Rezin

AI summary: Rezin matters because the cross references present him as a threatening coalition partner in one of Judah's defining prophetic moments. His alliance with Pekah drives Ahaz toward panic and compromise, yet his own downfall comes swiftly under Assyrian force. That rise-and-fall dynamic becomes part of Isaiah's insistence that Judah not fear human schemes more than God. Taken together, the material presents Rezin as a dangerous but temporary enemy whose role sharpens the theological stakes of trust in Isaiah's day.¹

Firm; a prince, a king of Syria, who joined Pekah (q.v.) in an invasion of the kingdom of Judah (2 Kings 15:37; 16:5-9; Isa. 7:1-8). Ahaz induced Tiglath-pileser III. to attack Damascus, and this caused Rezin to withdraw for the purpose of defending his own kingdom. Damascus was taken, and Rezin was slain in battle by the Assyrian king, and his people carried into captivity, B.C. 732 (2 Kings 16:9). ³