|
The Rephaim
|
The etymology or the exact origin of the word Rephaim derives from the region they inhabited , the valley of the Giants.
The Rephaim or Rephaites were a branch of the Nephilim who inhabited the Valley of the Rephaim during the time of Moses and the Hebrew conquest of the Holy Land. "Rephaim" or Rephaites is a word that the Books of Joshua, Samuel, Chronicles and Isaiah gives to inhabitants of the Valley of Rephaim. Valley of Rephaim has been translated as “the valley of the ghosts” and as “the valley of the giants.” The Aramaic Targum of Onkelos {2nd-century CE} translates the words as "plains of the mighty." The English King James version translates it as “the valley of the giants.”
They Rephaim are known to have survived at least until the time of King David amongst Philistines and possibly other tribes of the region.
The second of the Books of Samuel states that some of the Rephaim found refuge among the Philistines following the Hebrew Genocide, and were still existing in the days of David, perhaps Goliath of the Phillistines was one of these Rephaim or bore their genes in his family tree, although the texts refer to him as a Gittite, who were referred to elsewhere as ordinary men.
Obviously , using Biblical and legendary accounts the Rephaim were a people of great physical stature, it is quite probable, as is the case with all mythical and legendary tales, that the these accounts are somewhat exaggerated.
|
|
|
The Rephaims were conquered by Canaanite tribes and only a few survived, one of them being Og, the king of Bashan. {1500 to 1200 BC.}
“ Only Og king of Bashan was left of the remnant of the Rephaites. His bed2 was made of iron and was more than thirteen feet long and six feet wide. It is still in Rabbah of the Ammonites. [Deuteronomy 3:11 ] ”
Og appears frequently in ancient lore , both Biblical sources and the mythology of neighboring peoples.
A connection can be made with the Ugaritic text which predates the Bible 1 . It uses the term "king" in association with the root word "Rapah" (the Rephaim of the Bible) and mentions places that are believed to correspond with the cities of Ashtaroth and Edrei with which Og king of Bashan is associated (Deuteronomy 1:4; Joshua 9:10;
|

In Jordan on the Plains of Bashan in the Valley of the Rephaim lies a huge concentric stone structure. Archeologists believe it dates to the Early Bronze Age (3000–2700 BCE)
and possibly built by the Rephaites or Rephaim of the Bible
|
|
In Jewish lore Og is said to live from the time of Noah up until the time of his death at the battle against the Hebrews at Edrei .
The relation of Og, and therefore the Rephaim to the Nephilim is accentuated in a number of texts. They are connected with the Nephilim not only by their trait of Gigantism, but also by the belief that Og was a descendant of Ogias , also known as Ohia of the Book of Giants - descended from Samhazai leader of the original Fallen Angels in the The Book of Enoch .
The Talmud states that Sihon and Og were brothers, as they were the sons of Ohia the son of Samhazai , a leader of the fallen angels in the Book of Enoch. "And God said to Moshe: Fear him not'. Consider: Sihon and Og were brothers, for a Master stated, 'Sihon and Og were the sons of Ahiyah {Ohia} the son of Shamhazai', .." Talmud Bavli Nidah 61a
|
Og found his way into Islamic lore where is referred to as ‘Uj ibn Anaq .
|