Rezon

Biblical Account

Rezon appears only in 1 Kings 11:23-25. According to the text, he was the son of Eliadah and had originally served Hadadezer king of Zobah before fleeing from him. When David defeated the men of Zobah, Rezon gathered men to himself and became captain of a band. He then went to Damascus, settled there, and became king. Scripture records that he was an adversary of Israel all the days of Solomon, that he abhorred Israel, and that he reigned over Aram (Syria). David's victory over Hadadezer king of Zobah is recorded in 2 Samuel 8:3-8.

Significance Within Scripture

After recounting Solomon's worship of foreign gods, 1 Kings 11 states that God raised up adversaries against him. Rezon is presented as one of these adversaries, alongside Hadad the Edomite (1 Kings 11:14-22) and, later in the chapter, Jeroboam. In the flow of the narrative, the account of Rezon is read as a sign that Solomon's kingdom was beginning to be shaken from without. The Aramean power centered in Damascus later appears frequently in Kings as a nation in conflict with Israel. The New Testament does not mention Rezon.

Interpretation and Points of Debate

• In 1 Kings 15:18, Ben-hadad king of Aram is identified as "the son of Tabrimon, the son of Hezion." Some scholars identify this Hezion with Rezon. Others regard the two as different individuals, and neither view has been settled.
• In Hebrew, the names "Aram" and "Edom" look similar in written form. For this reason, some scholars suggest that the end of 1 Kings 11:25 may originally have referred not to Rezon but to Hadad the Edomite.
• Rezin, the king of Aram mentioned in Isaiah 7 and 2 Kings 16, has a similar name but is a different person from a much later period.

In the Korean Church

Because Rezon appears only briefly in Scripture, he is rarely the subject of a sermon or Sunday school lesson in his own right. He is mentioned mainly in sermons on Solomon's later years, where he is presented alongside Hadad and Jeroboam as one of the adversaries who rose up against Solomon after he turned away from God.