Original Word: רְצִין
Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration: Rtsiyn
Pronunciation: reh-tseen'
Phonetic Spelling: (rets-een')
KJV: Rezin
NASB: Rezin
Word Origin: [probably for H7522 (רָצוֹן רָצוֹן - favor)]

1. Retsin, the name of a Syrian and of an Israelite

Rezin

Probably for ratsown; Retsin, the name of a Syrian and of an Israelite -- Rezin.

see HEBREW ratsown

Word Origin
of uncertain derivation
Definition
a king of Aram (Syria), also an Isr.
NASB Translation
Rezin (11).

רְצִין proper name, masculine 1. king of Aram, Ahaz's time: 2 Kings 15:37; 2 Kings 16:5,6,9; Isaiah 7:1,4,8; Isaiah 8:6; Isaiah 9:10; Ρα(α)ς(ς)ων, Ρασειν. **Assyrian has Raƒunnu, hence read perhaps רצון, compare Wkl^{KAT 3. 135}.

2 Ezra 2:48 = Nehemiah 7:50, Ρα(α)σων.

Rezin (רְצִין)

Identity and Canonical Occurrences

1. Rezin king of Aram-Damascus, active in the Syro-Ephraimite crisis that threatened Judah during the reign of Ahaz (2 Kings 15:37; 16:5-9; Isaiah 7–9).
2. Rezin (or the “sons of Rezin”), a post-exilic servant family counted among the Nethinim who returned with Zerubbabel (Ezra 2:48; Nehemiah 7:50).

Total occurrences: eleven.

Historical Setting: Rezin King of Aram

After decades of Assyrian pressure, Aram and the Northern Kingdom formed an alliance to resist Tiglath-Pileser III. Rezin supplied the military weight of the coalition, while Pekah of Israel provided the strategic invitation to invade Judah (2 Kings 15:37). The coalition’s purpose was to depose the Davidic king Ahaz and install a vassal “son of Tabeel” (Isaiah 7:6), thereby creating a unified anti-Assyrian bloc stretching from Damascus to Samaria and Jerusalem.

The Syro-Ephraimite War

• Initial Attack: “Rezin king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel marched up to wage war against Jerusalem, but they could not overpower it” (2 Kings 16:5).
• Loss of Elath: Rezin seized the Red Sea port of Elath, expelling Judean authority (2 Kings 16:6).
• Ahaz’s Appeal: In panic, Ahaz sent tribute from the Temple and palace to Tiglath-Pileser III, purchasing Assyrian intervention (2 Kings 16:7-8).
• Divine Assessment: Through Isaiah, the LORD called the kings “two smoldering stubs of firewood” (Isaiah 7:4), declaring their plot doomed (Isaiah 7:7-8).

Divine Judgment through Assyria

Assyria crushed Damascus in 732 B.C.: “The king of Assyria marched up against Damascus, seized it, deported its people to Kir, and put Rezin to death” (2 Kings 16:9). The fall of Rezin fulfilled Isaiah’s oracle that Aram would be shattered (Isaiah 8:4). God’s sovereignty is highlighted: the same empire Judah feared became the rod of His judgment against Judah’s enemies (Isaiah 10:5-6) and a purifying instrument for His own people.

Prophetic Implications in Isaiah 7–9

1. Preservation of the Davidic Line: The failure of Rezin’s siege safeguarded the throne promised to David (2 Samuel 7:13-16), preparing the way for Messiah.
2. Sign of Immanuel: Against the background of Rezin’s threat, Isaiah proclaimed, “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14). The immediate audience received a pledge of deliverance; the larger canon reveals the incarnation of Christ.
3. Eschatological Overtones: Isaiah 9 contrasts Rezin’s defeated coalition with the coming government of the “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,” under whom endless peace will rest upon the throne of David (Isaiah 9:6-7). The historical fall of Rezin prefigures Messiah’s ultimate subjugation of all hostile powers.

Theological and Pastoral Lessons

• God is the Lord of nations; He raises and removes kings to fulfill covenant purposes (Proverbs 21:1; Daniel 2:21).
• Fear of human coalitions is misplaced when God has pledged His presence (Isaiah 8:12-14).
• The faithlessness of Ahaz contrasts with the call to trust expressed in Isaiah 7:9, “If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.” Believers are exhorted to remain steadfast in reliance upon God rather than political maneuvering.

Rezin among the Nethinim

Ezra 2:48 and Nehemiah 7:50 list “the descendants of Rezin” among the Temple servants who returned from Babylon. Though obscure, their inclusion signals:

1. The completeness of post-exilic restoration—every class of ministry personnel was necessary for worship.
2. God’s grace in incorporating formerly captive or foreign-associated families into sacred service, foreshadowing the New Covenant’s inclusion of all nations in Christ (Ephesians 2:11-22).

Ministry Significance for the Church

• The narrative of Rezin underscores God’s zeal to preserve messianic promises; therefore the Church’s mission rests upon a foundation that cannot fail (Matthew 16:18).
• Just as Judah survived only by divine intervention, the believer’s security is grounded not in human strength but in the faithful Savior who emerged from the protected Davidic line.
• The post-exilic descendants of Rezin remind congregations that humble service roles are honored by God and essential to corporate worship (1 Corinthians 12:21-26).

Key References

2 Kings 15:37; 16:5-9

Isaiah 7:1-9; 8:6-8; 9:11

Ezra 2:48

Nehemiah 7:50

רְצִ֑ין רְצִ֖ין רְצִ֣ין רְצִ֥ין רְצִ֨ין רצין rə·ṣîn rəṣîn reTzinInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts