Rei

Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible

REI (‘J″ [Note: Jahweh.] is a friend’). The name is given to one of the supporters of Solomon at the time of Adonijah’s attempt to secure the throne (  1 Kings 1:8 ). He is mentioned along with Shimei , and was likely an officer in the royal guard. These troops seem to have had an enormous influence in determining the succession to the throne.

The reading, however, is not above suspicion, and Jos. [Note: Josephus.] ( Ant. VII. xiv. 4) reads ‘Shimei, the friend of David,’ and thus gets rid of Rei as a personal name (so Lucian). Several attempts have been made to identify him with other figures, as Ira or Jair (Winckler, Gesch . ii. 247) or Raddai (Ewald, Gesch . iii. p. 266 note).

W. F. Boyd.

Smith's Bible Dictionary

Re'i. (Friendly). A person mentioned, (in  1 Kings 1:8 only), as having remained firm to David's cause, when Adonijah rebelled. (B.C. 1015).

Fausset's Bible Dictionary

Remained faithful to David in Adonijah's rebellion. Ewald makes Rei as Shimei, David's brother. Raddad ( 1 Kings 1:8). Jerome (Quaest. Hebrew) makes him "Hiram the Zairite," i.e. "Ira the Jairite."

Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary

A person of some eminency in the house of David. (See  1 Kings 1:8) If derived from Raha, friend, Rei will mean my friend.

Morrish Bible Dictionary

A friend of David, mentioned when Adonijah set himself up to be king.  1 Kings 1:8 .

Webster's Dictionary

(n.) A portuguese money of account, in value about one tenth of a cent.

Holman Bible Dictionary

 1 Kings 1:8

Easton's Bible Dictionary

 1 Kings 1:8

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

rē´ı̄ ( רעי , rē‛ı̄ , "friendly"; Ῥησεί , Rhēseı́ ): Rei, Shimei and the Gibbōrı̄m who belonged to David are listed among those who did not join Adonijah in his attempt on the throne (  1 Kings 1:8 ). The name is very uncertain. Winckler ( Geschichte , II, 247) identifies him with Ira, the Jairite, who was a "priest to David" ( 2 Samuel 20:26 the Revised Version margin); he tries to prove that this Ira (or Jair) was a priest of Bethlehem. Stade ( GVI , I, 293, note 1) holds that Shimei and Rei were two officers of David's bodyguard. Josephus ( Ant. , VII, xiv, 4) has ὁ Δαουίδου φίλος , ho Daouı́dou phı́los , thus making Shimei a "friend," the courtier of  2 Samuel 15:37;  2 Samuel 16:16 , and omitting Rei entirely. This would call for an original reading המּלך רע , rēa‛ ha - melekh , or המּלך רעה , rē‛ēh ha - melekh , and is too wide a variant from the Massoretic Text. Assuming that Rei belongs in the text, it is safe to conjecture that he was an officer of the royal guard.

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

(Heb. Rejy', רֵעַי , Friendly; Sept. ῾Ρηϊ v v. r. ῾Ρησί ), one of king David's officers, who refused to rebel with Adonijah ( 1 Kings 1:8). B.C. 1015. "Jerome ( Qucest. Hebr. ad loc.) states that he is the same with ‘ Hiram the Zairite,' i.e. Ira the Jairite, a priest or prince about the person of David. Ewald ( Gesch. 3:266, note), dwelling on the occurrence of Shimei in the same list with Rei, suggests that the two are David's only surviving brothers, Rei being identical with RADDAI. This is ingenious, but there is nothing to support it, while there is the great objection to it that the names are in the original extremely dissimilar, Rei containing the Ain, a letter which is rarely exchanged for any other, but apparently never for Daleth (Gesenius, Theaur. p. 976)"