PETRA Rekem, or Rekem, so called from Rekem king of the Midianites, slain by the Israelites, (Num. xxxi.) Formerly called Arce, now Petra; the capital of Arabia Petrea, (Josephus). Ptolemy places it in Long. 66. 45. from the Fortunate Islands, and Lat. 30. 20. It declines therefore 80 miles to the south of the parallel of Jerusalem, and 36 miles, more or less, from its meridian to the east. Josephus says, that the mountain on which Aaron died stood near Petra; which Strabo calls the capital of the Nabatei; at the distance of three or four days journey from Jericho. This Petra seems to be the Sela of Isaiah xvi. 1. and xlii. 11. the Hebrew name of Petra "a rock." Though some imagine Petra to be no older than the time of the Macedonians.