Rephaim

Syria, Lebanon, and Israel

Mount Hermon

The Rephaim, a group of ancient giants mentioned in several Biblical texts, were also linked to Mount Hermon.

In Ugaritic texts, the Rephaim are mentioned in association with sacred mountains and veneration rituals, further connecting Hermon to supernatural elements and ancestral worship.

Ignatius Donnelly

The Gods of the Phœnician also Kings of Atlantis

For instance, we find in the Phœnician cosmogony that the Titans (Rephaim) derive their origin from the Phœnician gods Agrus and Agrotus.

Biblical

Chronological Nations and Tribes

Rephaim: A race of giants mentioned in various books (e.g., Deuteronomy), possibly contemporaneous with early Canaanite and Amorite cultures.

Zamzummim, Emim, Zuzim, Anakim: Other giant tribes in Canaan, mentioned alongside the Rephaim.

Ignatius Donnelly

The Gods of the Phoenicians also kings of Atlantis

In the Phoenician cosmogony, the Titans (Rephaim) derive their origin from the gods Agrus and Agrotus.

Amorite

Deuteronomy 3:2-11: Details the defeat of Og, king of Bashan, one of the last of the Rephaim, who is described as an Amorite.

Giants

Chedorlaomer killed the Nephilim

In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him came and defeated the Rephaim in Ashteroth-karnaim, the Zuzim in Ham, the Emim in Shaveh-kiriathaim

Rephaim: A people believed to be giants, living in Ashteroth-Karnaim.

The earlier victories over the Rephaim, Zuzim, Emim, and Horites demonstrate the might and reach of Chedorlaomer's coalition before they confront the kings of the Dead Sea area.

Anakim

The prior information sheds interesting light on Genesis 14:5-7, where Chedorlaomer “defeated the Rephaim in Ashteroth-karnaim, the Zuzim in Ham, the Emim in Shaveh-kiriathaim, and the Horites in their hill country of Seir,” in addition to defeating Amalekites and Amorites.

It seems Chedorlaomer fought three groups of giants—the Rephaim (the Septuagint actually translates Rephaim in Genesis 14:5 as γίγαντας, “giants”), the Zuzim (which is probably the Zamzummim of Deuteronomy 2:20), and the Emim (Deuteronomy 2:10-11).

These groups, including the Amalekites, Amorites, and Anakim-Rephaim, were still in the land during the time of Joshua (Numbers 13:29, 33).

Races

Zuzites

The Zuzim are mentioned alongside the Emim, a tribe later identified in the Book of Deuteronomy as the Moabite term for the Rephaim, a race of giants or mighty people in ancient texts.

The Zamzummim were another tribe of the Rephaim who later lived in the region eventually occupied by the Ammonites.

The identification of the Zuzim with the Rephaim, specifically the Zamzummim, and their connection to the Emim reflect the complex ethnographic and cultural landscape of the ancient Near East as depicted in biblical texts.

Races

Rephaites

This is backed by references in Ugaritic texts like the Rephaim Text (KTU 1:20–22).

Despite these divergent interpretations, it's important to note that modern translations clearly differentiate between the "Rephaites" as a tribe (e.g., in Genesis 14:5; 15:18–21; Deuteronomy 2:11–20) and "rephaim" as inhabitants of the underworld (e.g., in Isaiah 14:9–11; 26:13–15).

Notable Figures: King Og of Bashan, mentioned as one of the last Rephaim, was noted for his extraordinary size, with a bed over 13 feet (4 meters) long.

The Rephaim were sometimes considered divine or semi-divine, involved in funerary liturgies where they were offered food and drink and asked for blessings.

Yogev suggests that the Rephaim were systematically removed from biblical texts, possibly due to the rise of monotheistic belief systems that sought to erase their memory.

The verb stem "raphah," meaning to sink or relax, has been linked to broader mythological themes, potentially connecting the Rephaim to concepts like Titans and poltergeists.

The diverse portrayal of the Rephaim in biblical and ancient texts highlights their significant and complex role in the mythology, history, and religious practices of the ancient Near East.

The Nephilim

Their even more corrupt offspring, the giants, were variously called thereafter nephilim, gibborim, or rephaim, being the earthly half-breed races that fought against God and his righteous followers whose numbers diminished as the world was overwhelmed with corruption and evil.

Aessir Anunnaki

They had children with humans, creating the nephilim, gibborim, or rephaim.

Their even more corrupt offspring, the giants, were variously called thereafter nephilim, gibborim, or rephaim, being the earthly half-breed races that fought against God and his righteous followers whose numbers diminished as the world was overwhelmed with corruption and evil.

Genesis 9

The everlasting covenant

Concept: The reason Canaan was cursed was because he was gibborim, or rephaim.