the conquest and thus get credit for capturing Rabbah, it seems that Joab captured only a portion of the city. The expression “city of the waters” may refer to a part on the riverbank, as distinguished from some other part of the city, or it may mean that he secured control of the city’s principal water supply.—2 Sam. 12:26-28.

David came and completed the capture of Rabbah and “the spoil of the city that he brought out was very much.” (2 Sam. 12:29-31; 1 Chron. 20:2-4) Eventually the Ammonites became independent again. In the ninth century B.C.E., Amos foretold judgment against the Ammonites and he specifically mentioned that Rabbah would be burned. (Amos 1:13, 14) Both Jeremiah and Ezekiel also delivered messages against Rabbah. As shown under AMMONITES, these prophecies were evidently fulfilled in Nebuchadnezzar’s time.—Jer. 49:2, 3; Ezek. 21:19-23; 25:5.

In the third century B.C.E. Ptolemy Philadelphus rebuilt Rabbah and renamed the city Philadelphia. It was later included among the cities of the Decapolis, and apparently was quite prosperous and strong. The modern city of Amman is located here, and there are considerable ancient ruins, including a huge amphitheater, but these date mainly from Roman times.

2. One of the cities given to the tribe of Judah in its territorial allotment. Its exact location is unknown. In Joshua 15:60 it is listed with Kiriath-jearim, which was in the hill country of Judah seven and a half miles (12 kilometers) W-NW of Jerusalem.

RABBI

[teacher (John 1:38), my great one; my excellent one].

“Rabbi” comes from the Hebrew word rav, meaning “great, master, chief.” “Rab” is used in the composition of several names, such as Rabsaris (chief attendant), Rabshakeh (chief cupbearer), and Rabmag (chief prince or magician). (2 Ki. 18:17; Jer. 39:3, 13) The designation “Rabbi” can be used in a de facto sense as “teacher.” But among the Jews, shortly before the birth of Jesus, it came to be used also as a form of address and as a title of respect and honor, the title being demanded by some of the learned men, scribes, teachers of the Law. They delighted to be called “Rabbi” as an honorary title. Jesus Christ condemned such title seeking and forbade his followers to be called “Rabbi,” as he was their teacher.—Matt. 23:6-8.

In the Bible we find the term “Rabbi” only in the Christian Greek Scriptures. It is employed twelve times in connection with Jesus, in the de facto sense of “Teacher”: twice by Peter (Mark 9:5; 11:21), once by two disciples of John (John 1:38), once by Nathanael (John 1:49), once by Nicodemus (John 3:2), three times by disciples of Jesus whose names are not specified (John 4:31; 9:2; 11:8), once by the crowds (John 6:25) and two times by Judas (one instance is repeated). (Matt. 26:25, 49; Mark 14:45) Jesus is addressed by Mary Magdalene as Rabboni (My Teacher), also by a blind man whom he healed. The personal pronoun “my” is a suffix here, but because of usage it seems to have lost its significance, as in Monsieur, originally meaning “my lord.” (John 20:16; Mark 10:51) John the Baptist is once addressed as Rabbi.—John 3:26.

The title “Rabbi,” with variations, later came to be used in the Jewish schools as an honorary title. “Rab” was the lowest in dignity in such Jewish schools, while “Rabbi” was next higher and “Rabban” (“Rabboni”) the highest, but these distinctions do not appear to have been practiced as early as the time of Jesus’ earthly ministry. The title “Rabbi” is applied today to religious leaders of Jewish congregations of Judaism.

RABBITH

(Rabʹbith) [possibly, multitude].

According to the Masoretic text, a site on Issachar’s boundary. (Josh. 19:17, 18, 20) It is thought to be the same as Daberath. (Josh. 19:12) Supporting this view is the fact that Vatican Manuscript No. 1209, of the fourth century C.E., has Da·bei·ronʹ in place of “Rabbith.”—See DABERATH.

RABBONI

(Rab·boʹni).

A Semitic word meaning “My Teacher.” (Mark 10:51) It may be that “Rabboni” was a more respectful form than “Rabbi,” which title of address means “Teacher,” or that it conveyed more personal warmth. (John 1:38) However, when John wrote, perhaps the first person suffix (i) on this word had lost its special significance in the title, since John translates it as meaning merely “Teacher.”—John 20:16.

RABMAG

(Rabʹmag) [possibly, chief prince or magician].

The title of a major official of the Babylonian Empire at the time that Jerusalem was destroyed in 607 B.C.E. The title has been identified on monuments recently excavated. Nergal-sharezer the Rabmag was one of the men in the special tribunal of high Babylonian princes who sat in judgment in Jerusalem’s Middle Gate after the city fell to Nebuchadnezzar and who arranged for Jeremiah’s release from prison.—Jer. 39:3, 13, 14.

RABSARIS

(Rabʹsa·ris) [chief attendant; he who stands by the king].

The title of a chief court official in the Assyrian and Babylonian Empires. The Rabsaris was one of the committee of three high Assyrian dignitaries that was sent by the king of Assyria to demand the surrender of Jerusalem in King Hezekiah’s time.—2 Ki. 18:17.

The Rabsaris was one of the Babylonian officials taking control of Jerusalem for Nebuchadnezzar when the city fell in 607 B.C.E., and Nebushazban is named as the Rabsaris joining in ordering Jeremiah’s release from imprisonment. (Jer. 39:3, 13, 14) Excavations have unearthed monuments bearing the title.

RABSHAKEH

(Rabʹsha·keh) [great or chief cup-bearer].

The title of a major Assyrian official. (2 Ki. 18:17) Like the titles “Rabmag” and “Rabsaris,” “Rabshakeh” is also a compound word. Some believe that “Rabshakeh” as a title comes from the two Assyrian words rab and saqu, which, when combined, mean “chief cupbearer,” “chief of the officers” or a general, a high officer of state. A building inscription of the Assyrian king Tiglath-Pileser III says: “I sent an officer of mine, the rabsaq, to Tyre.” Also, from a tablet in the British Museum an inscription of King Ashurbanipal reads: “I ordered to add to my former (battle-) forces (in Egypt) the rabsaq -officer.” Incidentally, for further evidence that the Hebrew word rav is used as part of a title, take note of the common title “Rabbi,” which literally means “my great one.”

While Sennacherib the king of Assyria was laying siege to the Judean fortress of Lachish he sent a heavy military force to Jerusalem under the Tartan, the commander-in-chief, along with two other high officials, the Rabsaris and the Rabshakeh. (2 Ki. 18:17; the entire account appears also at Isaiah chapters 36 and 37.) Of these three superior Assyrian officials, Rabshakeh was the chief spokesman in an effort to force King Hezekiah to capitulate in surrender. (2 Ki. 18:19-25) The three stood by the conduit of the upper pool. This Rabshakeh, whose personal name is not revealed, was a fluent speaker in Hebrew as well as Syrian. He called out in Hebrew to King Hezekiah, but three of Hezekiah’s officials came out to meet him. King Hezekiah’s officers asked Rabshakeh to speak to them in the Syrian language rather than in the Jews’ language because the common people on the wall were listening. (2 Ki. 18:26, 27) But the situation suited Rabshakeh’s purpose as a propagandist. He wanted the people to hear, with a view to demoralizing their ranks. By words calculated to induce terror, by false promises and lies, by ridicule and by reproach toward Jehovah, Rabshakeh spoke even more loudly in Hebrew, submitting arguments to the people to turn traitor to King Hezekiah by surrendering to the Assyrian army. (2 Ki. 18:28-35) Nevertheless, the people of Jerusalem remained loyal to Hezekiah.—2 Ki. 18:36.

The taunting words of Rabshakeh were taken by