Who are the…
Rephaim
also known as: Repha'im, Rephaites or Rapha
Hebrew: רָפָא —transliteration: Rapha —meaning: lofty men; giants, (Genesis 14:5; 2 Samuel 21:16, 18, marginal note King James Version, Rapha, marginal note Revised King James Version, Raphah; Deuteronomy 3:13, Revised King James Version; King James Version, “giants”)
These are a class of aborigines of the Land of Israel, afterwards conquered and dispossessed by the Canaanite tribes.
It is also regarded as the land of the Rephaim, for Rephaim formerly lived in it, but the Ammonites call them Zamzummin —Deuteronomy 2:20
They were known to the Moabites as Emim, i.e., “fearful”, (Deuteronomy 2:11), and to the Ammonites as Zamzummim. Some of them found refuge among the Philistines, and were still existing in the days of David. We know nothing for certain about their origin.
They were not necessarily connected with the “giants” (Revised King James Version, “Nephilim”) of Genesis 6:4.
More information
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- Giants in the Bible
- Emim
- Zamzummim (aka Zamzummin)
- Who are the Ammonites?
- Valley of Rephaim
- Nephilim
- Who are the Philistines?