Rephaim רְפָאִים
A race of giants who inhabited Canaan
Who is Rephaim in the Bible?
The Rephaim were a race of giants who inhabited Canaan before the Israelite conquest, first mentioned in Genesis 14:5 when they were defeated by Chedorlaomer and his allies. Also called Zamzummin by the Ammonites (Deuteronomy 2:20), they occupied territories both east and west of the Jordan River and were included among the peoples inhabiting the land promised to Abraham's descendants (Genesis 15:20). Known for their great stature and strength, the Rephaim were gradually dispossessed of their lands, with the Ammonites driving them from the eastern territories and the Israelites, under Joshua's leadership, defeating their remaining strongholds, including Og, the king of Bashan (Deuteronomy 3:11). The Rephaim's presence in Scripture underscores the Israelites' conquest of Canaan and their displacement of the land's original inhabitants, establishing the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham.
Biography
The Rephaim, also referred to as Zamzummin by the Ammonites (Deu.2.20), were a race of giants who inhabited parts of Canaan before the Israelite conquest. They are first mentioned in Gen.14.5, where they were defeated by Chedorlaomer and his allies in Ashteroth-karnaim. The Rephaim were one of the groups that inhabited the land promised to Abraham's descendants (Gen.15.20). They were known for their great stature and strength, and their land was characterized by large, fortified cities (Deu.3.11, 13). The Rephaim were gradually dispossessed of their land by the Israelites during the conquest of Canaan. The Ammonites drove them out of the territory east of the Jordan River (Deu.2.20-21), while the Israelites, under Joshua's leadership, defeated Og, the king of Bashan, who was described as the last of the Rephaim (Jos.12.4; 13.12). Despite their formidable reputation, the Israelites were able to overcome the Rephaim with God's help and claim their inheritance in the Promised Land (Jos.17.15).
In Scripture
3 biblical books ; 3 with study contentGenesis 2 verses
- Genesis 14:5
"In the fourteenth year, Chedorlaomer and the kings allied with him went out and defeated the Rephaites in Ashteroth-karnaim, the Zuzites in Ham, the Emites in Shaveh-kiriathaim,"
Study Genesis → - Genesis 15:20
"Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites,"
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Deuteronomy 4 verses
- Deuteronomy 2:11
"Like the Anakites, they were also regarded as Rephaim, though the Moabites called them Emites."
Study Deuteronomy → - Deuteronomy 2:20
"(That too was regarded as the land of the Rephaim, who used to live there, though the Ammonites called them Zamzummites."
Study Deuteronomy → - Deuteronomy 3:11
"(For only Og king of Bashan had remained of the remnant of the Rephaim. His bed of iron, nine cubits long and four cubits wide, is still in Rabbah of the Ammonites.)"
Study Deuteronomy → - Deuteronomy 3:13
"To the half-tribe of Manasseh I gave the rest of Gilead and all of Bashan, the kingdom of Og. (The entire region of Argob, the whole territory of Bashan, used to be called the land of the Rephaim.)"
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Joshua 3 verses
- Joshua 12:4
"And Og king of Bashan, one of the remnant of the Rephaim, who lived in Ashtaroth and Edrei."
Study Joshua → - Joshua 13:12
"the whole kingdom of Og in Bashan, who had reigned in Ashtaroth and Edrei and had remained as a remnant of the Rephaim. Moses had struck them down and dispossessed them,"
Study Joshua → - Joshua 17:15
"Joshua answered them, “If you have so many people that the hill country of Ephraim is too small for you, go to the forest and clear for yourself an area in the land of the Perizzites and the Rephaim.”"
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Names & Aliases
| Form | Language | Script | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group | Hebrew | רְפָאִים | — |
| Group | Hebrew | זַמְזֻמִּים | a Zamzumite , or native tribe of Palestine |
Rephaim
iginal or early inhabitants East of the Jordan in Ashterothkarnaim (Ge 14:5) and in the valley of Rephaim Southwest of Jerusalem (Jos 15:8). They associated with other giant races, as the Emim and Anakim (De 2:10,11) and the Zamzummim (De 2:20). It is probable that they were all of the same stock, being given different names by the different tribes who came in contact with them. The same Hebrew word is rendered "the dead," or "the shades" in various passages (Job 26:5 margin; Ps 88:10 margin; Pr 2:18 margin; Pr 9:18 margin; Pr 21:16 margin; Isa 14:9 margin; Isa 26:14,19 margin). In these instances the word is derived from rapheh, "weak," "powerless," "a shadow" or "shade."
H. Porter
(`emeq repha'-im; koilas Rhaphaeim, koilas ton Titanon): This was a fertile vale (Isa 17:5), to the Southwest of Jerusalem (Jos 15:8; <