Reuel or Raguel (Hebrew: רְעוּאֵל, romanized: Rəʿūʾēl; Edomite: 𐤓𐤏𐤀𐤋 rʿʾl1), meaning "God shall pasture" or more specifically "El shall pasture" (as a shepherd does with his flock)23 is a Hebrew name associated with several biblical and religious figures.
Biblical figures
Biblical persons with this name are:
- A son of Esau by Mahalath, father of Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah (Genesis 36:4,10; 1 Chronicles 1:35)
- Moses' father-in-law, also named as Jethro4 and Hobab5 (Judges 4:11, Exodus 2:18; Numbers 10:29).
- A Gadite (Numbers 2:14), called also Deuel (Hebrew: דְּעוּאֵל, Modern: Dəʿūʾēl, Tiberian: Dŭʿūʾēl) (Numbers 1:14; 7:42); the father of the Gadite prince Eliasaph
- A Benjamite (1 Chronicles 9:7–8)
- Father-in-law of Tobias (Tobit 7:1–15)
Other people
First name
- Reuel Abraham (1924–1995), Nazi Luftwaffe pilot and Jewish convert
- Reuel Denney (1913–1995), American poet and academic
- Reuel Marc Gerecht, American writer and political analyst
- Reuel Colt Gridley (1829–1870), American storekeeper and Civil War fundraiser
- Reuel Lochore (1903–1991), New Zealand public servant and scholar
- Reuel Emanuel "Raz" Mesinai (born 1973), American record producer and composer
- Reuel Williams (1783–1862), American politician from Maine
Middle name
- Jairus Aquino (born 1999), Filipino actor
- James Reuel Smith (1852–1935), American photographer and amateur historian.
- John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (1892–1973), English writer
- Christopher Tolkien (1924–2020), son and literary executor of J. R. R. Tolkien
- Simon Tolkien (born 1959), writer and grandson of J. R. R. Tolkien
Patronymic
- Sophas, son of Raguel (1st century), 'of royal lineage', executed during the Jewish Revolt by John, son of Dorcas6
Landmark houses
- Capt. Reuel and Lucy Merrill House, Cumberland Center, Maine
- Reuel E. Smith House, Skaneateles, New York
Other
- Raguel (angel) – one of the seven archangels in the rabbinic tradition and the Kabbalah
References
References
- Ahituv, Shmuel (2008). Echoes from the Past: Hebrew and Cognate Inscriptions from the Biblical Period. Carta. pp. 355–6. ISBN 978-965-220-708-1.
- "Strong's Hebrew Concordance - 7462. rā'ū". Retrieved 15 September 2022.
- "Strong's Hebrew Concordance - 410. el". Retrieved 15 September 2022.
- Meyers, Carol (1 March 2018). Coogan, Michael D.; Brettler, Marc Z.; Newsom, Carol A.; Perkins, Pheme (eds.). The New Oxford Annotated Bible: New Revised Standard Version (5 ed.). Oxford University Press. pp. 81–83. ISBN 978-0-19-027605-8.
Like the rest of the Pentateuch, Exodus contains contradictions and redundancies. For example, Moses' father-in-law is sometimes called Reuel and sometimes Jethro; and the mountain of revelation is Sinai in some passages and Horeb in others.
- Harris, Stephen (2007). Understanding The Bible (7 ed.). McGraw-Hill Education. p. 93. ISBN 978-0-07-296548-3. Retrieved 28 April 2025 – via Internet Archive.
J [Yahwist Source] names Moses' father-in-law as Reuel or Hobab, whereas E [Elohist Source] knows him as Jethro, priest of Midian.
- Josephus. The Jewish War. 4:3:3. Retrieved 28 April 2025 – via Sefaria.