RIZPAH
RIZFAH.
—
Daughter
of
Aiah,
concubine
ot
Saul,
seized
by
the
ambitious
Abner
after
he
had
placed
Ishbosheth
(Ishbaal)
on
the
throne.
When
accused
by
the
king,
Abner,
who
was
the
real
ruler
of
Israel,
promptly
proffered
the
Northern
Kingdom
to
David
(2
S
3").
A
three
years'
famine
was
divined
to
be
due
to
the
displeasure
of
Jehovah
at
the
slaughter
of
the
Gibeonites
by
Saul.
When
David
inquired
what
expia-tion
he
should
make,
the
Gibeonites
refused
money
com-pensation,
but
demanded
descendants
of
Saul
to
expose
before
Jehovah.
The
king
gave
them
two
of
Rizpah's,
and
three
of
Michal's
(Merab's)
sons,
who
were
slain
and
exposed
on
Mount
Gibeah
(2
S
21'-").
Rizpah
spread
sackcloth
on
the
rock,
—
a
sign
that
the
land
repented,
—
and
watched
the^dead
till
the
anger
of
Jehovah
relented
and
the
rain
came.
Her
vigil
ended,
she
was
at
liberty
to
perform
the
rite
of
burial.
J.
H.
Stevenson.
ROADS
AND
TRAVEL.—
See
Trade
and
Com-merce.
'Byways'
in
Jg
5'
should
rather
be
'round-about
ways.'
In
Jer
18'*
'bypaths'
(RV)
are
opposed
to
the
old
tracks.
ROBBERS
OF
CHURCHES.-See
Churches
[Robbers
of).
ROBE.—
See
Dress.
ROCK
represents
various
Heb.
words,
which,
generally
speaking,
have
the
same
ideas
as
the
Eng.
—
strength,
security,
height,
etc.
(cf.
Stanley,
SP,
Appendix).
The
rocks
named
in
OT
are
Oreb
(Jg
7^,
Is
10^),
Etam
(Jg
158),
Rimmon
(20^'
21"),
the
crags
Bozez
and
Seneh
(1
S
W),
Sela-hammahlekoth
(23").
In
2
K
14',
Is
16'
42"
'the
Rock'
(RV
'Sela')
is
a
proper
name,
Sela
or
Petra,
the
rock-city
par
excellence;
in
Jg
1"
(RVm
'Sela')
the
identification
is
doubtful;
es-Safleh,
'a
bare
and
dazzling
white
sandstone
promontory
1000
ft.
high,'
near
the
south
of
the
Dead
Sea,
is
prob-ably
intended.
Rocks
were
the
haunt
of
the
eagle
(Job
39^8),
of
the
wild
goat
(v.'),
or
the
coney
(Pr
aG^s)
;
cf.
Ps
10418.
Pr
30'»
refers
to
the
mysterious
gliding
of
the
serpent
over
a
rock;
Am
B'^,
to
the
proverbial
impossibility
of
horses
running
over
crags.
Dt
32"
emphasizes
the
fact
that
in
Palestine
even
the
rocks
are
the
home
of
bees
(Ps
Si's,
ig
719)^
anj
jije
rocky
soil
produces
olives
(Job
29').
Besides
this
natural
marvel,
we
have
the
miracles
of
Ex
IT,
Nu
20'
etc.
In
1
Co
10<
St.
Paul
follows
a
wide-spread
Jewish
haggadah,
which
can
be
traced
to
the
1st
century
a.d.,
according
to
which
the
rock
(perhaps
originally
the
well)
followed
Israel;
when
the
Tabernacle
was
pitched,
the
water
gushed
out
afresh,
the
princes
singing
the
song
of
Nu
21".
The
epithet
'spiritual'
does
not
deny
the
literal
reality
of
that
to
which
it
refers
;
the
manna
was
literal
to
St.
Paul,
and
the
water
and
rook
must
have
been
so
too.
He
sees
in
the
literal
fact
a
foreshadowing
of
the
Christian
sacraments.
Further,
he
identifies
the
rock
with
Christ,
implying
His
pre-existence
and
care
for
His
people;
cf.
Philo's
identification
of
it
with
the
Wisdom
and
Word
of
God.
Rocks,
particularly
the
soft
sandstone
of
Edom,
were
primitive
dwelling
places
(Job
24*
30"
;
cf
.
cave-dwellers
of
Dt
212),
an.d
were
used
(or
sepulchres
(Is
22",
Mk
15").
Job
IQ'*
refers
to
the
permanence
of
the
rock
inscrip-tion;
28»
(a
somewhat
unusual
word,
'flinty
rock'
RV)
to
mining.
In
Jg
6™
131'
the
rock
is
a
natural
monolithic
altar;
in
6'^
tr.
'strong-hold'
with
RV.
Rocks
as
dangers
to
ships
are
mentioned
in
Ac
272»,
and
metaphorically
in
Jude
12
RV
[but
RVm
and
Bigg
retain
'spots'
of
AV,
which
has
the
support
of
the
parallel
2
P
218].
The
barrenness
and
desolation
of
a
rock
is
the
point
of
Ezk
26'i-
",
with
a
pun
on
Tyre
(
=
rock);
cf.
the
unfruitful
'rock'
(Lk
8'),
or
'rocky
places'
(Mt
138
RV)
of
the
parable
of
the
Sower;
i.e.
rock
with
a
thin
layer
of
earth.
The
rock
meets
us
continually
as
a
place
of
refuge,
literal
or
metaphorical
(Nu
24",
1
S
138,
Is
2",
Jer
48^8
49i«,
Ob
');
cf.
'feet
on
rock'
(Ps
278
408)-
in
Is
328
it
is
a
shade
from
the
heat.
And
ROMANS,
EPISTLE
TO
THE
so
it
is
a
frequent
title
for
God,
as
the
unvarying
strength
and
support
of
His
people
(Dt
32'"'-
[6
times],
Ps
188
etc.,
Is
1718
3088,
Hab
1'2).
It
is
often
represented
by
'God,'
and
vague
terms
('help,'
etc.)
in
the
ancient
versions,
as
well
as
AV
and
Pr.
Bk.
[e.g.
Ps
95').
A
sufficient
explanation
of
the
use
is
found
in
the
natural
scenery
of
Palestine.
It
is
doubtful
how
far
'Rock'
(Zur)
was
a
definite
name
for
God.
It
has
been
found
in
compounds
in
two
S.
Arabian
inscriptions,
and
occurs
in
the
proper
names
of
Nu
is-
s.
10.
335.
'Great
Rock'
is
a
common
title
of
Asshur
and
Bel
in
Assyria.
In
Dt
32",
Is
31«
the
title
is
given
to
heathen
gods,
but
in
the
latter
passage
the
word
sela
is
used.
And
the
fact
that
this
word
is
freely
employed
in
this
connexion
side
by
side
with
zur
rather
contradicts
the
supposition
that
the
latter
was
technically
a
proper
name.
Con-vulsions
of
nature
and
the
power
of
God
are
connected
with
breaking
the
rock
(1
K
19",
Job
14'8,
Jer
23=8,
Nah
18,
Mt
2781),
and
in
Jer
6'
it
is
a
symbol
of
obstinacy.
In
Mt
78*
it
represents
the
sure
foundation;
cf.
Mt
I6I8
and
art.
Power
of
the
Keys,
p.
742'>.
The
name
'
Peter
'
is
a
tr.
of
the
Aram.
Cephas,
the
Heb.
form
of
which
is
used
Jer
48',
Job
30"
(see
art.
Peter).
For
the
'rock
of
offence
or
stumbling,'
see
Is
8"
28i8,
Ro
988,
1
P
28.
Precipitation
from
a
rock
was
a
form
of
execution
(2
Ch
2518
[?
2
S
218-
"],
cf.
Lk
488).
C.
W.
Emmet.
ROCK
BADGER
(Lv
lis
RVm)
is
Hyrax
syriacus.
See
Coney.
ROD.
—
The
rods,
sticks,
staves,
and
clubs
carried
or
otherwise
used
by
the
Hebrews
were
probably
as
varied
in
size
and
shape
as
those
in
use
among
the
inhabitants
of
Palestine
at
the
present
day,
of
which
a
minute
description,
with
illustrations,
is
given
by
Baldensperger
in
PEFSt,
1905,
35
ff.
No
hard-and-fast
distinction
can
be
made
out
between
the
matteh,
the
sKebet,
and
the
maqgel
—
aU
three
rendered
in
EV
by
'rod'
or
'staff.'
The
context
must
generally
decide
which
of
the
two
is
the
better
rendering.
For
example,
the
twigs
which
Jacob
peeled
in
the
device
recorded
in
Gn
308™-
are
true
rods;
but
in
32i8
the
same
word
(.maqciB)
is
properly
rendered
'staflE.'
On
the
other
hand,
Moses'
'rod'
(so
EV)
is
rather
his
shepherd's
'staff'
(Ex
48
etc.).
For
the
rod
as
an
instrument
of
punishment,
shebet
is
more
frequently
employed
than
matteh,
as
Pr
10'=
138<
268,
although
both
are
not
seldom
employed
in
parallel
lines
(Is
10»i
308"-
etc.).
The
former
also
denotes
the
shepherd's
club
(described
and
figured
in
Hastings'
DB
iv.
291'',
PEFSt,
1905,
36),
as
in
Ps
23',
Lv
2788
etc.
(EV'rod').
See
also
Sceptre.
A.
R.
S.
Kennedy.
RODANm.—
See
Dodanim.
ROE,
ROEBUCK.—
1
.
zebt
and
zebiyyah.—See
Gazelle-2.
ya'alah,
Pr
S",
RV
'doe';
see
'Wild
Goat'
in
art.
Goat.
3.
'Bpher,
Ca
48
78,
AV
'young
roe,'
RV
'fawn.'
4.
yachmur
(lit.
'
red
'),
Dt
14',
1
K
48',
AV
'fallow
deer,'
RV
'roebucks.'
The
true
fallow-deer
is
the
'ayyal
or
hart;
see
Hart.
In
the
LXX
yachmUr
is
tr.
boubalos,
the
bubale;
but
it
is
much
more
probable
that
it
is
the
roebuck
(Cervw
capreolus),
still
called
the
yahmur
by
some
Arabs.
It
is
a
gazelle-like
animal
with
three-
branched
upright
horns.
E.
W.
G.
Masterman.
ROGELIM.—
The
native
place
of
Barzillai
the
Gilead-ite
(2
S
178'
1981).
The
exact
site
is
unknown.
ROHGAH.—
An
Asherite
(1
Ch
7^).
RODHUS
(1
Es
58).—
See
Rehum,
1.
ROLL.
—
See
Writing,
6.
ROMAMTI-EZER.—
A
son
of
Heman
(1
Ch
25<-
si).
ROMAKS,
EPISTLE
TO
THE.—
1.
Time,
occasion,
and
character.—
The
letter
to
the
Romans
belongs
to
the
central
group—
which
includes
also
Galatians,
and
the
two
letters
to
the
Corinthians—
of
St.
Paul's
Epistles.
Marcion's
order—
Gal.,
Cor.,
Rom.—
is
not
unlikely
to
be
the
order
of
writing.
A
comparison
