Smith's Bible Dictionary.pdf - Online Christian Library

Smith's Bible Dictionary
was cared for by ravens. (1 Kings 17:4,6) They are expressly mentioned as instances of God’s
protecting love and goodness. (Job 38:41; Luke 12:24) The raven’s carnivorous habits, and especially
his readiness to attack the eye, are alluded to in (Proverbs 30:17) To the fact of the raven being a
common bird in Palestine, and to its habit of flying restlessly about in constant search for food to
satisfy its voracious appetite, may perhaps be traced the reason for its being selected by our Lord
and the inspired writers as the especial object of God’s providing care.
Razor
Besides other usages, the practice of shaving the head after the completion of a vow must have
created among the Jews a necessity for the special trade of a barber. (Leviticus 14:8; Numbers
6:9,18; 8:7; Judges 13:5; Isaiah 7:20; Ezekiel 5:1; Acts 18:18) The instruments of his work were
probably, as in modern times, the razor, the basin, the mirror, and perhaps also the scissors. See (2
Samuel 14:26) Like the Levites, the Egyptian priests were accustomed to shave their whole bodies.
Reaia
a Reubenite, son of Micah, and apparently prince of his tribe. (1 Chronicles 5:5) The name is
identical with Reai’ah.
Reaiah
(seen of Jehovah).
•A descendant of Shubal the son of Judah. (1 Chronicles 4:2)
•The children of Reaiah were a family of Nethinim who returned from Babylon with Zerubbabel.
(Ezra 2:47; Nehemiah 7:50) (B.C. before 536.)
Reba
(four), one of the five kings of the Midianites slain by the children of Israel when Balaam fell.
(Numbers 31:8; Joshua 13:21) (B.C. 1450.)
Rebecca
(Romans 9:10) only. [Rebekah]
Rebekah
(ensnarer), daughter of Bethuel, (Genesis 22:23) and sister of Laban, married to Isaac. She is
first presented to us in (Genesis 24:1) ... where the beautiful story of her marriage is related. (B.C.
1857.) For nineteen years she was childless: then Esau and Jacob were born, the younger being the
mother’s companion and favorite. (Genesis 25:19-28) Rebekah suggested the deceit that was
practiced by Jacob on his blind father. She directed and aided him in carrying it out, foresaw the
probable consequence of Esau’s anger, and prevented it by moving Isaac to send Jacob away to
Padan-aram, (Genesis 27:1) ... to her own kindred. (Genesis 29:12) Rebekah’s beauty became at
one time a source of danger to her husband. (Genesis 26:7) It has been conjectured that she died
during Jacob’s sojourn in Padan-aram.
Rechab
(rider).
•One of the two “captains of bands” whom Ish-bosheth took into his service, and who conspired
to murder him. (2 Samuel 4:2) (B.C. 1046.)
•The father of Malchiah, ruler of part of Beth-haccerem. (Nehemiah 3:14) (B.C. before 446.)
•The father or ancestor of Jehonadab. (2 Kings 10:15,33; 1 Chronicles 2:65; Jeremiah 35:6-19)
(B.C.before 882.) It was from this Rechab that the tribe of the Rechabites derived their name. In
(1 Chronicles 2:55) the house of Rechab is identified with a section of the Kenites, a Midianitish
tribe who came into Canaan with the Israelites, and retained their nomadic habits. The real founder
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William Smith