Rabbah(rabbath)
“Great, chief”
Summary
Rabbah was the capital city of the Ammonites, where David's adultery with Bathsheba occurred while his army besieged it, and where Uriah was killed in battle.
☩Capital of Ammon
Rabbah (also called Rabbath-Ammon) was the chief city of the Ammonites, located east of the Jordan in the region later known as Philadelphia and today as Amman, the capital of Jordan. The city was strategically positioned on a major trade route and well-watered by the Jabbok River's headwaters. Og's enormous iron bedstead was kept here, testifying to the giant Rephaim who once inhabited the region.
☩David's War Against Rabbah
When the Ammonite king Nahash died, David sent condolences to his son Hanun, but the Ammonites humiliated David's ambassadors by shaving their beards and cutting their garments. This insult led to war. While Joab besieged Rabbah, David remained in Jerusalem, and it was during this time that he committed adultery with Bathsheba and arranged Uriah's death at the city walls. After Joab captured the city's water supply, he summoned David to take the city himself, so the victory would be credited to the king.
☩Prophetic Judgment
The prophets Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Amos pronounced judgment against Rabbah for Ammon's cruelty against Israel. Jeremiah declared that Rabbah would become 'a desolate heap' and its daughters burned with fire. Ezekiel prophesied it would become a stable for camels and a resting place for flocks. These prophecies were fulfilled when Nebuchadnezzar conquered the city and subsequently through various invasions that reduced its power.
Related Verses14 mentions
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Rabbah," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. VIII (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Rabbah," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. IV (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Rabbah," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).