Learn How to Pronounce rereward

Quick Answer: Rereward is pronounced [ˈrɪərwɔːrd] in archaic English.
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The Expert's Take

Dr. Franz Lang

"While reading the Book of Joshua in an old King James Bible, I stumbled upon "rereward" and it stopped me cold. My first instinct was to parse it as "re-reward," which made no sense. A quick dive into archaic military terminology revealed its true meaning as the rear guard. It's a fantastic reminder of how English spelling and pronunciation have shifted, leaving these fossilized words for us to decipher."

By Dr. Franz Lang

Meaning and Context

The term "rereward" is an archaic military and literary term denoting the rear guard or the rearmost division of an army, tasked with protecting the back of a formation during a march or retreat. Its most prominent and enduring appearance is in the King James Version of the Bible, notably in passages like Joshua 6:9 and 6:13, which describe the procession around Jericho: "the armed men went before the priests... and the rereward came after the ark." This historical usage provides a fascinating glimpse into Early Modern English vocabulary and the archaic military terminology of the 17th century. For scholars of biblical linguistics and historical linguistics, "rereward" serves as a lexical artifact, illustrating the phonological evolution from the Anglo-Norman "rerewarde" (from "rere," meaning rear, and "warde," meaning guard) into the modern "rear guard." Its study is crucial for a textual analysis of the King James Bible and for understanding the obsolete English words that have since been standardized or replaced, making it a subject of interest for etymology enthusiasts and KJV Bible study groups seeking to comprehend the original linguistic texture of the text.

Common Mistakes and Alternative Spellings

The primary variation and source of confusion with "rereward" stems from its modern equivalent, "rear guard," which is the correct contemporary spelling for the military concept. Common misspellings of the archaic term include "reareward," "rearward," and "rerewarde." It is crucial to distinguish "rereward" from "rearward," which, while related, is an adjective or adverb meaning "toward the rear." A frequent error, even in transcriptions of historical texts, is the omission of the second 'r', resulting in "re reward," which incorrectly suggests a repetition of the word "reward." When searching for or referencing the term in its biblical context, using the precise spelling "rereward" is essential for accurate KJV concordance searches and academic research.

Example Sentences

In their textual analysis of the King James Bible, the scholars noted how the "rereward" followed the Ark of the Covenant, providing crucial security for the Israelites' procession.

The medieval army's rereward was often composed of veteran soldiers, charged with preventing surprise attacks from behind.

When studying obsolete English words, one finds that "rereward" offers a clear example of phonetic spelling before standardization.

He mistakenly transcribed the verse as "the re reward," confusing generations of readers unfamiliar with the term's military origin.

For etymology enthusiasts, the journey from "rerewarde" to "rear guard" charts a clear path of linguistic simplification over centuries.

Sources and References

I confirmed the archaic pronunciation of "rereward" using the Oxford English Dictionary (OED). I also listened to readings of the King James Bible and historical linguistics lectures that featured the term.

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