Rehoboth-Ir
Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible [1]
Rehoboth-Ir (lit. ‘broad places of the city’). One of the four cities in Assyria built by Nimrod ( Genesis 10:11 ). It immediately follows Nineveh, and might mean a suburb of that city, originally separate from it, but later annexed and containing some of its most spacious streets or market-places. A suitable identification has been found in the Assyr. [Note: Assyrian.] rçbît Ninâ (‘broad places of Nineveh’), mentioned by king Esarhaddon (b.c. 681 668). This is the exact equivalent of the Biblical name. In taking it over, ‘the city’ was substituted for ‘Nineveh.’
J. F. M’Curdy.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia [2]
r .- ûr , r .- ir ( עיר רחבת , reḥōbhōth ‛ı̄r , "Rehoboth City"; Septuagint ἡ Ῥοωβὼς ( Ῥοωβὼθ ) πόλις , hē Rhoōbṓs ( Rhoōbṓth ) pólis , "the city Rhoōbōs , Rhoōbōth "):
The second of the cities built by Asshur (the Revised Version (British and American) by Nimrod) in Assyria ( Genesis 10:11 , Genesis 10:12 ). Unlike the other three, the exact equivalent of this name is not found in Assyrian literature Fried. Delitzsch points out ( Wo lag das Paradies? 260 f) that reḥōbhōth is the equivalent of the Assyrian rêbite , "streets," and suggests that the site referred to may be the Rebit Ninua, "streets of Nineveh," mentioned by Sargon of Assyria in connection with the peopling of Maganubba (Khorsabad or Dûr - Šarru - kı̄n ; see Nineveh ); and it was through this tract that Esar-haddon, his grandson, caused the heads of the kings of Kundi and Sidon to be carried in procession when he returned from his expedition to the Mediterranean.
Though the probabilities in favor of Rebit Ninua are great, it is doubtful whether a suburb could have been regarded as a foundation worthy of a primitive ruler, and that a very important city, Assur, the old capital of Assyria, would rather be expected. One of the groups expressing its name is composed of the characters Šag - uru , or, dialectically, Šab - eri , the second element being the original of the Hebrew ‛ı̄r . As the "center-city," Assur may have been regarded as the city of broad spaces ( reḥōbhōth ) - its ruins are of considerable extent. The German explorers there have made many important discoveries of temples, temple- towers, palaces and streets, the most picturesque in ancient times being the twin tower-temples of Anu (the sky) and Adad (Hadad). The ruins lie on the Tigris, about 50 miles South of Nineveh. It practically ceased to be the capital about the middle of the 8th century BC. See Nineveh .
Kitto's Popular Cyclopedia of Biblial Literature [3]
Rehoboth-Ir (Rehoboth-city), a town of ancient Assyria , the site of which has not been ascertained.
