A son of Rimmon. With his brother Baanah, Recab commanded bands of raiders under Ishbosheth, the son of King Saul. Hoping to please David, they killed Ishbosheth. But, they angered David with this killing. David had the two men put to death (2 Samuel 4:1–3, 5–12).
The father of Jehonadab (or Jonadab). Jehonadab helped Jehu kill many of the people who followed King Ahab in Samaria (2 Kings 10:15–27).
The prophet Jeremiah refers to the followers and descendants of Recab as Recabites. They obeyed Jehonadab’s command not to drink wine, build houses, plant crops, or grow vineyards. Instead, they lived in tents as nomads (people who move from place to place). Jeremiah praised the Recabites for staying loyal to their family’s teaching. He said they were more faithful than the people of Judah and Jerusalem, who had not obeyed God. Jeremiah said that God would bring judgment against Judah and Jerusalem. But he promised that the Recabites would be kept safe. (Jeremiah 35:1–19).
Recab
This term has multiple meanings in the Bible:
From Tyndale Bible Dictionary, adapted by Mission Mutual. CC BY-SA 4.0.