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Hebrew Bible · Deuteronomy 2:10–11, 20–21

Emim, Rephaim and Zamzummim

EvidenceDocumentedThe text exists and is quoted from a published translation. What it describes is a separate question.What this means
ReferenceDeuteronomy 2:10–11, 20–21
Writtenc. 650–550 BCE
SetThe Exodus
The Emims dwelt therein in times past, a people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakims; Which also were accounted giants, as the Anakims; but the Moabites called them Emims.

Translation: KJV

Read it literally

Every neighboring nation had its own name for the giants. The giant clans were a regional population, not a single family.

What scholars say

Rephaim also means 'the shades of the dead' elsewhere in the Bible and in Ugaritic texts.

Giants and hybrids

Quick answers about Deuteronomy 2:10–11, 20–21

Where is Deuteronomy 2:10–11, 20–21 found?

Deuteronomy 2:10–11, 20–21 (Hebrew Bible). Translation quoted: King James Version (1611; standard 1769 text), with Apocrypha.

When was Deuteronomy 2:10–11, 20–21 written?

c. 650–550 BCE.

What do scholars say about Deuteronomy 2:10–11, 20–21?

Rephaim also means 'the shades of the dead' elsewhere in the Bible and in Ugaritic texts.

Rabbit holes in this passage

BeingAnakimAncient spies came back from Canaan saying they felt like grasshoppers next to the sons of Anak. The Bible traces a line from these giants of Hebron to the Philistine city of Gath, home of Goliath. The spies' report is framed as a faithless exaggeration, though. Were the Anakim a real people, or a legend enlarged by fear?BeingRephaim, Emim and ZamzummimIn Hebrew, one word names both a tribe of giants and the ghosts of the dead. Deuteronomy pauses its travel story to list the tall peoples who once lived east of the Jordan, and other ancient texts use the same name for departed spirits. Which meaning came first, and how did giants and ghosts end up sharing a name?

Sources

  1. King James Version (1611; standard 1769 text), with ApocryphaPrimary text
  2. Numbers 13:22–33, King James VersionPrimary text
  3. Deuteronomy 2:10–11, 20–21, King James VersionPrimary text

Scholarly dates are rounded. The wording follows the named public-domain translation.

Updated