Person Old Testament
Rechab
Also known as Rechab =ESV, KJV; Rekab =NIV
Rechab was the father of Malchijah, who repaired the Dung Gate during the rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls. Mentioned once in Scripture, at Nehemiah 3:14.
Why it matters. Father of Malchijah, who repaired the Dung Gate
- Primary passages
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Rechab
Rechab is mentioned in the book of Nehemiah as the father of Malchijah, one of the people who helped repair the walls of Jerusalem (Neh.3.14). During the time of Nehemiah, the walls of Jerusalem were in disrepair, leaving the city vulnerable to attack. Nehemiah, who was serving as cupbearer to King Artaxerxes of Persia, received permission to return to Jerusalem and oversee the rebuilding of the walls (Neh.2.1-8). Various individuals and families were assigned to repair specific sections of the wall. Malchijah, son of Rechab, was responsible for repairing the Dung Gate, which was likely located on the southern side of the city and used for removing refuse (Neh.3.14). The mention of Rechab in this context highlights the participation of families in the restoration of Jerusalem's defenses and the importance of each person's contribution to the overall project.
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.
- Children
- Malchijah
Appears in Scripture
Named in 1 verse across 1 book. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.
Nehemiah (1 verse)