A cool hydrogen plasma in a steady state rf-discharge in a static magnetic field is investigated spectroscopically. The recombination rate of this plasma is determined. The essential three-body recombinations are taken into account for levels of medium quantum number, where the inverse process—ionizations from excited levels—is considerably lowered. Measured population densities are used for the determination of the recombination rate. The considerations include the effects of energetic electrons the presence of which—in addition to the bulk of cool electrons—has been detected by probe measurements. Within the limits of error the ionization rate calculated for the energetic electrons agrees with the recombination rate of the cool electrons.