Rehoboth

  • Origin: Biblical Hebrew
  • Meaning: “resting place.”
  • Gender: Male
  • Pron: reh-HOH-buth

Rehoboth (Hebrew: רְחוֹבוֹת, Reḥovot) is a biblical place-name from the Old Testament. It is usually translated as “broad places,” being from the Hebrew root rḥb (רחב), meaning “to be wide, spacious.”

In Genesis 26:22, Isaac digs a well and names it Rehoboth. There are other towns called Rehoboth mentioned in Genesis 10:11 and 36:37.

Rehoboth, Massachusetts, founded in 1643, is one of the oldest towns in the state. Rehoboth Beach is the name of a town in Delaware, and Rehovot is the name of a town near Tel Aviv in Israel.

As a male given-name, it came into use among 18th-century American protestants due to its Biblical associations.

It’s an edgy choice with early colonial American appeal. Are you daring enough to use this name?

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