Reuel Explained

Reuel or Raguel (he|רְעוּאֵל|Rəʿūʾēl; xdm| ^[1]), meaning "God shall pasture" or more specifically "El shall pasture" (as a shepherd does with his flock)^{[2] [3]} is a Hebrew name associated with several biblical and religious figures.

Biblical figures

Biblical persons with this name are:

• Moses' father-in-law, also named as Jethro^[4] and Hobab^[5] (Judges 4:11, Exodus 2:18; Numbers 10:29).
• A son of Esau, father of Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah (Genesis 36:4,10; Chronicles 1:35)
• A Gadite (Numbers 2:14), called also Deuel (Numbers 1:14; 7:42); the father of the Gadite prince Eliasaph
• A Benjamite (Chronicles 9:7-8)
• Father-in-law of Tobias (Tobit 7:1-15)

Other people

First name

• Reuel Abraham (born 1924), 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

• (1st century), 'of royal lineage', executed during the Jewish Revolt by John, son of Dorcas^[6]

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

Notes and References

1. Book: Ahituv, Shmuel. Echoes from the Past: Hebrew and Cognate Inscriptions from the Biblical Period. 2008. Carta. 355–6. 978-965-220-708-1.
2. Web site: Strong's Hebrew Concordance - 7462. rā'ū . 15 September 2022.
3. Web site: Strong's Hebrew Concordance - 410. el . 15 September 2022.
4. Book: Meyers, Carol. 5. Michael D.. Coogan. Marc Z.. Brettler. Carol A.. Newsom. Pheme. Perkins. The New Oxford Annotated Bible: New Revised Standard Version. 1 March 2018. Oxford University Press. 978-0-19-027605-8. 81–83. 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..
5. Book: Harris, Stephen. 7. Understanding The Bible. 2007. McGraw-Hill Education. 978-0-07-296548-3. 93. J [Yahwist Source] names Moses' father-in-law as Reuel or Hobab, whereas E [Elohist Source] knows him as Jethro, priest of Midian.. Internet Archive. registration. 28 April 2025.
6. Book: Josephus. Josephus. The Jewish War. 4:3:3. 28 April 2025. Sefaria.