Bible Dictionaries
Rechabites

People's Dictionary of the Bible

Rechabites (rĕ'káb-îtes or rĕk'ab-îtes). A Kenite tribe descended from Rechab. Jonadab, one of their chiefs, laid an injunction on his posterity to drink no wine, to build no houses, but to dwell in tents. This injunction they obeyed fully for 300 years; but upon the Chaldean invasion they were forced to quit the open country and live in Jerusalem. Jeremiah 35:1-19. Afterwards they probably withdrew into the desert. For their obedience a promise was given them that their family should never be extinct. And accordingly, at the present day, there is an Arabian tribe who claim a descent from Rechab, and profess a modified Judaism.

Bibliography Information
Rice, Edwin Wilbur, DD. Entry for 'Rechabites'. People's Dictionary of the Bible. https://www.studylight.org/​dictionaries/​eng/​rpd/​r/rechabites.html. 1893.