Rei רֵעִי
A supporter of Solomon during Adonijah's rebellion
Who is Rei in the Bible?
Rei was a loyal supporter of King Solomon during the succession crisis described in 1 Kings 1:8, when Solomon's older brother Adonijah attempted to seize the throne near the end of King David's reign. While Adonijah declared himself king and held a feast to gather support, Rei, along with the priest Zadok and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, refused to join the rebellion and remained faithful to Solomon, whom David had chosen as his successor. When King David learned of Adonijah's coup attempt, he immediately ordered Solomon to be anointed as king by his loyal supporters, including Rei. Rei's steadfast loyalty during this pivotal moment helped ensure the peaceful transfer of power to Solomon and the fulfillment of David's final wishes for his kingdom.
Biography
Rei is mentioned briefly in the book of 1 Kings as one of the people who did not join Adonijah in his attempt to become king (1Ki.1.8). Adonijah was one of King David's sons who tried to seize the throne near the end of David's life, even though David had promised the succession to his son Solomon (1Ki.1.5-10). Rei, along with Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and others, remained loyal to Solomon (1Ki.1.8). They did not attend the feast where Adonijah declared himself king (1Ki.1.9-10). When David was informed of Adonijah's actions, he ordered Solomon to be anointed as king, with the support of those who had remained loyal (1Ki.1.32-40). Rei's loyalty to Solomon during this critical time helped ensure a smooth transition of power and the fulfillment of David's choice of successor.
In Scripture
1 biblical book1 Kings 1 verse
- 1 Kings 1:8
"But Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and David’s mighty men would not join Adonijah."
Names & Aliases
| Form | Language | Script |
|---|---|---|
| Named | Hebrew | רֵעִי |
Rei
very uncertain. Winckler (Geschichte, II, 247) identifies him with Ira, the Jairite, who was a "priest to David" (2Sa 20:26 the Revised Version margin); he tries to prove that this Ira (or Jair) was a priest of Bethlehem. Stade (GVI, I, 293, note 1) holds that Shimei and Rei were two officers of David's bodyguard. Josephus (Ant., VII, xiv, 4) has ho Daouidou philos, thus making Shimei a "friend," the courtier of 2Sa 15:37; 16:16, and omitting Rei entirely. This would call for an original reading re`h ha-melekh, or re`eh ha-melekh, and is too wide a variant from the Massoretic Text. Assuming that Rei belongs in the text, it is safe to conjecture that he was an officer of the royal guard.
Horace J. Wolf
ran: The Hebrew word malekhuth, may be rendered "kinghood," "royal dignity," "kingdom," "government" ("reign"). The verb is malakh, "to be king" ("to reign as king"), "to become king," "to accede to the throne," "to ass