Hebrew word · H7463

רֵעֶה

re'eh

friend

rē'ēh is a rarer form related to rēa' (friend, companion, neighbour). It appears almost only in the phrase "friend of the king" or "friend of David." It denotes a close confidant and, very probably, a recognised court position: the king's personal adviser and companion.

Appears 3 times in 3 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

friend, friend of the king (technical sense)

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of 2 Samuel 16:16

Range of meaning

rē'ēh is a rarer form related to rēa' (friend, companion, neighbour). It appears almost only in the phrase "friend of the king" or "friend of David." It denotes a close confidant and, very probably, a recognised court position: the king's personal adviser and companion.

Against the English

"Friend" (KJV, BSB, ESV, WEB) can sound merely personal to modern ears. NIV's "confidant" captures the adviser role better but loses the play on "friend" in v.17.

How it drifted

Modern "friend" suggests an informal, private relationship. Here the word also carries the sense of an official place in the royal household, so the English is somewhat too small rather than wrong.

Used elsewhere in the period

Zabud son of Nathan is "priest, the king's friend" (rē'ēh hammelekh) among Solomon's officials (1 Kgs 4:5). 1 Chr 27:33 lists "Hushai the Archite, the king's friend" next to Ahithophel, the king's counsellor, in David's cabinet. Egyptian courts had comparable titles, such as "friend" (smr) and "known one of the king," and Hellenistic courts later had "Friends of the King" (cf. 1 Macc 10:65).

Where it appears

2 Samuel · 2

  1. 2 Samuel 15:37 רֵעֶ֥ה [the] friend of

    So David’s friend Hushai arrived in Jerusalem just as Absalom was entering the city.

  2. 2 Samuel 16:16 רֵעֶ֥ה [the] friend of

    And David’s friend Hushai the Archite went to Absalom and said to him, “Long live the king! Long live the king!”

    Here: "Friend of David." This uncommon form of the word for friend probably names a recognised court position, the king's trusted personal adviser, as well as a real personal bond. Absalom will play on this word sarcastically in the next verse.

1 Kings · 1

  1. 1 Kings 4:5 רֵעֶ֥ה [the] friend of

    Azariah son of Nathan was in charge of the governors; Zabud son of Nathan was a priest and adviser to the king;

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.