Bible Encyclopedias
Rezeph

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

rē´zef .

1. Forms of the Name:

( רצף , receph ; Codex Vaticanus Ῥάφεις , Rhápheis ; Ῥάφες , Rháphes ; Codex Alexandrinus τὴν Ῥάφεθ , tḗn Rhápheth ( 2 Kings 19:12 ), B Q margin Ῥάφεθ , Rhápheth Codex Sinaiticus Q Ῥάφες , Rháfes ; Codex Alexandrinus Rhapheis (Isaiah 37:12 ); Vulgate (Jerome's Latin Bible, 390-405 A.D.) Roseph ( 2 Kings 19:12 ), Reseph ( Isaiah 37:12 )): One of the places referred to by Sennacherib's Rabshakeh when delivering that king's message to Hezekigh demanding the surrender of Jerusalem. The names which precede are Gozan and Haran; and "the children of Eden that were Telassar" follows.

2. Now Called Rucafa:

It is now represented by Ruṣafa , East of Tipsah and Northeast of Hamath, and is regarded as the ( Ῥησάφα , Rhēsápha ) of Ptolemy ( 2 Timothy 1:15 ). It was for some time under Assyrian dominion, and appears in a geographical list (2 R 53, 37a) preceded by Arraph̬a (Arrapachitis) and H̬alah̬h̬u (Halah), and followed by Tamnunu, uder the form of Raṣappa (elsewhere Raṣapi ).

3. Its Assyrian Governors:

From the Eponym Canons, Ninip - kibsi - uṣur was, it appears, prefect in 839 BC, Uraš - ereš from 804 to 775 BC, Sin - šallimanni in 747, and Bel-emuranni in 737 BC. Judging from their names, all these were Assyrians, but a seemingly native governor, Abda'u (or Abda'i ), possibly later than the foregoina, is mentioned in a list of officials (K. 9921). Yah̬uṭu was šanû (deputy-governor?) of Rezeph in 673 BC. Its mention in the Assyrian geographical lists implies that Rezeph was an important trade-center in Old Testament times.