Person Old Testament
Rechab
Also known as Rechab =ESV, KJV; Rekab =NIV
Rechab and his brother Baanah were captains in Ishbosheth's army during the time of David. Mentioned in 4 verses across 1 book, first at 2 Samuel 4:2.
Why it matters. A captain of Ishbosheth's army, with his brother Baanah
- Primary passages
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Rechab
Rechab is mentioned in 2 Samuel as the brother of Baanah, both captains in the army of Ishbosheth, the son of Saul (2Sa.4.2). After the death of Saul, Ishbosheth was made king over Israel, while David reigned over Judah (2Sa.2.8-10). Baanah and Rechab, who were from the tribe of Benjamin, betrayed Ishbosheth by sneaking into his house while he was resting and murdering him (2Sa.4.5-7). They brought Ishbosheth's head to David, hoping to gain favor with him (2Sa.4.8). However, David condemned their treacherous act and ordered their execution (2Sa.4.9-12). The actions of Rechab's sons contributed to the downfall of Ishbosheth and the eventual unification of Israel under David's rule. The story highlights the political instability and violence that characterized the early days of David's reign.
Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.
Connections
No reviewed connections yet.
Family
Family links from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0). Where the dataset marks an identification as uncertain, the mark is kept. Matthew and Luke give different genealogies for Jesus; see the Lineage page, which never merges them.
Appears in Scripture
Named in 4 verses across 1 book. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.