Rephaim were an old tribe of
giants. It appears a total of 24 times in the
bible, 2 in
Genesis, 4 in
Deuteronomy, 5 in
Josuha, 7 in 2
Samuel, 5 in 1
Chronicles, and once in
Isaiah.
Rephaim are the
aborigines of
Palestine, conquered and expelled by the
Canaanite. The
Moabites knew Rephaim as
Emim (fearful) (1) and
Ammonites knew Rephaim as
Zamzummim (2). Some still existed in the days of
David (3).
Quran makes an implicit reference to the Rephaim only once in The Table, verse (5:22) when
Moses led people from
Egypt into the
promised land.
They said: O Moses! Lo! a giant people (dwell) therein and lo! we go not in till they go forth from thence. When they go forth from thence, then we will enter (not till then).
Genealogy of the Rephaim is unknown.
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(1)
Deuteronomy 2:11
(2) Deuteronomy 2:20
(3)
2 Samuel 5:22