What is…
Rehoboth

Hebrew: רְחֹבוֹת —transliteration: Reḥōḇōṯ or Rechoboth or Rehoboth —meaning: “broad places,” “wide spaces,” “room,” or “open places” —derived from the root rachab, meaning “to be wide or spacious”

This is the name of an ancient well and 2 ancient cities.

1. Rehoboth, a well in Gerar

   This well was dug and named by Isaac, the long awaited son of Abraham and Sarah. It was in Gerar (Genesis 26:17–22) in what is known as the the Negev desert.

   This is the best known place named Rehoboth in the Bible.

   At may have been located at the Wady er-Ruheibeh, about 20 miles south of Beersheba.

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   Q & A

   • Answers about wells in the Bible
   • What is Esek?
   • What is Gerar?
   • Who is Isaac? What do we know about him?

2. Rehoboth, a river city in Assyria

   An ancient city on the Euphrates (Genesis 36:37; 1 Chronicles 1:48), “Rehoboth by the river.”

3. Rehoboth, a city in Asshur

   Named among the cities of Asshur (Genesis 10:11). Probably, however, the words “rehoboth'ir” are to be translated as in the Vulgate and the margin of King James Version, “the streets of the city,” or rather “the public square of the city”, i.e., of Nineveh.