REZEPH re’ zĕf (רֶ֥צֶף; LXX ̔Ραφες, meaning uncertain).

One of several cities mentioned by the Rabshakeh official of Sennacherib to Hezekiah as an example of cities previously captured by the Assyrians (2 Kings 19:12 and Isa 37:12). These cities had not been saved by their own local gods, and the Rab-shakeh argues that their fate should have been a warning to Jerusalem not to resist. How or when the city of Rezeph fell is unknown, but in 701 b.c., when mentioned in this passage, it had been in Assyria’s possession for at least a cent. Assyrian texts mention several governors during the period between 839-673 b.c., so it prob. first came under Assyrian domination during the reign of Shalmanezer. It was an important caravan center between the Euphrates and Hamath, and is the modern site of Rasāfa.