Rachal–Rameses, Or Raamses

(trade), (1 Samuel 30:29) a town in the southern part of the tribe of Judah, one of the towns to which David sent presents out of the spoil of the Amalekites.

(ewe, or sheep), the younger of the daughters of Laban, the wife of Jacob (B.C. 1753) and mother of Joseph and Benjamin. The incidents of her life may be found in Genesis29-33, 35. The story of Jacob and Rachel has always had a peculiar interest. The beauty of Rachel, Jacob’s deep love and long servitude for her, their marriage, and Rachel’s death on giving birth to Benjamin, with Jacob’s grief at her loss, (Genesis 48:7) makes a touching tale. Yet from what is related to us concerning her character there does not seem much to claim any high degree of admiration and esteem. She appears to have shared all the duplicity and falsehood of her family. See, for instance, Rachel’s stealing her father’s images, and the ready dexterity and presence of mind with which she concealed her theft. (Genesis 31:1) ... “Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem. (B.C. 1729.) And Jacob set a pillar upon her grave; that is the pillar of Rachel’s grave unto this day.” (Genesis 35:19,20) The site of Rachel’s tomb, “on the way to Bethlehem,” “a little way to come to Ephrath,” “in the border of Benjamin,” never been questioned. It Is about two miles south of Jerusalem and one mile north of Bethlehem.

(trampling), one of David’s brothers, fifth son of Jesse. (1 Chronicles 2:14)

one of the ancestors of our Lord, son of Peleg. (Luke 3:35) He is the same person with Reu, son of Peleg.

an important city in northeastern Media, where that country bordered its ruins, still known by the name of Rhey, lie about five miles southeast of Teheran.

(friend of God).

a poetical name of Egypt, (Psalms 89:10; Isaiah 51:9) signifying “fierceness, insolence, pride.” Rahab, as a name of Egypt, occurs once only without reference to the exodus: this is in (Psalms 87:4) In (Isaiah 30:7) the name is alluded to.

(wide), a celebrated woman of Jericho who received the spies sent by Joshua to spy out the land, hid them in her house from the pursuit of her countrymen, was saved with all her family when the Israelites sacked the city, and became the wife of Salmon and the ancestress of the Messiah. (Joshua 2:1; Matthew 1:5) (B.C. 1450.) She was a “harlot”, and probably combined the trade of lodging-keeper for wayfaring men. Her reception of the spies, the artifice by which she concealed them from the king: their escape, and the saving of Rahab and her family at the capture of the city in accordance with their promise, are fold in the narrative of (Joshua 2:1) ... As regards Rahab herself, she probably repented, and we learn from (Matthew 1:5) that she became the wife of Salmon the son of Naasson, and the mother of Boaz, Jesse’s grandfather. The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews tells us that “by faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace,” (Hebrews 11:31) and St. James fortifies his doctrine of justification by works by asking, “Was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?” (James 2:25)

(belly). In the genealogy of the descendants of Caleb the son of Hezron, (1 Chronicles 2:44) Raham is described as the son of Shema and father of Jorkoam.

the original form in our Authorized Version of the now familiar Rachel. (Jeremiah 31:15)

In the Bible “early rain” signifies the rain of the autumn, (11:14) and “latter rain” the rain of spring. (Proverbs 16:1,5) For six months in the year, from May to October, no rain falls, the whole land becomes dry, parched and brown. The autumnal rains are eagerly looked for, to prepare the earth for the reception of the seed. These, the early rains, commence about the latter end of October continuing through November and December. January and February are the coldest months, and snow falls, sometimes to the depth of a foot or more, at Jerusalem, but it does not lie long; it is very seldom seen along the coast and in the low plains. Rain continues to fall more or less during the month of March it is very rare in April. Robinson observes that there are not, at the present day, “any particular periods of rain or succession of showers which might be regarded as distinct rainy seasons. The whole period from October to March now constitutes only one continued season of rain, without any regularly-intervening term of prolonged fine weather. Unless therefore, there has been some change in the climate, the early and the latter rains, for which the husbandman waited with longing, seem rather to hare implied the first showers of autumn—which revived the parched and thirsty soil and prepared it for the seed—and the later showers of spring, which continued to refresh and forward both the ripening crops and the vernal products of the fields.” (James 5:7; Proverbs 16:15)

the token of the covenant which God made with Noah when he came forth from the ark that the waters should no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. The right interpretation of (Genesis 9:13) seems to be that God took the rainbow, which had hitherto been but a beautiful object shining in the heavens when the sun’s rays fell on falling rain, and consecrated it as the sign of his love and the witness of his promise. Ecclus. 43:11. The rainbow is a symbol of God’s faithfulness and mercy. In the “rainbow around the throne,” (Revelation 4:3) is seen the symbol of hope and the bright emblem of mercy and love, all the more true as a symbol because it is reflected from the storm itself.

[Vine]

(flower garden), a descendant of Machir the son of Manasseh. (1 Chronicles 7:16) (B.C. before 1451.)

(shore), a fortified city in the tribe of Naphtali. (Joshua 19:35) It was on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee, not far from the warm baths of Tiberias.

(the temple) (of the head), a well-watered place in the inheritance of Dan, not fur from Joppa. (Joshua 19:46)

(high, exalted).

[See BATTERING-RAM]

(Matthew 2:15) referring to (Jeremiah 31:15) It is the Greek form of Ramah.

(a hill). This is the name of several places in the holy land.

one of the towns at the extreme south limit of Simeon. (Joshua 19:8) It is in all probability the same place as south Ramoth. (1 Samuel 30:27)

(the two heights of the watchers). [Ramah, 2]

Shimei the Ramathite, i.e. a native of Ramah, had charge of the royal vineyards of King David. (1 Chronicles 27:27) (B.C. 1050.)

(hill of the jawbone, or hill of Lehi), the name bestowed by Samson on the scene of his slaughter of the thousand Philistines with the jaw bone, (Judges 15:17) a place by the rock Elam, in western Judah of the Philistines.

(high place of the watch-tower). [RAMOTH-GILEAD]

(child of the sun), a city and district of lower Egypt. (Genesis 47:11; Exodus 12:37; Numbers 33:3,5) This land of Rameses either corresponds to the land of Goshen or was a district of it, more probably the former. The city was one of the two store-cities built for the Pharaoh who first oppressed the children of Israel. (Exodus 1:11) (It was probably the capital of Goshen and situated in the valley of the Pelusiac mouth of the Nile. McClintock and Strong say that its location is indicated by the present Tell Ramsis, a quadrangular mound near Belbeis. Dr. Brugsch thinks that it was at Zoan-Tanis, the modern San, on the Tanitic branch of the Nile, and that it was built or enlarged by Rameses II and made his capital.—ED.)