Rimmon – Ruth

Rimmon

Pomegranate,

1. A town of Palestine, near the frontier of Edom, Jos 15:21,32; Zec 14:10, in the region assigned to the tribe of Simeon, Jos 19:7; 1Ch 4:32; Ne 11:29.

2. A town on a high chalky hill, a few miles east of Bethel, Judg 20:45-47; 21:13. A village called Rummon still exists there.

3. A city of Zebulun, assigned to the Levites, Jos 19:13; perhaps the same as Rimmono, 1Ch 6:77, which may be traced in the modern village Rimmaneh, northwest of mount Tabor.

4. An unknown encampment of the Israelites in the desert, Nu 33:19.

5. An idol of the Syrians, 2Ki 5:18. See NAMAAN.

Ring-Streaked

Marked with circular streaks of various colors, Ge 39:23.

Rings

Ornaments for the ears, nose, legs, arms, or fingers. The antiquity of rings appears from Scripture and from profane authors. Judah left his ring with Tamar, Ge 1:1-50:26; 38:18. When Pharaoh committed the government of Egypt to Joseph, he gave him his ring from his finger, Ge 41:42. After the victory of the Israelites over the Midianites, they offered to the Lord the rings, the bracelets, and the golden necklaces taken from the enemy. Nu 31:50. The Israelitish women wore rings, not only on their fingers, but also in their nostrils and their ears, and on their ankles. See BRACELETS. James distinguishes a man of wealth and dignity by the ring of gold on his finger, Jas 2:2. At the return of the prodigal son, his father ordered a handsome apparel for his dress, and that a ring should be put on his finger, Lu 15:22.

The ring was used chiefly as a signet to seal with, and Scripture generally assigns it to princes and great persons; as the king of Egypt, Joseph, Ahaz, Jezebel, king Ahasuerus, his favorite Haman, Mordecai, king Darius, etc.,

1Ki 21:8; Es 3:10; Jer 22:24; Da 6:17. The patents and orders of these princes were sealed with their rings or signets, an impression from which was their confirmation. See SEAL, SEALING.

Riphath

A northern nation descended from a grandson of Japheth, Ge 10:3, called Diphath in 1Ch 1:6. The name is traced in that of the Riphoean mountains, in Russia.

River

This word answers in our Bible to various Hebrew terms, of which the principal are the following:

1. Yeor, an Egyptian word signifying river. It is always applied to the Nile and its various canals, except in Job 28:10; Da 12:5,6,7 2. Nahar, applied, like our word river, to constantly flowing streams, such as the Euphrates. In our version this word is sometimes rendered "flood," Jos 24:2,3, etc.

3. Nahal, a torrent-bed, or valley through which water flows in the rainy season only, Nu 34:5, etc; frequently rendered "brook," Nu 13:28; Job 6:15, etc. Such streams are to the orientals striking emblems of inconstancy and faithlessness. Flowing only in the rainy season, and drying up when the summer heat sets in-and some of them in desert places failing prematurely-they sadly disappoint the thirsty and perhaps perishing traveller who has looked forward to them with longing and with hope, Job 6:15-20; Jer 15:18.

In some passages in our Bible the word "rivers" seems to denote rivulets or canals, to conduct hither and thither small streams of water from a tank or fountain, Eze 31:4. Such conduits were easily turned by moulding the soil with the foot; and some think this is the idea in De 11:10; "where thou sowedst thy seed, and wateredst it with thy foot, as a garden of herbs." See also Pr 21:1.

Rizpah

A concubine of Saul, taken after his death by the ambitious Abner. Her two sons were afterwards hung, with five other sons of Saul, to avenge the wrongs he had inflicted on the Gibeonites. With the most devoted maternal affection, Rizpah watched over their remains day and night, apparently from May to October; and David, being informed of her painful watchings, gathered the bones of all the family of Saul and gave them an honorable burial, 2Sa 3:7-11; 21:1-14.

Robes

See GARMENTS.

Rod

An offshoot from the trunk of a tree, Ge 30:37; Isa 11:1; Eze 37:15-22. It also denotes a staff, used by one walking, Isa 3:1; Eze 29:6; by a diviner, Ho 4:12; by a surveyor, Ps 74:2; by a shepherd, Le 27:32; Zec 11:10-14; as an instrument of correction, Pr 23:13; 29:15; as a sceptre, Es 8:4; Isa 14:5; and as a symbol of power, Ps 2:9, support and direction, Ps 23:4.

Roe And Roebuck

Not the animal still found in Scotland and Germany, but the oriental antelope or gazelle, the Antilopa Cervicapra, or Dorcas, of Linnaeus. It is often referred to in the Bible, De 12:15,22; 14:5; 1Ki 4:23; Pr 6:5; Song 2:7,9,17; 8:14; Isa 13:14. It is about two and a half feet in height, of a reddish-brown color, with the belly and feet white, has long naked ears, and a short, erect tail. The horns are black, about twelve inches long, and bent like a lyre. It inhabits Barbary, Egypt, Arabia, and Syria, and is about half the size of a fallow deer. It goes in large flocks, is easily tamed, though naturally very timid; and its flesh is reckoned excellent food.

There are no less than twenty-nine species of antelopes in all. This animal constitutes a genus between the deer and the goat. They are mostly confined to Asia and Africa, inhabiting the hottest regions of the old world, or the temperate zones near the tropics. None of them, except the chamois and the saiga, are found in Europe. In America only one species has yet been found, namely, the Missouri antelope, which inhabits the country west of the Mississippi. Antelopes chiefly inhabit hilly countries, though some reside in the plains; and some species form herds of two or three thousand, while others keep in small troops of five or six. These animals are elegantly formed, active, restless, timid, shy, and astonishingly swift, running with vast bounds, and springing or leaping with surprising agility; they frequently stop for a moment in the midst of their course to gaze at their pursuers, and then resume their flight. The greyhound, the fleetest of dogs, is usually outrun by them; and the sportsman is obliged to have recourse to the aid of the falcon, which is trained to the work, for seizing on the animal and impeding its motion, that the dogs may thus have an opportunity of overtaking it. In India and Persia a sort of leopard is made use of in the chase; and this animal takes its prey, not by swiftness of foot, but by its astonishing springs, which are similar to those of the antelope; and yet, if the leopard should fail in its first attempt the game escapes.

The fleetness of this animal has been proverbial in the countries which it inhabits, from the earliest time, 2Sa 2:18; 1Ch 12:8; as also the beauty of its eyes; so that to say, "You have the eyes of a gazelle," is to pay a high compliment.

Roll

See BOOK.

Rome, Romans

The city of Rome is in some respects the most celebrated on earth; as it was long the mistress of the heathen world, and has since been for many centuries the chief ecclesiastical capital of the nominal Christian world. It was situated on the river Tiber about fifteen miles from the Mediterranean, in the plain now called the Campagna di Roma. At the period of its greatest glory its walls were nearly twenty miles in circumference, and enclosed the famous seven hills of which their poets speak, Re 17:9. It surpassed all other cities in the magnificence of its structures, filled with paintings and sculptures; and contained, it is thought, two millions of inhabitants. Famous for its progress in the arts and in luxury, it was still more renowned for is conquests; and there was scarcely a nation then known whose spoils and captive princes had not contributed to swell the pomp and pride of the imperial city. The idols of all conquered nations were admitted among the thousands there worshipped; and the people were full of superstition, and in morals exceedingly corrupt. The painful representation of the sins of heathenism given by Paul in his letter to the Romans, Ro 1:21-32, has been fully confirmed by their own writers.

Rome was founded by Romulus 752 B. C., and governed for a time by kings. After the expulsion of Tarquin, B.C. 509, it was governed by two consuls, elected annually; and this form of government continued several centuries and indeed after the real power had passed into the hands of a sovereign. Julius Caesar first acquired the sovereign power, though he refused the name of emperor. His nephew Octavius, afterwards Augustus, took the name of emperor about 30 B. C. In his reign our Saviour was born. The succeeding Roman emperors, who ruled over the larger part of the then known world, were mostly distinguished for their cruelties, debaucheries, and licentiousness; until Constantine embraced Christianity and made it the religion of his empire. By transferring the seat of his empire to Constantinople, A. D. 328, he gave a fatal blow to the power and influence of Rome; which thenceforth continued to be only the ecclesiastical metropolis of the western church. But as such she acquired afterwards, under the popes, an immense power, which still continues in Catholic countries; but which has received its death-wound through Protestantism, and the consequent enlightening of the popular mind. At the present day, Rome is rendered especially interesting by the magnificent ruins of its former greatness, temples, pillars, public baths, aqueducts, triumphal arches, and amphitheaters. It retains also its preeminence as a treasure house of the fine arts. It has three hundred and sixty churches, among which is St. Peters, the largest in the world, and many others truly gorgeous. It contains also large libraries, including that of the Vatican; numerous galleries and museums full of the choicest paintings and sculptures, besides palaces, villas, schools, and hospitals. Yet it groans under priestly tyranny, and perpetuates the superstition, immorality, and misery of pagan Rome.

In the books of the Old Testament no direct allusion is apparently made to Rome, or to the Roman power, except in the prophetic visions of Daniel, Da 2:33,40; 7:7,19. Up to the time when the canon of the Old Testament was closed, before B. C. 400, the Romans had not so far extended their conquests as to bring them in contact with the Jews. But in the books of the Maccabees and in the New Testament they are often mentioned. The first alliance between the Jews and Romans was made by Judas Maccabeus, B. C. 162. This was renewed by his brother Jonathan, B. C. 144. After this time, the Romans had much to do with Judea, not only under the Herods, but also when reduced to the form of a Roman province; until at last they utterly exterminated the Jews from the country. They took the city of Jerusalem not less than three times: first under Pompey, B. C. 63; again under Sosius, B. C. 33; and lastly under Titus, A. D. 70, when both the city and temple were destroyed. See JUDEA.

There were thousands of Jews resident at Rome, where a part of the city was anciently, as now, appropriated to them, and where they were usually allowed the free exercise of their national religion. Among these, and among the Romans themselves, the gospel was early introduced, perhaps by those who were at Jerusalem at the Pentecost, Ac 2:10. Under Claudius, about A. D. 50, both Jews and Christians were expelled from Rome and among them apparently Aquila and Priscilla, Ac 18:2; Ro 16:3. At the time of Paul’s epistle, A. D. 58, the faith of the Christian church at Rome was everywhere celebrated, Ro 1:8; 16:27. In A. D. 64, another fierce persecution against Christians in that city was instituted by Nero. These persecutions were followed by others more or less severe, with intervals of repose, making ten in all before the time of Constantine. At this period the corruption of doctrine and of practice, which had previously appeared in the church, began to spread more rapidly; and by degrees the papal apostasy, with its fatal perversions of the truth as it is in Christ, became enthroned at Rome according to the predictions of Paul, Peter, and John.

The arena of the Coliseum, whose majestic ruins are now the most impressive monument of the ancient mistress of the world, was the theatre of many a conflict of Christian martyrs with wild beasts; and its sands drank the blood of thousands of unresisting victims, men, women, and children, who met a violent death-some tremblingly, some triumphantly, but all resolutely-rather than deny the Lord Jesus Christ. The Coliseum was erected for gladiatorial shows, by the labors of fifteen thousand men for ten years. It was an elliptical structure, 620 feet long and 513 broad; with an arena 290 feet by 180, surrounded by tiers on tiers of seats, the upper and outer circle being 160 feet from the ground. The vast amphitheatre is said to have contained seats for eighty thousand spectators; and its ruins will long stand, a melancholy proof of the cruelty of heathenism.

THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS was written by Paul during the three months he remained at Corinth, A. D. 58, before going to Jerusalem, Ro 15:25. Compare Ac 20:2,3,16; Ro 16:23; 1Co 1:14; 2Ti 4:20. It is the most important systematic, and argumentative of the epistles of Paul. Its immediate occasion seems to have been the misunderstanding which existed between Jewish and Gentile converts, not only at Rome, but everywhere. The Jew felt himself in privilege superior to the Gentile; who, on the other hand, did not allow this superiority, and was vexed by the assertion of it. In reference to this, in the first five chapters, the apostle proves that the entire human race is depraved and under condemnation-that neither Gentile nor Jew has any privilege of birth or personal merit, but that each receives all benefits through the mere sovereign grace of God, Christ alone being our justification. He then proceeds to exhibit Christ as our sanctification; and answers the objections made to the doctrine of gratuitous justification, that it tends to encourage sin, and that God has no right to treat mankind in this way. In Ro 10:1-11:36, he applies all this to the Jews. In the remainder of the epistle, which is hortatory, the apostle lays down many practical rules of conduct, which are of the highest moment to all Christians.

Roof

See HOUSE.

Room

Is sometimes synonymous with seat or place, as in Lu 14:8-10; 20:46.

Rose

The queen of flowers, highly esteemed in its native East for its fragrance, and the beauty of its form and colors. Several varieties of wild rose are still found in Palestine. The "rose of Sharon," sacredly associated with the heavenly Bridegroom, Song 2:1; Isa 35:1, appears from the derivation of its Hebrew name to have been a bulbous plant; and is generally believed, in accordance with the ancient versions, to denote a plant of the narcissus family, perhaps the meadow-saffron, which grows in rich profusion on the plain of Sharon.

Ruby

The oriental ruby is next in value, as a gem, to the diamond. Indeed, a ruby of this kind, above a certain size, is more valuable than a diamond of the same weight. The oriental ruby is a red variety of the sapphire its color is usually between a vivid cochineal and crimson. The word "rubies" occurs several times in the English Bible, as Job 28:18; Pr 3:15; 8:11; but the corresponding word in Hebrew is thought to denote red coral, or perhaps pearls; while the true ruby is more naturally designated by the "agate" or "carbuncle" of Isa 54:12; Eze 27:16.

Rude

2Co 11:6, Artless and unpolished.

Rue

A well-known garden herb, having a strong odor and a bitter taste. Our Saviour reproaches the Pharisees with their superstitious affectation of paying the tithe of rue, which was not in reality subject to the law of tithe, while they neglected the more essential parts of the law, Lu 11:42.

Rufus

Son of Simon the Cyrenian who was constrained to carry the cross on which the Saviour was to be crucified, Mr 15:21. If he is the same person whom Paul salutes in Ro 16:13, as is probable, we may see in this instance the divine blessing abiding on the household of one who befriended Christ and bore his cross.

Rush

Translated bulrush in Isa 58:5, flag in Job 40:21, and hook in Job 41:2; a plant growing in marshy ground or by watercourses, and used for chair-bottoms, baskets, mats, ropes, etc. The pith of a similar plant in Europe is used as the wick of a candle or rush-light. In Isa 9:14; 19:15, a rush is put for the lowest of the people.

Ruth

A Moabitess, who having returned with her mother-in-law Naomi to Judea, probably about the time of Gideon, soon afterwards married Boaz, a kinsman of Naomi. From this marriage descended David, and through him our Saviour Jesus Christ, Mt 1:5.

THE BOOK OF RUTH contains this history, told in a most simple and affecting manner. The object of the writer, no doubt, was to trace the genealogy of king David. At the outset, he says that these events took place when the judges ruled in Israel-an intimation that in the time of the writer they had ceased to rule. At the close of the book the name of David is introduced; which shows that it was not written before his day, B. C. 1060. This book is inserted in our Bibles after the book of Judges, as a sort of sequel to it. Many of the ancient fathers made but one book of Judges and Ruth. The story of Ruth exhibits the frank and simple manners of the times, and the courtesy and charity of the Hebrew laws; gives an intimation of the future extension of the gospel to the Gentiles; and illustrates God’s providential care of families, and the blessings which flow from filial piety and faith in God.