Lexical Definition

‎רְחוּם‎ Rᵉchûwm (rekh-oom') Rehum ^N:N-M-P
a form of ‎רַחוּם‎

Rehum.

• § Rehum = "compassion"
• Rechum, the name of a Persian and of three Israelites

1) an man who returned from exile with Zerubbabel
1a) also 'Nehum'
2) a commander who wrote a letter to the king Artaxerxes in which he opposed the rebuilding of Jerusalem
3) a Levite of the family of Bani who assisted in rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem
4) one of the chiefs of the people who sealed the covenant with Nehemiah
5) a priest who returned from exile with Zerubbabel

Extended Information

• A man living at the time of Exile and Return, first mentioned at Ezr.4.8
• a commander who wrote a letter to the king Artaxerxes in which he opposed the rebuilding of Jerusalem

Brown-Driver-Briggs

‎רְחוּם‎, ‎רְחֻם‎ proper name, masculine (compassion, or softness, gentleness ?); — post-exilic name:

1. with Zerubbabel:
a. ‎רְחוּם‎ Ezra 2:2, A Ιρεουμ’, ᵐ5^L Ναουμ ( = ‎נְחוּם‎ || Neh 7:7).
b. priest, ‎רְחֻם‎ Neh 12:3 Ρεουμ ( = ‎חָרִם‎ vNeh 12:15, compare Neh 7:42 = Ezra 2:39; Ezra 10:21, see ‎חָרִם‎ 3 a).

2. ‎רְחוּם‎, with Nehemiah:
a. Levite Neh 3:17, Βασουθ, ‎א‎ A ᵐ5^L Ραουμ.
b. Neh 10:26*, Ρα[ε]ουμ.

‎רְחוּם‎ proper name, masculine Persian official Ezra 4:8 (usually explained from √ ‎רחם‎, see Biblical Hebrew; Scheft⁹² thinks possibly originally ‎רוחם‎, Old Iranian proper name rukma, = splendour).

Brown-Driver-Briggs References

Profile

Male • Persian official • A Persian official who wrote to King Artaxerxes

Man living at the time of Exile and Return

Rehum was a Persian official who wrote to King Artaxerxes, attempting to stop the rebuilding of Jerusalem.

• A man living at the time of Exile and Return, first mentioned at Ezr.4.8;
• only referred to as Rehum רְחוּם.

Rehum is mentioned in the book of Ezra as a high-ranking Persian official who held the title of "commander" (Ezra 4:8, 9, 17, 23). When the enemies of the Jews learned that they had begun rebuilding the temple and the city walls of Jerusalem, they wrote a letter to King Artaxerxes to persuade him to stop the work (Ezra 4:7-16). Rehum was one of the officials who signed this letter, along with Shimshai the scribe and others (Ezra 4:9). In the letter, they accused the Jews of rebuilding a rebellious and wicked city that had a history of causing trouble for kings (Ezra 4:12-16). As a result, Artaxerxes ordered the work to be stopped until further notice (Ezra 4:17-22). Rehum and his associates then went to Jerusalem and forcibly made the Jews stop building (Ezra 4:23). This opposition delayed the completion of the temple and the city walls until the reign of King Darius (Ezra 4:24). Rehum's actions demonstrate the political challenges faced by the Jews as they sought to rebuild Jerusalem after returning from Babylonian exile.

All entries for Rehum: רְחוּם