the Week of Proper 26 / Ordinary 31
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Bible Encyclopedias
Rehum
Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature
or (Heb. and Chald. Rechum', רְחוּם, compassionate; Sept. ῾Ρεούμ, but in Nehemiah 3:17 ῾Ραούμ ), the name of five men.
1. One of the "children of the province" who returned from the Babylonian captivity with Zerubbabel (Ezra 2:2). B.C. 536. In the parallel passage (Nehemiah 7:7) he is called NEHUM.
2. One of the priests who returned from Babylon at the same time (Nehemiah 12:3). B.C. 536. In a subsequent verse (Nehemiah 12:15) he seems to be called HARIM (See HARIM) (q.v.).
3. A Persian officer in Samaria, joint author with Shimshai of a letter which turned Artaxerxes against the building-plans of the Jews (Ezra 4:8; 9, 17, 23). B.C. 535. "He was perhaps a kind of lieutenant-governor of the province under the king of Persia, holding apparently the same office as Tatnai, who is described in Ezra 5:6 as taking part in a similar transaction, and is there called ‘ the governor on this side the river.' The Chaldee title, בְּעֵלאּטְעֵם, bel-te4m, literally ‘ lord of decree,' is left untranslated in the Sept. Βαλτάμ and the Vulg. Beelteem; and the rendering ‘ chancellor' in the A.V. appears to have been derived from Kimchi and others, who explain it, in consequence of its connection with ‘ scribe,' by the Hebrew word which is usually rendered ‘ recorder.' This appears to have been the view taken by the author of 1 Esdras 2:25, ὁ γράφων τὰ προσπίπτοντα, and by Josephus (Ant. 11:2, 1), ὁ πάντα τὰ πραττόμενα γράφων. The former of these seems to be a gloss, for the Chaldee title is also represented by Βεελτέθμος "
4. A Levite, son of Bani, and one of the builders of the wall of Jerusalem under Nehemiah (Nehemiah 3:17). B.C. 445.
5. One of the chief Israelites who signed the covenant with Nehemiah (Nehemiah 10:25). B.C. 410.
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McClintock, John. Strong, James. Entry for 'Rehum'. Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature. https://www.studylight.org/encyclopedias/eng/tce/r/rehum.html. Harper & Brothers. New York. 1870.
