TheRechabites (/ˈrɛkəbaɪts/) were aBiblical clan, the descendants ofRechab throughJehonadab.
One theory is the Rechabites belonged to theKenites, who accompanied theIsraelites into theHoly Land and dwelt among them; the sources of information are few and unclear. Kenites dwelt in cities and adopted settled habits of life.[1] Whoever he was, Jehonadab ben Rechab forbade his descendants to drink wine, to own land or vineyards, or to live in cities.[2] They were commanded to always lead a nomadic life.
The Rechabites adhered to the law laid down byJehonadab, and were noted for their fidelity to the old established custom of their family in the days ofJeremiah;[3] and this feature of their character is referred to by God for the purpose of giving point to his message to theKing of Judah.[4][5] As a reward for their fidelity, God proclaims that there will always be a descendant ofJonadab in his service.
TheMekhilta tells a story—presumably dating to the lateSecond Temple period—of Rechabites, known as "sons of water drinkers" due to their abstention from wine.[6]
RabbiHalafta (1st–2nd centuries) was a descendant of the Rechabites.[7]
The apocryphalStory of Zosimus, from late antiquity, details the journey of a monk named Zosimus to the "Land of the Rechabites".
In 1839 the ReverendJoseph Wolff found inYemen, nearSana'a, a tribe claiming to be descendants of Jehonadab; and in the late nineteenth century aBedouin tribe was found near theDead Sea who also professed to be descendants of Jehonadab.[8]
Many Muslims still claim descent from Rechab, along with the nearly-universal claim ofArabs to be descended fromAbraham throughIshmael (Ismail).
The termRechabites also refers to a religious order, similar in some ways to theNazirites, and they are mentioned byEusebius of Emesa.[9]
In more recent times, the name has been used byChristian groups keen to promotetotal abstinence from alcohol, such as theIndependent Order of Rechabites.[10]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Easton, Matthew George (1897)."Rechabites".Easton's Bible Dictionary (New and revised ed.). T. Nelson and Sons.