Original Word: רָפָא
Part of Speech: Proper Name
Transliteration: rapha'
Pronunciation: rah-fah'
Phonetic Spelling: (raw-faw')
KJV: giant, Rapha, Rephaim(-s) See also H1051
NASB: Rephaim
Word Origin: [from H7495 (רָפָא רָפָה - heal) in the sense of invigorating]

1. a giant

giant, Rapha, Rephaims

Or raphah {raw-faw'}; from rapha' in the sense of invigorating; a giant -- giant, Rapha, Rephaim(-s). See also Beyth Rapha'.

see HEBREW rapha'

see HEBREW Beyth Rapha'

Word Origin
from raphah
Definition
inhab. of an area E. of the Jordan
NASB Translation
Rephaim (18).

II. רְפָאִים proper name, of a people old race of giants (perhaps = I. ׳ר, as extinct and powerless; see especially WRS in Dr^{Deuteronomy 2:11}; or as shadowy, vaguely known, Schw^{ZAW xviii (1898), 127 ff.} see also Sta^l.c.); — ancient inhabitants of Canaan [west of Jordan?], Genesis 15:20; Joshua 17:15 (JE), compare 1 Chronicles 20:4 (see II. רָפָה above); hence ׳עֶמֶמק ר, plain south of Jerusalem 2 Samuel 5:18,22; 2 Samuel 23:13; 1 Chronicles 11:15; 1 Chronicles 14:9; Isaiah 17:5; Joshua 15:8; Joshua 18:16 (P); ׳ר east of Jordan Deuteronomy 2:11 ("" עֲנָקִים; tall, compare Deuteronomy 2:10), Deuteronomy 2:20 ("" id.; tall; = Zamzummim); in Bashan, Genesis 14:5, Og the last of them Deuteronomy 3:11 (of huge size), Joshua 12:4; Joshua 13:12 (D); ׳אֶרֶץ ר Deuteronomy 2:20; Deuteronomy 3:13. ᵐ5 Ραφαειν[μ]; οἱ γίγαντες Genesis 14:5 4t.; τῶν Τιτάνων 2 Samuel 5:18,22 + (ᵐ5^L) 2 Samuel 23:13.

רִפוֺת see רִיפָה below ריף. p. 937.

Identity and General Profile

Rephaim (singular “Rapha”) designates a line of extraordinarily large, formidable people who once populated regions east and west of the Jordan. Scripture treats them as a real ethnic group whose physical power and fortified territories posed a grave obstacle to the descendants of Abraham. The name later becomes attached to a specific geographic site—the Valley of Rephaim near Jerusalem—and, in the books of Samuel and Chronicles, to a handful of surviving giant warriors allied with the Philistines.

Distribution of References

• Patriarchal period: Genesis 14:5; 15:20
• Wilderness and Transjordan: Deuteronomy 2:11, 20; 3:11, 13
• Conquest narratives: Joshua 12:4; 13:12; 15:8; 17:15; 18:16
• United-monarchy narratives: 2 Samuel 5:18, 22; 21:16, 18, 20, 22; 23:13; 1 Chronicles 11:15; 14:9; 20:4, 6, 8
• Prophetic literature: Isaiah 17:5

The references fall naturally into four thematic clusters: pre-Israelite giants, the conquest of their territories, the Valley of Rephaim, and the Philistine giants of Gath.

Pre-Israelite Giants Opposed by the Patriarchs

Genesis presents the Rephaim as entrenched in Canaan centuries before the Exodus. When Chedorlaomer’s coalition “defeated the Rephaim in Ashteroth-karnaim” (Genesis 14:5), it establishes both their antiquity and their reputation as enemies worth recording. In the covenant ceremony God promises Abram the territory of “the Rephaites” (Genesis 15:20), implying future dispossession by Abram’s descendants.

Rephaim East of the Jordan and the Rise of Og

Moses supplies additional ethnographic detail. The Moabites called them Emites (Deuteronomy 2:11), and the Ammonites knew them as Zamzummites (Deuteronomy 2:20), confirming broad regional awareness of their stature. Og king of Bashan embodies the last royal line of these giants: “For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of the Rephaim. His bed was… more than nine cubits long” (Deuteronomy 3:11). His defeat (Deuteronomy 3:1–11) and the distribution of his territory to Manasseh (Deuteronomy 3:13; Joshua 13:12) become a covenant marker that the Lord grants victory over even the most intimidating foes.

The Valley of Rephaim

West of the Jordan the name attaches to a fertile basin southwest of Jerusalem. Joshua delineates Judah and Benjamin’s borders by reference to “the Valley of Rephaim” (Joshua 15:8; 18:16). In David’s reign the valley becomes a recurring battlefield where God routs the Philistines: “Now the Philistines had come and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim” (2 Samuel 5:18). After seeking the Lord, David wins at Baal-perazim, reinforcing the principle that divine strategy, not human muscle, secures victory. Isaiah later employs the valley as a metaphor for fruitful harvest (Isaiah 17:5), implying both its agricultural richness and its notoriety in Israelite memory.

Philistine Giants Descended from Rapha

The books of Samuel and Chronicles recount four Philistine champions “descendants of Rapha in Gath” (2 Samuel 21:22). Their massive weapons and anomalous anatomy (one bore “a bronze spear weighing three hundred shekels,” another had “six fingers on each hand,” 2 Samuel 21:16, 20) revive the terror once associated with Og. Yet each falls—not to David himself, but to lesser-known warriors such as Abishai, Sibbecai, and Jonathan son of Shimei—demonstrating that God can empower any faithful servant to fell giants.

Theological Threads

1. God’s sovereignty over entrenched evil. The Rephaim symbolize opponents whose size, antiquity, and fortifications far exceed Israel’s natural capacity. Their repeated defeat underscores the theme echoed by David: “The battle belongs to the Lord” (cf. 1 Samuel 17:47).
2. Covenant fulfillment. From Abram’s promise to Joshua’s allotments, the expulsion of the Rephaim validates Yahweh’s oath to give the land to Israel.
3. Progressive revelation of spiritual warfare. Physical giants foreshadow the spiritual “principalities and powers” addressed in Ephesians 6:12. The same God who conquered literal giants equips believers with spiritual armor today.

Ministry and Discipleship Implications

• Encourage believers facing intimidating circumstances to recall Moses’ words about Og: “Do not fear him, for I have delivered him into your hands” (paraphrased from Deuteronomy 3:2).
• Highlight the role of lesser-known heroes. Ministry success is not limited to marquee leaders; God works through all who rely on Him.
• Use the Valley of Rephaim episodes to teach dependence on divine guidance. David twice inquires of the Lord before engaging the Philistines (2 Samuel 5:19, 23), modeling prayerful strategy.
• Apply Isaiah’s harvest imagery to evangelism: ground once associated with giants can become fields “white for harvest” when the Lord intervenes.

Christological Foreshadowing

The crushing of gigantic adversaries anticipates the Messiah’s ultimate victory over sin and death. David’s triumphs—especially through his men—prefigure Christ empowering His body, the Church, to participate in His conquest (Romans 16:20). Thus the narrative arc of the Rephaim moves from terror to testimony, from formidable obstacle to emblem of God’s unfailing covenant promises.

הָרְפָאִ֑ים הָרְפָאִ֔ים הָרְפָאִ֖ים הָרְפָאִֽים׃ הָרְפָאִים֒ הָרָפָ֗ה הָרָפָֽה׃ הרפאים הרפאים׃ הרפה הרפה׃ וְהָֽרְפָאִ֑ים והרפאים לְהָרָפָ֖א לְהָרָפָ֖ה לְהָרָפָֽא׃ לְהָרָפָֽה׃ להרפא להרפא׃ להרפה להרפה׃ רְפָאִ֖ים רְפָאִ֛ים רְפָאִ֤ים רְפָאִ֥ים רְפָאִֽים׃ רְפָאִים֙ רפאים רפאים׃ hā·rā·p̄āh hā·rə·p̄ā·’îm haraFah hārāp̄āh harefaIm hārəp̄ā’îm lə·hā·rā·p̄ā lə·hā·rā·p̄āh leharaFa leharaFah ləhārāp̄ā ləhārāp̄āh rə·p̄ā·’îm refaIm rəp̄ā’îm veharefaIm wə·hā·rə·p̄ā·’îm wəhārəp̄ā’îmInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts