham> ([µj ” r ” , racham], “pity,” “love”): Son of
Shema, and father
of Jorkeam (<130244>1 Chronicles 2:44).
RAHEL
See WAR, 3.
RAIL; RAILING; RAILER,
<ral >, <ral’-ing >, <ral’-er >:
To “rail” on (in modern usage “against”)
anyone is to use insolent or reproachful language toward one. It
occurs in
the Old Testament as the translation of [t r ” j ;, charaph]
(<143217>2
Chronicles 32:17, “letters to rail on Yahweh”), and of [f y[ i,
`it ] (<092514>1
Samuel 25:14, of Nabal, “he railed at them,” the English Revised
Version
“flew upon them,” margin “railed on”). In the New Testament “to
rail” is
the translation of [blasfhme>w, blasphemeo] (<411529>Mark
15:29; <422339>Luke
23:39; “railing,” <540604>1 Timothy 6:4; <610211>2
Peter 2:11; <650109>Jude 1:9). The
word loidoria, rendered railing” in <600309>1 Peter 3:9 the
King James Version,
is in the Revised Version (British and American) “reviling,” and
loidoros,
“railor,” in <460511>1 Corinthians 5:11 is in the Revised
Version (British and
American) “reviler.”
<ra’-ment >.
See DRESS.
RAIMENT, SOFT
([malako>v, malakos]): In <401108>Matthew 11:8 English
Versions of the Bible,
where Jesus, speaking of John the Baptist, asks “What went ye out
to see?
a man clothed in soft raiment?” where “raiment,” though implied, is
not
expressed in the best text, but was probably added from
<420725>Luke 7:25
parallel. It is equivalent to “elegant clothing,” such as
courtiers wore, as
shown by the words following, “Behold, they that wear soft raiment
are in
kings’ houses.” John had bravely refused to play courtier and had
gone to
21
prison for it. In the early days of Herod the Great some
scribes who
attached themselves to him laid aside their usual plain clothing
and wore
the gorgeous raiment of courtiers (Jost, in Plumptre).
George B. Eager
RAIN
<ran> ([r f ;m;, maTar ], Arabic maTar , “rain” [µv
o,G,, geshem], “heavy rain”
[hr ,wOm, moreh], “early rain,” [hr ,wOy, yoreh], “former
rain,” [v wOql ]m” ,
malqosh], “latter rain”; [bre>cw, brecho], [uJeto>v,
huetos]):
1. WATER-SUPPLY IN EGYPT AND PALESTINE:
In Egypt there is little or no rainfall, the water for vegetation
being
supplied in great abundance by the river Nile; but in Syria and
Palestine
there are no large rivers, and the people have to depend entirely
on the fall
of rain for water for themselves, their animals and their fields.
The children
of Israel when in Egypt were promised by Yahweh a land which
“drinketh
water of the rain of heaven” (<051111>Deuteronomy 11:11).
Springs and
fountains are found in most of the valleys, but the flow of the
springs
depends directly on the fall of rain or snow in the
mountains.
2. IMPORTANCE OF RAIN IN SEASON:
The cultivation of the land in Palestine is practically dry farming
in most of
the districts, but even then some water is necessary, so that there
may be
moisture in the soil. In the summer months there is no rain, so
that the rains
of the spring and fall seasons are absolutely essential for
starting and
maturing the crops. The lack of this rain in the proper time has
often been
the cause of complete failure of the harvest. A small difference in
the
amount of these seasonal rains makes a large difference in the
possibility of
growing various crops without irrigation. Ellsworth Huntington
has
insisted on this point with great care in his very important work,
Palestine
and Its Transformation. The promise of prosperity is given in the
assurance
of “rain in due season” (<032604>Leviticus 26:4 the King
James Version). The
withholding of rain according to the prophecy of Elijah
(<111701>1 Kings 17:1)
caused the mountain streams to dry up (<111707>1 Kings 17:7),
and certain
famine ensued. A glimpse of the terrible suffering for lack of
water at that
time is given us. The people were uncertain of another meal
(<111712>1 Kings
17:12), and the animals were perishing (<111805>1 Kings
18:5).
3. AMOUNT OF RAINFALL:
Palestine and Syria are on the borderland between the sea and the
desert,
and besides are so mountainous, that they not only have a great
range of
rainfall in different years, but a great variation in different
parts of the
country.
The amount of rain on the western slopes is comparable with that
in
England and America, varying from 25 to 40 inches per annum, but it
falls
mostly in the four winter months, when the downpour is often very
heavy,
giving oftentimes from 12 to 16 inches in a month. On the eastern
slopes it
is much less, varying from 8 to 20 inches per annum. The highest
amount
falls in the mountains of Lebanon where it averages about 50
inches. In
Beirut the yearly average is 35,87 inches. As we go South from
Syria, the
amount decreases (Haifa 27,75, Jaffa 22,39, Gaze 17,61), while in
the
Sinaitic Peninsula there is little or none. Going from West to East
the
change is much more sudden, owing to the mountains which stop
the
clouds. In Damascus the average is less than 10 inches. In
Jerusalem the
average for 50 years is 26,16 in., and the range is from 13,19 in
1870 to
41,62 in 1897. The yearly records as given by J. Glaisher and A.
Datzi in
Palestine Exploration Fund Quarterly from 1861 to 1910, 50 years,
are
given in the accompanying table.
RAINFALL IN JERUSALEM IN INCHES
YEAR AMOUNT
1861 27.30”
1862 21.86”
1863 26.54”
1864 15.51”
1865 18.19”
1866 18.55”
1867 29.42”
1868 29.10”
1895 23.15”
1896 32.90”
1897 41.62”
1898 28.66”
1899 22.43”
1900 21.20”
1901 17.42”
1902 25.51”
1903 18.04”
1904 34.48”
1905 34.22”
1906 28.14”
1907 27.22”
1908 31.87”
1909 21.13”
1910 24.64”
The amount of rainfall in ancient times was probably about the same
as in
present times, though it may have been distributed somewhat
differently
through the year, as suggested by Huntington. Conder maintains that
the
present amount would have been sufficient to support the
ancient cities
(Tent-Work in Palestine). Trees are without doubt fewer now,
but
meteorologists agree that trees do not produce rain.
4. DRY AND RAINY SEASONS;
25
higher levels. Having passed the ridge of the hills, the currents
descend on
the other side to warmer levels, where the moisture is easily held
in the
form of vapor so that no rain falls and few clouds are seen, except
in the
cold mid-winter months.
The summer months are practically rainless, with very few
clouds
appearing in the sky. From May 1 to the middle of October one can
be sure
of no rain; “The winter is past; the rain is over” (Song 2:11), so
many sleep
on the roofs of the houses or in tents of leaves and branches in
the fields
and vineyards throughout the summer. The continuous hot droughts
make
the people appreciate the springs and fountains of fresh running
water and
the cool shade of rock and tree.
The rainy season from October to May may be divided into three
parts, the
former, the winter, and the latter rains, and they are often
referred to under
these names in the Old Testament.
The “former rains” are the showers of October and the first part
of
November. They soften the parched ground so that the winter
grain may be
sown before the heavy continuous rains set in. The main bulk of the
rain
falls in the months of December, January and February. Although in
these
months the rains are frequent and heavy, a dark, foggy day is
seldom seen.
The “latter rains” of April are the most highly appreciated,
because they
ripen the fruit and stay the drought of summer. They were
considered a
special blessing: Yahweh “will come .... as the latter rain that
watereth the
earth” (<280603>Hosea 6:3); “They opened their mouth wide as
for the latter
rain” (<182923>Job 29:23); and as a reason for worshipping
Yahweh who sent
them, “Let us now fear Yahweh our God, that giveth rain, both the
former
and the latter, in its season” (<240524>Jeremiah 5:24).
The rain storms always come from the sea with a west or southwest
wind.
The east wind is a hot wind and the “north wind driveth away
rain”
(<202523>Proverbs 25:23, the King James Version). “Fair
weather cometh out of
the north” (<183722>Job 37:22, the King James Version).
5. BIBLICAL USES:
The Psalmist recognizes that the “showers that water the earth”
(<197206>Psalm
72:6) are among the choicest blessings from the hand of Yahweh:
“The
early rain covereth it with blessings” (<198406>Psalm 84:6).
The severest
punishment of Yahweh was to withhold the rain, as in the time
of Ahab and
26
Elijah, when the usual rain did not fall for three years (1 Kings
17); “the
anger of Yahweh be kindled against you, and he shut up the heavens,
so
that there shall be no rain, and the land shall not yield its
fruit; and ye
perish quickly” (<051117>Deuteronomy 11:17). Too much
rain is also a
punishment, as witness the flood (<010704>Genesis 7:4)
and the plague of rain
and hail (<151009>Ezra 10:9). Sending of rain was a reward
for worship and
obedience: “Yahweh will open unto thee his good treasure, the
heavens, to
give the rain of thy land in its season, and to bless all the work
of thy hand”
(<052812>Deuteronomy 28:12). Yahweh controls the elements and
commands
the rain: “He made a decree for the rain” (<182826>Job
28:26); “For he saith to
the snow, Fall thou on the earth; likewise to the shower of rain”
(<183706>Job
37:6).
LITERATURE
the Dead Sea, Jerusalem, Jaffa and Tiberias; various observers;
Zeitschrift
des deutschen Paldstina-Vereins; H. Hilderscheid, Die
Niederschlagsverhdltnisse Paldstinas in alter and neuer Zeit;
C. R. Conder,
Tent-Work in Palestine; Edward Hull, Mount Seir, Sinai and
Western
Palestine; Ellsworth Huntington, Palestine and Its Transformation;
bulletin
of the Syrian Protestant College Observatory, Meteorological
Observations
in Beirut and Syria.
Al fred H. Joy
RAINBOW
<ran’-bo> ([t c ,q,, qesheth], translated “a bow”; [i+riv,
iris], “rainbow”):
As most of the rainfall in Palestine is in the form of short heavy
showers it
is often accompanied by the rainbow. Most beautiful double bows are
often
seen, and occasionally the moon is bright enough to produce the
bow. It is
rather remarkable that there are so few references to the rainbow
in the
Bible. The Hebrew qesheth is the ordinary word for a bow, there
being no
special word for rainbow.
The interpretation of the significance of the bow in the sky is
given at the
close of the story of the flood, where it is called “the token of
the
covenant” of Yahweh with Noah that there should be no more flood:
“I do
set my bow in the cloud, .... and the waters shall no more become a
flood
to destroy all flesh” (<010913>Genesis 9:13,15). This
addition to the story of the
27
flood is not found in other mythical accounts. The foundation for
the
interpretation of the bow in this way seems to be that while His
bow is
hung in the sky God must be at peace with His people. The glory of
God is
likened to “the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the
day of
rain” (<260128>Ezekiel 1:28). The rainbow forms a striking
part of the vision in <660403>Revelation 4:3: “And there was
a rainbow round about the throne.”
Al fred H. Joy
RAISE
<raz >: “To raise” in the Old Testament is most
frequently the translation of
the Hiphil form of [µWq , qum], “to cause to arise,” e.g. raising
up seed
(<013808>Genesis 38:8), a prophet (<051818>Deuteronomy
18:18), judges (<070216>Judges
2:16,18), etc.; also of [r W[ , `ur ], “to awake,” “stir up”
(<150105>Ezra 1:5 the
King James Version; <234102>Isaiah 41:2, etc.), with other
words. In the New
Testament the chief words are [ejgei>rw, egeiro], “to awaken,”
“arouse”
(<400309>Matthew 3:9; <420169>Luke 1:69; 3:8, etc.),
frequently of raising the dead;
and [ajni>sthmi, anistemi] (<402224>Matthew 22:24;
<430639>John 6:39, etc.; <440224>Acts
2:24 (30 the King James Version), etc.), with compounds of the
former.
Among the Revised Version (British and American) changes may be
noted,
“to stir the fire” for “from raising” (<280704>Hosea 7:4);
“raiseth high his gate”
for “exalteth his gate” (<201719>Proverbs 17:19); the
American Standard
Revised Version, “can it be raised from the roots thereof” for
“pluck it up
by the roots thereof” (<261709>Ezekiel 17:9 the King
James Version and the
English Revised Version); “raised up” for “rise again”
(<402019>Matthew 20:19;
compare <402632>Matthew 26:32; <450834>Romans 8:34;
<510301>Colossians 3:1).
W. L. Walker
RAISIN-CAKES
<ra’-z’-n-kaks>: the Revised Version (British and American)
gives this
rendering for the King James Version “foundations” in
<231607>Isaiah 16:7
(Hebrew ‘ashishah from ‘ashash, “to found,” “make firm,” “press”).
The
trade in these would cease through the desolation of the vineyards.
For the
King James Version “flagons of wine” in <280301>Hosea 3:1,
the Revised
Version (British and American) gives “cakes of raisins,” such as
were
offered to the gods of the land, the givers of the grape (compare
Song 2:5).
See next article.
(1) [µyqiWMx i, cimmuqim]; [stafi>dev, staphides],
translated “dried
grapes,” <040603> Numbers 6:3; mentioned in all other
references as a
portable food for a march or journey. Abigail supplied David
with “a
hundred clusters of raisins,” among other things, in the wilderness
of
Paran (<092518>1 Samuel 25:18); David gave two clusters of
raisins to a
starving Egyptian slave of the Amalekites at Besor (<093012>1
Samuel
30:12); raisins formed part of the provision brought to David at
Hebron
for his army (<131240>1 Chronicles 12:40); Ziba supplied
David, when flying
from Absalom, with a hundred clusters of raisins (<101601>2
Samuel 16:1).
(2) [hv ;yv ia}, ‘ashishah], something “pressed together,” hence,
a
“cake.” In <280301>Hosea 3:1, mention is made of [µybin;[
}yveyv ia}, ‘ashishe
‘anabhim] ([pe>mmata meta< stafi>dov, pemmata meta
staphidos]),
“cakes of raisins”: “Yahweh loveth the children of Israel, though
they
turn unto other gods, and love (margin “or them that love”) cakes
of
raisins.” These are supposed to have been cakes of dried,
compressed
grapes offered to false gods. Gratz considers that the Hebrew
words
are a corruption of ‘asherim and chammanim (“sun images”).
Compare <231708>Isaiah 17:8; 27:9. In other passages “cakes”
stands alone without
“raisins,” but the translation “cakes of raisins” is given in
<100619>2 Samuel
6:19; <131603>1 Chronicles 16:3; Song 2:5 (the King James
Version
“flagons”); <231607>Isaiah 16:7 margin “foundations.”
Raisins are today, as of old, prepared in considerable quantities
in
Palestine, especially at es-Salt, East of the Jordan. The bunches
of grapes
are dipped in a strong solution of potash before being dried.
E. W. G. Masterman
RAKEM
<ra’-kem> ([µq,r ;, raqem], the pausal form of [µq,r ;,
reqem]): The
eponym of a clan of Machir (<130716>1 Chronicles 7:16).
See REKEM.
29
RAKKATH
<rak’-ath> ([t Q” r ” , raqqath]; Codex Vaticanus [
jWmaqadake>q, Omathadaketh]; Codex Alexandrinus [
JRekka>q, Rhekkath]): The Greek is
obviously the result of confusing the two names Rakkath and
Hammath,
taking “r” in the former for “d”. Rakkath was one of the fortified
cities in
Naphtali (<061935>Joshua 19:35). It is named between
Hammath and
Chinnereth. Hammath is identified with the hot baths to the South
of
Tiberias. There are traces of ancient fortifications here. The
rabbis think
that Tiberias was built on the site of Rakkath. Certain it is that
Herod’s
town was built upon an ancient site, the graves of the old
inhabitants being
disturbed in digging the new foundations (Neubauer, Geog. du
Talmud,
208).
See ME-JARKON.
RAM (1)
<ram> ([µr ;, ram], “high,” “exalted”):
(1) An ancestor of David (<080419>Ruth 4:19 ([ jArra>n,
Arran]); <400103>Matthew 1:3,4 ([
jAra>m, Aram]); in <130209>1 Chronicles 2:9 he is
called
the “brother,” but in 2:25, the “son of Jerahmeel” (compare 2:27).
Ram
as the son of Hezron appears more likely than Ram the son
of
Jerahmeel, since, according to the narratives of 1 and 2 Samuel,
David
cannot have been a Jerahmeelite.
(2) Name of Elihu’s family (<183202>Job 32:2). It is an open
question as to
whether Ram should be taken as a purely fictitious name, invented
by
the author of the Elihu speeches, or whether it is that of some
obscure
Arab tribe. In <012221>Genesis 22:21 Aram is a nephew of Buz
(compare
Elihu the Buzite), and the conjecture was at one time advanced
that
Ram was a contraction of Aram; but this theory is no longer held to
be
tenable. The suggestion that the initial “a” (the Hebrew letter,
‘aleph)
has been changed by a scribal error into “h” (the Hebrew letter,
he) is
position that Ram is identical with Abraham.
Horace J. Wolf
<ram>:
(1) The ordinary word is [l yia” , ‘ayil ], which is
remarkably near to
[l Y;a” , ‘ayyal ], “deer” (compare Latin caper, capra,
“goat,” and
capreolus, “wild goat” or “roe-buck”; also Greek [dorka>v,
dorkas],
“roe-buck” or “gazelle”).
(2) [r k ;D], dekhar ], literally, “male” (<150609>Ezra
6:9,17; 7:17).
(3) [r K” , kar ], “battering ram” (<260402>Ezekiel 4:2;
21:22); elsewhere
“lamb” (<053214>Deuteronomy 32:14, etc.).
(4) [dWT[ “, `attudh], properly “he-goat” (“ram,”
<013110>Genesis 31:10,12
the King James Version).
RAMA
<ra’-ma> ([ JRama~, Rhama]): the King James Version;
Greek form of
RAMAH (which see) (<400218>Matthew 2:18).
RAMAH
<ra’-ma> ([hm;r ;h;, ha-ramah], without the definite article
only in <161133> Nehemiah 11:33; <243115>Jeremiah
31:15): The name denotes height, from
root [µWr , rum], “to be high,” and the towns to which it applied
seem all
to have stood on elevated sites.
(1) Codex Vaticanus [ jArah>l, Arael ]; Codex
Alexandrinus [ JRama>, Rhama]: A fenced city in the lot
assigned to Naphtali (<061936>Joshua
Rhama]: A fenced city in the lot assigned to Naphtali (
Joshua
31
identical with the modern er-Rameh, a large Christian village on
the
highway from Cafed to the coast, about 8 miles West-Southwest
of
that city. To the North rises the mountain range which forms
the
southern boundary of Upper Galilee. In the valley to the South
there is
much rich land cultivated by the villagers. The olives grown here
are
very fine, and fruitful vineyards cover many of the surrounding
slopes.
No remains of antiquity are to be seen above ground; but the
site is one
likely to have been occupied in ancient times.
(2) [ JRama~, Rhama]: A city that is mentioned only once, on
the
boundary of Asher (<061929>Joshua 19:29). The line of
the boundary cannot
be followed with certainty; but perhaps we may identify Ramah
with
the modern Ramiyeh, a village situated on a hill which rises in the
midst
of a hollow, some 13 miles Southeast of Tyre, and 12 miles East of
the
Ladder of Tyre. To the Southwest is a marshy lake which dries up
in
summer. Traces of antiquity are found in the cisterns, a large
reservoir
and many sarcophagi. To the West is the high hill Belat, with
ancient
ruins, and remains of a temple of which several columns are still
in situ.
(3) Codex Vaticanus [ JRama>, Rhama]; Codex Alexandrinus [
jIama>, Iama], and other forms: A city in the territory of
Benjamin named
between Gibeon and Beeroth (<061825>Joshua 18:25). The
Levite thought of
it as a possible resting-place for himself and his concubine on
their
northward journey (<071913>Judges 19:13). The palm tree of
Deborah was
between this and Bethel (<070405>Judges 4:5). Baasha,
king of Samaria,
sought to fortify Ramah against Asa, king of Judah. The
latter
frustrated the attempt, and carried off the materials which Bassha
had
collected, and with them fortified against him Geba of Benjamin
and
Mizpah (<111517>1 Kings 15:17; <141605>2 Chronicles
16:5). Here the captain of
Nebuchadnezzar’s guard released Jeremiah after he had been
carried in
bonds from Jerusalem (<244001>Jeremiah 40:1). It
figures in Isaiah’s picture
of the Assyrians’ approach (<231029>Isaiah 10:29). It is
named by Hosea in
connection with Gibeah (5:8), and is mentioned as being
reoccupied
after the exile (<150226>Ezra 2:26;
<160730> Nehemiah 7:30). It was near the
traditional tomb of Rachel (<243115>Jeremiah 31:15; compare
<091002>1 Samuel
10:2; <400218>Matthew 2:18, the King James Version
“Rama”).
From the passages cited we gather that Ramah lay some distance to
the
North of Gibeah, and not far from Gibeon and Beeroth. The
first is
identified with Tell el-Ful, about 3 miles North of Jerusalem. Two
miles
32
farther North is er-Ram. Gibeon (el-Jib) is about 3 miles West of
er-Ram,
and Beeroth (el-Bireh) is about 4 miles to the North
Eusebius,
Onomasticon places Ramah 6 Roman miles North of Jerusalem;
while
Josephus (Ant., VIII, xii, 3) says it lay 40 furlongs from the
city. All this
points definitely to identification with er-Ram. The modern
village crowns
a high limestone hill to the South of the road, a position of great
strength.
West of the village is an ancient reservoir. In the hill are
cisterns, and a
good well to the South.
(4) [ jAramaqai>m, Aramathaim]: The home of Elkanah and
Hannah,
and the birthplace of Samuel (<090119>1 Samuel 1:19; 2:11,
etc.). In <090101>1
Samuel 1:1 it is called “Ramathaim-zophim” ([µypiwOx µyit ” m;r
;h;, ha-
ramathayim-tsophim]). The phrase as it stands is
grammatically
incorrect, and suggests tampering with the text. It might possibly
be
translated “Ramathaim of the Zuphites.” It was in Mt. Ephraim,
within
accessible distance of Shiloh, whither Samuel’s parents went up
from
year to year to worship and to sacrifice (1:3). From Ramah as a
center
Samuel went on circuit annually, to judge Israel, to Bethel, Gilgal
and
Mizpah (7:16 f). It is very probable that this is the city in
which, guided
by his servant, Saul first made the acquaintance of Samuel
(9:6,10),
where there was a high place (9:12). Hither at all events came
the
elders of Israel with their demand that a king should be set over
them
(8:4 f). After his final break with Saul, Samuel retired in sorrow
to
Ramah (15:34 f). Here, in Naioth, David found asylum with
Samuel
from the mad king (19:18, etc.), and hence, he fled on his
ill-starred
visit to Nob (20:1). In his native city the dust of the dead Samuel
was
laid (25:1; 28:3). In 1 Macc 11:34 it is named as one of the
three
toparchies along with Aphaerema and Lydda, which were added
to
Judea from the country of Samaria in 145 BC. Eusebius,
Onomasticon
places it near Diospolis (Euseb.) in the district of Timnah
(Jerome).
There are two serious rivals for the honor of representing the
ancient
Ramah.
(a) Beit Rima, a village occupying a height 13 miles East-Northeast
of
Lydda (Diospolis), 12 miles West of Shiloh, and about the
same
distance Northwest of Bethel. This identification has the support
of G.
A. Smith (Historical Geography of the Holy Land, 254), and
Buhl
(Geographic des Alten Palestina, 170).
33
(b) Ramallah, a large and prosperous village occupying a lofty
position
with ancient remains. It commands a wide prospect, especially to
the
West. It lies about 8 miles North of Jerusalem, 3 West of Bethel,
and
12 Southwest of Shiloh. The name meaning “the height” or “high
place
of God” may be reminiscent of the high place in the city where
Saul
found Samuel. In other respects it agrees very well with the
Biblical
data.
Claims have also been advanced on behalf of Ramleh, a village 2
miles
Southwest of Lydda, in the plain of Sharon. This, however, is out
of the
question, as the place did not exist before Arab times. Others
support
identification with Neby Samwil, which more probably represents
the
ancient MIZPAH (which see).
(5) Ramah of the South, the King James Version “Ramath of the
South”: Ramath is the construct form of Ramah (<061908>Joshua
19:8) ([bg,n, t m” ar ;, ra’math neghebh]; [Ba>meq kata<
li>ba, Bameth kata liba]).
A city in that part of the territory of Judah which was allotted
to
Simeon. It stands here in apposition to Baalath-beer, and is
probably a
second name for the same place. It seems to correspond also
with
“Ramoth (plural) of the South” (<093027>1 Samuel 30:27), a
place to which
David sent a share of the spoil taken from the Amalekites. In
this
passage Septuagint retains the singular form, Rhama
notou.
Identification has been suggested with Qubbet el-Baul, about 37
miles
South of Hebron; and with Kurnub a little farther South. There is
no
substantial ground for either identification.
(6) Codex Vaticanus [ JRemmw>q, Rhemmoth]; Codex
Alexandrinus [
JRamw>q, Rhamoth]: Ramah in <120829>2
Kings 8:29; <142206>2 Chronicles 22:6, is
a contraction of Ramoth-gilead.
See RAMAU, (5).
34
RAMATH-LEHI
<ra’-math-le’-hi> ([yj il ,t m” r ;, ramath lechi], “the
hill” or “height of
Lehi”; [ jAnai>resiv siago>nov, Anairesis siagonos]):
So the place is said
to have been called where Samson threw away the jaw-bone of an ass,
with
which he had slain 1,000 Philistines (<071517>Judges 15:17).
The Septuagint
seems to have supposed that the name referred to the “heaving”
or
throwing up of the jaw-bone. The Hebrew, however, corresponds to
the
form used in other placenames, such as Ramath-mizpeh, and must be
read
as “Ramah of Lehi.” The name Lehi may have been given because of
some
real or imagined likeness in the place to the shape of a jaw-bone
(<071509>Judges
15:9,14,19). It may have been in Wady es-Sarar, not far from Zorah
and
Timnath; but the available data do not permit of certain
identification.
See JAW-BONE; LEHI.
RAMATH-MIZPEH
<ra’-math-miz’-pe> ([t m” r ;hP,x ]Mih” , ramath ha-mitspeh];
Codex
Vaticanus [ jArabw<q kata< th<n Masshfa~, Araboth
kata ten Massepha],
Codex Alexandrinus [Ramw<q ... Masfa>, Ramoth ...
Maspha]: A place
mentioned in <061326>Joshua 13:26 in a statement of the
boundary of Gad,
between Heshbon and Betonim. It may possibly be identical
with
MIZPAH, (1).
RAMATHAIM; RAMATHEM
<ra-ma-tha’-im>, <ram’-a-them> (1 Macc 11:34; the King
James
Version).
35
RAMATHITE
<ra’-math-it > ([yt im;r ;h;, ha-ramathi]; Codex
Vaticanus [oJ ejk Jrah>l, ho
ek Rhael ]; Codex Alexandrinus [oJ JRamaqai~ov, ho
Rhamathaios]): So
Shimei is called who was set by David over the vineyards
(<132727>1 Chronicles
27:27). There is nothing to show to which Ramah he belonged.
RAMESES
RAMIAH
<ra-mi’-a> ([hy;m]r ” , ramyah], “Yah has loosened” or “Yah
is high”):
One of the Israelites, of the sons of Parosh, mentioned in the
register of
those who had offended in the matter of foreign marriages
(<151025>Ezra
10:25). The form of the name in 1 Esdras (9:26), “Hiermas,”
presupposes a
Hebrew form yeremyah or possibly yirmeyah =
“Jeremiah.”
RAMOTH (1)
<ra’-moth>:
(1) [t wOmar ;, ra’moth]; [ hJ JRamw>q, he Rhamoth]: A city
in the territory
of Issachar assigned to the Gershonite Levitea (<130673>1
Chronicles 6:73),
mentioned between Daberath and Anem. It seems to correspond
to
“Remeth” in <061921>Joshua 19:21, and to “Jarmuth” in 21:29,
and is
possibly identical with er-Rameh about 11 miles Southwest of
Jenin.
(2) Ramoth of the South.
See RAMAH, (5).
RAMOTH (2)
<ra’-moth> ([t wOmr ;, ramoth], Qere for yeremoth
(<151029>Ezra 10:29 the King
James Version); the Revised Version margin Kethibh makes the
name
similar to those in <151026>Ezra 10:26,27): One of the
offenders in the matter of
foreign marriages. The English Revised Version and the
American
Standard Revised Version, adopting Kethibh, read JEREMOTH
(which
see).
See STONES, PRECIOUS.
RAMOTH-GILEAD
<ra’-moth-gil’-e-ad> ([t mor ;d[ ;l ]Gi, ramoth gil’adh];
Codex Vaticanus [
JRemma<q Galaa>d, Rhemmath Galaad]; Codex
Alexandrinus [ JRammw>q, Rhammoth], and other forms):
A great and strong city East of the Jordan
in the territory of Gad, which played an important part in the wars
of
Israel. It is first mentioned in connection with the appointment of
the Cities
of Refuge (<050443>Deuteronomy 4:43; <062008>Joshua
20:8). It was assigned to the
Merarite Levites (<062138>Joshua 21:38; <130680>1
Chronicles 6:80). In these four
passages it is called “Ramoth in Gilead” ([d[ ;l ]GiB” ,
ramoth ba-gil’adh]).
This form is given wrongly by the King James Version in
<112203>1 Kings 22:3.
In all other places the form “Ramoth-gilead” is used.
1. HISTORY:
Here Ben-geber was placed in charge of one of Solomon’s
administrative
districts (<110413>1 Kings 4:13), which included Havvoth-jair
and “the region of
Argob, which is in Bashan.” The city was taken from Omri by the
Syrians
under Ben-hadad I (Ant., VIII, xv, 3 ff), and even after the defeat
of Ben-
hadad at Aphek they remained masters of this fortress. In order to
recover
it for Israel Ahab invited Jehoshaphat of Judah to accompany him in
a
campaign. Despite the discouragement of Micalab, the royal pair set
out on
the disastrous enterprise. In their attack on the city Ahab fought
in
disguise, but was mortally wounded by an arrow from a bow drawn “at
a
venture” (<112201>1 Kings 22:1-40; 2 Chronicles 18). The
attempt was renewed
37
by Ahab’s son Joram; but his father’s ill fortune followed
him, and, heavily
wounded, he retired for healing to Jezreel (<120828>2 Kings
8:28 ff; <142205>2
Chronicles 22:5 f). During the king’s absence from the camp at
Ramoth-
gilead Jehu was there anointed king of Israel by Elisha
(<120901>2 Kings 9:1 ff; <142207>2 Chronicles 22:7). He
proved a swift instrument of vengeance against
the doomed house of Ahab. According to Josephus (Ant., IX, vi, 1)
the
city was taken before Joram’s departure. This is confirmed by
<120914>2 Kings
9:14 ff. The place is not mentioned again, unless, indeed, it be
identical
with “Mizpeh” in 1 Macc 5:35.
2. IDENTIFICATION:
It is just possible that Ramoth-gilead corresponds
to MIZPAH , (1), and to
RAMATH-MIZPEH . The spot where Laban and Jacob parted is
called both
Galeed and Mizpah. Ramath may become Ramoth, as we see in the case
of
Ramah of the South.
Merrill identifies the city with Jerash, the splendid ruins of
which lie in
Wady ed-Deir, North of the Jabbok. He quotes the Bah Talmud
(Makkoth
9b) as placing the Cities of Refuge in pairs, so that those on the
East of the
Jordan are opposite those on the West Shechem, being the middle one
of
the three West of the Jordan, should have Ramorb-gilead nearly
opposite
to it on the East, and this would place its site at Gerasa, the
modern Jerash
(Hastings Dictionary of the Bible, under the word). But the words
of the
Talmud must not be interpreted too strictly. It seems very probable
that
Golan lay far South of a line drawn due East from Qedes
(Kedesh-
naphtali). No remains have been discovered at Jerash older than
Greek-
Roman times, although the presence of a fine perennial spring
makes
occupation in antiquity probable. The place could be approached
by
chariots along Wady `Ajlun, and the country adjoining was not
unsuitable
for chariot evolutions.
Conder and others have suggested Reimun, an ancient site to the
West of
Jerash. The absence of any source of good water-supply is
practically fatal
to this identification. Buhl (Geographic des Alten Palestina, 261
ff) favors
el-Jil`ad, a ruined site on a hill South of the Jabbok; see GILEAD,
(1).
Eusebius and Jerome (Onomasticon, under the word) contradict
each
other, the former placing Ramoth-gilead 15 miles West, and the
latter 15
miles East of Philadelphia. It is clear, however, that this is a
mere slip on
Jerome’s part, as both say it is near the Jabbok. Many have
identified it
38
with es-Salt, which is indeed 15 miles West of `Amman
(Philadelphia), but
it is 10 miles South of the Jabbok, and so can hardly be described
as near
that river. It is also no place for chariot warfare. The case
against
identification with Ramoth-gilead is conclusively stated by G.A.
Cooke in
Driver’s Deuteronomy, xx.
In suggesting these sites sufficient attention has not been given
to what is
said in 1 Kings 4. The authority of the king’s officer in
Ramoth-gilead
extended over the land of Argob in Bashan, as well as over the
towns of
Jair in Gilead. A situation therefore to the North of Mahanaim must
be
sought. Guthe would find it at er-Remtheh, on the pilgrim road,
about 10
miles South of Mezerib (compare Smith, Historical Geography of the
Holy
Land, 586 ff). Cheyne’s suggestion of Salkhad, away on the crest of
the
mountain of Bashan, is out of the question. Caleb Hauser
(Palestine
Exploration Fund Statement, 1906, 304 f) argues in favor of Beit
Ras, over
11 miles Southeast of Gadara, a position commanding all Northern
Gilead
and as favorably situated as Jerash for chariot warfare and
communication
with the West of Jordan. “Here we have the heights of Northern
Gilead.
Ramoth, Capitolias, and Beit Ras are in their respective
languages
idiomatic equivalents. It is improbable that a large city like
Capitolins
should have superseded anything but a very important city of
earlier
times.” We must be content to leave the question open
meantime.
W. Ewing
See FORTIFICATION.
See MUSIC.
RAMS’ SKINS
The skin of the sheep, roughly tanned with all the wool on, is the
common
winter jacket of the shepherd or peasant, the ram’s being
considered
especially desirable (compare <581137>Hebrews 11:37). Hence,
the
appropriateness of these skins in the covering of the tabernacle
(<022505>Exodus
RANGE
<ranj>: “Range” and “rank” have the same derivation, and in
the sense of a
“row” (of men, etc.) they were formerly interchangeable. “Range”
with this
meaning is found in <121108>2 Kings 11:8,15 the King James
Version parallel <142314>2 Chronicles 23:14 (the Revised
Version (British and American) “rank”;
[hr ;dec ], sedherah], “row”). Hence, “to range” is “to set in
a line” (Judith
2:16; 2 Macc 12:20, diatasso) or “to move in a line” or, simply,
“to roam,”
whence “a ranging bear” (<202815>Proverbs 28:15; [qq” v
;, shaqaq], “run to
and fro”). A cooking “range” is a stove on which pots, etc., can be
set in a
row, but the [µyir ” yKi, kirayim] of <031135>Leviticus
11:35 is a much more
primitive affair, composed, probably, of two plates (kirayim
is a dual). In <183908>Job 39:8 “range of the mountains” is
good modern use, but [r t y, ythr ],
should be pointed yathur (not yethur as in
Massoretic Text) and connected
with tur , “search.” So translate. “He searcheth out the
mountains as his
pasture.”
RANK
<rank >:
(1) [ j r ” ao, ‘orach], used in <290207>Joel 2:7 of the
advance of the locust
army which marched in perfect order and in straight lines,
none
crossing the other’s track.
(2) [hk ;r ;[ }m” , ma`arakhah], “battle array” (<131238>1
Chronicles 12:38
the King James Version; compare <090416>1 Samuel 4:16;
17:22,48).
See ARMY.
<ranks> ([prasia>, prasia], “a square plot of
ground,” “a garden-bed”):
“They sat down in ranks” (<410640>Mark 6:40); the several
reclining ranks
formed, as it were, separate plots or “garden-beds.”
40
RANSOM
<ran’-sum> (the noun occurs in the English Bible 12 times
(<022130>Exodus
21:30 the King James Version [ˆwOyd]Pi, pidhyon];
<023012>Exodus 30:12; <183324>Job
33:24; 36:18; <200635>Proverbs 6:35; 13:8; 21:18;
<234303>Isaiah 43:3, [r p,Ko, kopher ];
<402028>Matthew 20:28; <411045>Mark 10:45, [lu>tron,
lutron]; <540206>1
Timothy 2:6, [ajnti>lutron, antilutron]); the verbal form occurs
4 times
(<233510>Isaiah 35:10; <281314>Hosea 13:14,
[hd;P;, padhah]; <235110>Isaiah 51:10 the
King James Version; <243111>Jeremiah 31:11, [l a”
G;, ga’al ]; these two
Hebrew verbs are generally rendered in other passages by the
English
“redeem”)):
1. USAGE BY CHRIST:
The supremely important instance is the utterance of the Lord Jesus
Christ
as reported by Matthew and Mark (<402028>Matthew 20:28;
<411045>Mark 10:45),
and in looking at it we shall be able, by way of illustration, to
glance at the
Old Testament passages. The context refers to the dispute among
the
disciples concerning position in the Kingdom, with their
misconception of
the true nature of Christ’s Kingdom. Christ makes use of the
occasion to
set forth the great law of service as determining the place of
honor in that
Kingdom, and illustrates and enforces it by showing that its
greatest
exemplification is to be found in His own mission: “For the Son of
man
also came not to be ministered unto, but to minister”
(<411045>Mark 10:45). His
ministry, however, was to pass into the great act of sacrifice, of
which all
other acts of self-sacrifice on the part of His people would be but
a faint
reflection — “and to give his life (soul) a ransom for many” (same
place).
He thus gives a very clear intimation of the purpose and meaning of
His
death; the clearest of all the intimations reported by the
synoptists. The
word He uses bears a well-established meaning, and is accurately
rendered
by our word “ransom,” a price paid to secure the freedom of a
slave or to
set free from liabilities and charges, and generally the
deliverance from
calamity by paying the forfeit. The familiar verb luo, “to loose,”
“to set
free,” is the root, then lutron, that which secures the freedom,
the payment
or forfeit; thence come the cognate verb lutroo, “to set free upon
payment
of a ransom,” “to redeem”; lutrosis, “the actual setting free,”
“the
redemption,” and lutrotes, “the redeemer.” The favorite New
Testament
word for “redemption” is the compound form, apolutrosis.
The word lutron was common in Greek classical literature,
constantly
bearing the sense of “ransom price,” and was frequently
connected with
ritual usage, with sacrifice and expiation. But for the full
explanation of our
Lord’s great thought we have to look to the Old Testament usage.
The
two leading Hebrew verbs translated in our version by “redeem,”
are
generally rendered in the Septuagint by lutroo, and derivatives of
these
words conveying the idea of the actual price paid are translated by
this very
word lutron.
(1) General Cases.
In <022130>Exodus 21:30 we have the law concerning the case
of the person
killed by an ox; the ox was to be killed and the owner of it was
also liable
to death but the proviso was made, “If there be laid on him a sum
of
money, then he shall give for the ransom of his life whatsoever is
laid upon
him” (the King James Version). The Hebrew for “sum of money”
is
kopher , literally, “atonement” (the Revised Version (British
and American)
“ransom”); the word for “ransom” (the Revised Version (British
and
American) “redemption”) is pidhyon (from padhah); the
Septuagint
renders both by lutron (rather by the plural form lutra). In
Leviticus 25,
among the directions in relation to the Jubilee, we have the
provision
(25:23) that the land was not to be sold “in perpetuity,” but where
any
portion has been sold, opportunity is to be given for
re-purchase: “Ye shall
grant a redemption for the land” (25:24). The Hebrew
is ge’ullah, a
derivative of ga’al , the Septuagint lutra. In
25:25,26, the case is mentio
![Céu Inferno - Bispo Hermes Gama | BLOG A SERVIÇO DO ... · A Enciclopédia Bíblica Padrão Internacional [The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia], explica: “Somos, de](https://img.dokumen.tips/doc/110x75/5ad9d5f47f8b9a137f8ca3a8/cu-inferno-bispo-hermes-gama-blog-a-servio-do-enciclopdia-bblica-padro-internacional.jpg)
