friend, companion, neighbor
Rea is the Hebrew word for neighbor, friend, companion. But the word is broader than any single English equivalent. A rea is anyone in close proximity to you. Anyone whose life touches yours. When Leviticus 19:18 says 'love your neighbor as yourself,' the word is rea. When the Ten Commandments forbid coveting your neighbor's house or wife or property, rea is the word. When the Bible says iron sharpens iron and one rea sharpens another, the word is the same. Hebrew did not have separate words for friend, neighbor, and fellow citizen. They were all rea. The implication was uncomfortable on purpose. You cannot opt out of being someone's rea just because you do not like them. If they are nearby, they are a rea. The command to love them stands. Jesus knew this when a lawyer asked him 'who is my rea?' (in the Greek text, plesion). The parable of the good Samaritan answers the question by exploding the category. A rea is anyone you encounter who needs you. Even the one you would have written off.
Most of us define neighbor narrowly. Our friends. People we choose. People who live within a few doors. Rea taught me the Bible's definition is wider and more uncomfortable. I spent years thinking I could be a Christian without loving certain people because they were not 'my' neighbors. Rea closed that exit. If they are close enough to encounter, they are a rea. And the verse keeps haunting me. Love your rea as yourself. Not better. Not less. As yourself. With the same instinct you have to feed yourself, protect yourself, forgive yourself. The same instinct, directed outward. The Hebrew is unflinching.
Rea (רֵעַ) is from a root r-a-h that carries the sense of associating, companioning. Related to raah (to associate with), reut (companionship). Distinct from ach (brother) and amit (associate, fellow Israelite). Used over 180 times in the Hebrew Bible. The Septuagint typically translates it with plesion (Greek for 'the one nearby').
Where rea appears in Scripture, and why each verse showcases it.
You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.
The verse Jesus quoted. Rea is the neighbor word. The command is to extend the same love you give yourself.
Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.
Rea here. The text assumes you have someone close enough to your life that the friction is mutual.
You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife.
Rea in the Decalogue. The closeness of the neighbor is what makes the temptation real.
But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, 'And who is my neighbor?'
The question rea forces. Jesus answers with the good Samaritan, exploding any narrow definition.
Words in the same semantic family.
Every video where Adam teaches on this word, in publication order.
This word is studied in depth in the following monthly Bible studies.