The Jews, as above observed, are embarrassed as to what to say concerning Rahab. They praise her high- ly for her conduct ; but some rabbins give out that she was not a Canaanite, but of some other Gentile race, and was only a sojourner in Jericho. The Gemara of Babylon mentions the above -noted tradition that she became the wife of Joshua — a tradition unknown to Jerome (Adv. Jovin.). Josephus (Ant. v, 1) describes her as an innkeeper, and her house as an inn (tcarayw- yioi'), and never applies to her the epithet iropvr], which is the term used by the Sept.
See the Critici Sacri, Thesaur. Nov. i, 487 ; Simeon, Works, ii, 544; Gordon, C/uist as Made Known, etc. ii, 268; Ewald, Gesch. Isr. ii, 24G ; Niemeyer, Charah. iii, 423 sq. ; Abicht, De Rachab Merefrice (Lips. 1714) ; Gaunter, Hist, and Char, of Rahab [insists that she could not have been a harlot] (Lond. 1850) ; Hoffmann, RahaVs Erettung (Berl. 1861). Sec Joshua.
2. (Heb. Ra'hab, Sfn, strength; Sept. 'P«a/3, Psa. lxxxvii, 4; to ktjtoc, Job xvi, 12; vmpS)<pavoc, Psa. Ixxxix, 10 ; omits Isa. Ii, 9). A poetical name signify- ing "sea monster," which is applied as an appellation to Egypt in Psa. lxxiv, 13, 14; lxxxvii, 4; Ixxxix, 10; Isa. Ii, 9 (and sometimes to its king, Ezek. xxix, 3; xxxiii, 3 ; comp. Psa. lxviii, 31) — which metaphorical designation probably involves an allusion to the croco-
I? All AM
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diles, hippopotami, ami other aquatic creatures of the Nile (q. v.). As the word, if Hebrew, radically denotes "fierceness, insolence, pride," when applied to Egypt, il would indicate the national character of the inhabitants, - thinks ii was probably of Egyptian origin. but accommodated to Hebrew, although no likely equiva- lent has been found in Coptic, or, we may add, in an- cient Egyptian (Thesuur. & v.). That the Hebrew
meaning is alluded t" in connection
the proper
- not seem to prove that the latter i- Hebrew but this is rendered very probable by its apposite char- its sole use in poetical books. See Bi hemoi h. I be same word occurs in a passage in Job, where it is usually translated, as in the A. v.. instead of being treated as a proper name. Xet many interpreters, com- paring this passage with parallel ones, insist that it refers to the Exodus: "He divideth the sea with his power, and by his understanding be smiteth through the proud" | or ■• Kahab" ] i xxvi, 12 ). The prophet Isaiah calls on the arm of the Lord, " | Art | not thou it that hath cut Rahab, [and] wounded the dragon? [ An I not thou ii which hath dried the sea. the waters of the great deep; that hath made the depths ofthe sea a way i.ir the ransomed to pass over?" | li. 9, 10 ; comp. 15). In Psa. lxxiv the division ofthe sea is mentioned in connection with breaking the heads ofthe dragons and the headset' I.e\ iathan (ver. i:i. 1 l>. Si >. too. in l'sa. lw\i\ God's power to subdue the sea is spoken of im- mediately before a mention of his having " broken Ra- hab in pieces" (ver. 9, 1" I. Rahab, as a name of Egypt, occurs once only without reference to the Exodus: this is in Psa. lxxxvii, where Kahab. Babylon, Philistia, Tyre, and Cush are compared with Zion (ver. 4, 5). In one other passage the name is alluded to with reference to its Hebrew signification, where it is prophesied that the aid ofthe Egyptians should not avail those who sought it, and this sentence follows : r~'i" ~n Sin1}, " Insolence (i.e. 'the insolent'), they sit still" dsa. xxx. 7), as (le- senius reads, considering it to be undoubtedly a prover- bial expression. See CROCODILE.
Ra'ham i Heb. Rach'am, "zrr.h,lhi: Sept. 'Paifi), the -on of Sbema and father of Jorkoam, in the geneal- ogy of the descendants of Caleb the son of Hezron, of the tribe of Judah | 1 Chron. ii. 11 i. !'..('. post 1600. Rashi and the author ofthe Qucest. in ParaL, attributed
to J i regard Jorkoam as a place, of which Raham
was founder and prince.
Rahauser, Frederick A., a German Reformed minister, was born in York < !o., Pa., in 1782, of humble bui excellent parentage. He was brought up as a weaver, the profession of his father. His early edu- cational advantages were very limited. At the age of twenty-one he went to Hanover, Pa., there studied with a Lutheran minister, ami then determined to pre- pare- for the work of the mini-try. His brother Jona- than greatly aided him. ami Frederick Rahauser pleased as a preacher as soon as he entered upon the ministe- rial task. He was ordained in 1808, and preached for nearly half a century. lie served during this period several large and laborious charges, which are now among the most prosperous and prominent places in the Reformed Church. In those early days all ministers did hard work, for then the fields were large and the laborer- were yet fewer than now. His first settlement
was at Emmettsburg, Md., in the s mer of 1808. This
charge, which he served with great acceptance for about eight years, then included Gettysburg, Taney town, An- other distant points. Some of the congrega- re -even. ten. twelve, and even twenty miles apart. But during all his hard service his general health was good, so that he rarely failed to meet an ap- pointment In 1816 he accepted a call to the church at Harrisburg, Pa., to which he ministered till 1819, when lie removed to Chambersburg, Pa. To ibis charge he gave bis matured and most vigorous labors, and there faithfulness al.-o was attended with success for a period