The Rechabites adhered to the law laid down by their ancestor Jehonadab, forbidding them to drink wine, to own land or vineyards, or to live in cities.[1] They were commanded to always lead a nomadic life. They were noted for their fidelity to the old established custom of their family in the days of Jeremiah;[2] and this feature of their character is referred to by God for the purpose of giving point to his message to the King of Judah.[3][4] As a reward for their fidelity, God proclaims that there will always be a descendant of Jonadab in his service.
One theory is the Rechabites belonged to the Kenites, who accompanied the Israelites into the Holy Land and dwelt among them; the sources of information are few and unclear. Kenites dwelt in cities and adopted settled habits of life.[5]
Claims of descent from the Rechabites
The Mekhilta tells a story—presumably dating to the late Second Temple period—of Rechabites, known as "sons of water drinkers" due to their abstention from wine.[6]
Rabbi Halafta (1st–2nd centuries) was a descendant of the Rechabites.[7]
The apocryphal Story of Zosimus, from late antiquity, details the journey of a monk named Zosimus to the "Land of the Rechabites".
In 1839 the Reverend Joseph Wolff found in Yemen, near Sanaa, a tribe claiming to be descendants of Jehonadab; and in the late nineteenth century a Bedouin tribe was found near the Dead Sea who also professed to be descendants of Jehonadab.[8]
Many Muslims still claim descent from Rechab, along with the nearly-universal claim of Arabs to be descended from Abraham through Ishmael (Ismail).
Similar later groups
The term Rechabites also refers to a religious order, similar in some ways to the Nazirites, and they are mentioned by Eusebius of Emesa.[9]
