Who was Rephaiah in the Bible?

Rephaiah was a son of Tola and a grandson of Issachar, mentioned in the genealogical records of the Israelite tribe of Issachar. He is listed as one of the heads of his father's household, a mighty warrior (1 Chronicles 7:2).

Why is Rephaiah mentioned in the Bible?

Rephaiah's mention preserves the genealogical line of the tribe of Issachar, demonstrating God's faithfulness to His covenant with the tribes of Israel. His inclusion highlights the importance of family lineage and tribal identity in the Old Testament narrative (1 Chronicles 7:1-5).

What did Rephaiah do in the Bible?

The Bible does not record specific events or actions from Rephaiah's life. His significance comes solely from his genealogical position as a son of Tola, noted for being a valiant warrior and contributing to the large number of fighting men in the tribe of Issachar (1 Chronicles 7:2-4).

Rephaiah

Old TestamentEgypt & WildernessMaleSon

Rephaiah was a son of Tola, mentioned in the genealogy of the tribe of Issachar.

Rephaiah

Biography

Rephaiah son of Tola appears in 1 Chronicles 7:2 within the genealogical register of the tribe of Issachar. He is listed alongside his brothers, Uzzi, Jeriel, Jahmai, Ibsam, and Samuel, as one of the six sons of Tola son of Puah, who was himself a grandson of Issachar, the patriarch. The passage notes that the sons of Tola were mighty warriors, their numbers counted in David's time amounting to twenty-two thousand six hundred men, a striking testament to the vitality of this lineage. Rephaiah, as one of the founding ancestors of this warrior clan, stands as a progenitor of Issachar's military strength during the United Monarchy. His name, meaning 'the LORD has healed,' was borne by several biblical figures across different tribes.

Significance

Rephaiah's place in the genealogy of Issachar connects him to one of the twelve tribes whose descendants played important roles in Israel's national life. The Chronicler's notation that Tola's descendants numbered in the tens of thousands during David's reign, presumably traceable in part through Rephaiah's line, underscores the tribe's contribution to Israel's military capacity. In the theology of Chronicles, such genealogical records are not mere census data; they reflect God's faithfulness in multiplying the covenant people and sustaining each tribe's distinct contribution to the nation. Rephaiah represents the quiet generative work of family lines through which God preserved the twelve-tribe structure of Israel across the generations from the wilderness to the monarchy.

Authority Records

Wikidata

FatherHananiah

Verse Appearances (1)

1Chr

1Chr 7:2

References

Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Individualised Proper Names with all References (TIPNR). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
Wikidata contributors (n.d.) Wikidata. Available at: https://www.wikidata.org. [CC0]
Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]

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