All Characters
R

Rehum

The Opposer of the Restoration

Post-Exilic Period

Name Information

Meaning
"Compassion" (ironic in this case)
Language of Origin
Hebrew/Aramaic
Gender Usage
Masculine

Rehum was an official in the Persian administration who opposed the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s walls. He wrote an accusatory letter to King Artaxerxes, resulting in the work being temporarily stopped.

Roles

Persian OfficialOpponent of the Jews

Story

Served as a Persian official during the time of Jerusalem’s restoration.

Collaborated with others to write a letter against the Jews.

Claimed that if Jerusalem were rebuilt, its people would rebel against the king.

His interference delayed the wall’s completion until Nehemiah’s time.

Spiritual Significance

  1. 1Actively opposed the restoration of Jerusalem’s walls.
  2. 2Influenced Artaxerxes to halt construction through false accusations.
  3. 3Represents the persistent opposition to God’s work.

What We Can Learn

  1. 1God’s work often faces opposition from powerful voices.
  2. 2False accusations can delay but not defeat God’s purposes.
  3. 3Persistence in God’s mission is essential despite setbacks.

Memory Verses

The work on the house of God in Jerusalem came to a standstill until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

Ezra 4:24

Key Passages

Ezra 4:8–24

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