Rezin

Biblical Record

Rezin was king of Aram, whose capital was Damascus. Scripture mentions him chiefly in connection with events during the reign of Ahaz, king of Judah.

• Invasion of Judah: 2 Kings 15:37 records that in the days of Jotham, king of Judah, "the LORD began to send against Judah Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah." After Ahaz became king, the two kings besieged Jerusalem but could not overcome it (2 Kings 16:5). The narrative then states that Rezin "recovered Elath to Syria" (2 Kings 16:6).
• Death: Ahaz sent silver and gold to Tiglath-pileser, king of Assyria, to ask for help. The Assyrian king captured Damascus, carried its people away to Kir, and killed Rezin (2 Kings 16:7–9).
• Account in Isaiah: Isaiah 7 describes how the hearts of Ahaz and his people were shaken at the news that Aram and Ephraim (the northern kingdom of Israel) had formed an alliance and were advancing against them. On that occasion Isaiah called the two kings "the two tails of these smoking firebrands" and declared that their plan would not stand (Isaiah 7:4–9). Isaiah also said that "the head of Damascus is Rezin" (Isaiah 7:8), and he rebuked the people because they "refuseth the waters of Shiloah that go softly, and rejoice in Rezin and Remaliah's son" (Isaiah 8:6).

The "children of Rezin" also appear in Ezra 2:48 and Nehemiah 7:50. They were a family of the Nethinim, the temple servants who returned from exile, and are distinct from Rezin the king of Aram.

Significance in Scripture

In Scripture, Rezin represents the foreign powers that threatened Judah. The Book of Isaiah presents his threat as the occasion on which the king and the people had to choose between relying on the great power of Assyria and trusting God. Both the saying "If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established" (Isaiah 7:9) and the Immanuel prophecy (Isaiah 7:14), which is quoted in Matthew 1:22–23, were given against the background of this crisis. Rezin is not mentioned by name in the New Testament.

Interpretation and Debate

• Fulfillment of the Immanuel prophecy: Interpreters differ on whether Isaiah 7:14 refers first to a child born in Ahaz's own day or refers exclusively to Jesus Christ from the outset. A widely held view is that the prophecy had an initial fulfillment in its own time and was brought to completion in Christ. See Messianic prophecy for further discussion.
• Textual issue: Some scholars hold that "Aram" in 2 Kings 16:6 should be read as "Edom." On this view, the name Rezin in that verse is regarded as a later addition.
• Extrabiblical sources: The records of the Assyrian king Tiglath-pileser III are also reported to mention Rezin, king of Damascus, as paying tribute. Scholars generally date the fall of Damascus to around 732 BC, although proposed dates vary slightly.

In the Korean Church

Rezin is seldom the subject of a sermon in his own right; he is mentioned mainly as a background figure in sermons on Isaiah 7. Preachers introduce him when explaining the crisis Ahaz faced, whether in sermons on the Immanuel passage around Christmas or in sermons on keeping faith in the face of fear.