Rehoboth

Rehoboth (meaning spaces or wide places) was the name of a well and a city. The well was dug by Isaac in the valley of Gerar after two earlier wells had been disputed by the herdsmen of Gerar; when this third well was dug without dispute, Isaac named it Rehoboth, saying Now the LORD has made room for us (Genesis 26:22). The name marked a moment of divine provision and the beginning of peaceable settlement.

Rehoboth-by-the-river (Genesis 36:37; 1 Chronicles 1:48) was the hometown of Saul (Shaul) king of Edom, one of the pre-Israelite Edomite kings. Genesis 10:11 mentions a Rehoboth-Ir as a city near Nineveh, built by Nimrod or Asshur. The recurrence of the name reflects its topographic meaning — broad, spacious places suitable for settlement.