Click to donate today!
Bible Dictionaries
Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible
Rei
REI (‘J″ [Note: Jahweh.] is a friend’). The name is given to one of the supporters of Solomon at the time of Adonijah’s attempt to secure the throne ( 1 Kings 1:8 ). He is mentioned along with Shimei , and was likely an officer in the royal guard. These troops seem to have had an enormous influence in determining the succession to the throne.
The reading, however, is not above suspicion, and Jos. [Note: Josephus.] ( Ant. VII. xiv. 4) reads ‘Shimei, the friend of David,’ and thus gets rid of Rei as a personal name (so Lucian). Several attempts have been made to identify him with other figures, as Ira or Jair (Winckler, Gesch . ii. 247) or Raddai (Ewald, Gesch . iii. p. 266 note).
W. F. Boyd.
Copyright Statement
These files are public domain.
Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com. Used by Permission.
Bibliography Information
Hastings, James. Entry for 'Rei'. Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/hdb/r/rei.html. 1909.