Reaiah
רְאָיָה/ree-AY-yah/
“Seen of Jehovah”
Summary
Reaiah is the name of three men in the Old Testament, including a descendant of Judah and an ancestor of returning exiles.
☩Descendants of Judah
The first Reaiah was a 'son' of Shobal, son of Judah, appearing in the genealogy in 1 Chronicles 4:2. He is apparently designated by the epithet Haroeh ('the seer') in 1 Chronicles 2:52, which appears to be a corruption of the name Reaiah. The name means 'seen of Jehovah' or 'Yah has seen.'
Key verses:1 Chronicles 4:21 Chronicles 2:52
☩Reubenite and Nethinim Ancestor
A second Reaiah was a Reubenite, the son of Micah and father of Baal, mentioned before the Assyrian invasion. A third Reaiah was the ancestor of a family of Nethinim whose descendants returned from Babylon with Zerubbabel. The same family appears in both Ezra 2:47 and Nehemiah 7:50.
Key verses:1 Chronicles 5:5Ezra 2:47Nehemiah 7:50
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Reaiah," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. VIII (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Reaiah," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. IV (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.F. N. Peloubet & M. A. Peloubet (ed.), "Reaiah," in Smith's Bible Dictionary (Porter & Coates, 1884).
- 4.George Morrish, "Reaiah," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).