REZIN
(a) King of Damascus. Around the year 738 B.C. he paid tribute to Tiglath-pileser, king of Assyria. Four years later, he allied himself with Pekah, king of Israel, to attack Ahaz, king of Judah, and went up against Jerusalem. Rezin and Pekah wanted to put one of their own on David’s throne.
Isaiah delivered a famous prediction regarding this plan destined to go awry (Is. 7:1-9:12). During this expedition, before uniting his troops with those of Pekah, Rezin captured the city of Elath on the Gulf of Akaba from Judah (2 Kings 16:6).
King Ahaz bought the help of Tiglath-pileser, king of Assyria, who, after having punished the Philistines, who were hostile to Judah, laid siege to Damascus in the year 733 and 732 BC, seizing it and killing Rezin (2 Kings 16:7-9; cf. Assyrian inscriptions).
(b) Founder of a family of Nethinim, of which some members returned from captivity (Ezra 2:48; Neh. 7:50).