Who were the Emim in the Bible?

The Emim were a tall and numerous people group who originally inhabited the land that later became Moab. They are described as a people 'great, and many, and tall' who were feared by others (Deuteronomy 2:10-11).

What happened to the Emim in the Bible?

The Emim were defeated and their land was taken over. They were destroyed by the Moabites, who then settled in their territory, as recorded in the historical accounts of Genesis 14:5 and Deuteronomy 2:10-11.

Why are the Emim mentioned in the Bible?

The Emim are mentioned to provide historical context for the conquest of the Promised Land, showing that other powerful nations were also displaced. Their story parallels the Israelites' experience and is used to illustrate God's sovereignty in giving lands to different peoples (Deuteronomy 2:10-12).

Emim

Old TestamentFemale

The Emim were a tall and numerous people who inhabited the region of Moab before the Moabites (Gen.14.5; Deu.2.10,11).

Emim

Biography

The Emim were an ancient people of great stature who inhabited the territory east of the Jordan River, in the region later known as Moab, before the Moabites displaced them. They first appear in Genesis 14:5, where they are recorded as victims of the military campaign waged by the coalition of eastern kings led by Chedorlaomer. Deuteronomy 2:10–11 provides a retrospective description, noting that the Emim were as tall as the Anakim, the legendary giants of Canaan, and were equally feared by their neighbors. The Moabites called them Emim, a name possibly meaning "the fearsome ones" or "the terrifying ones." Like the Anakim, the Horites, and the Zamzummim, the Emim were among the pre-Israelite peoples whose displacement is presented in Deuteronomy as an act of divine providence.

Significance

The Emim serve a significant theological function in the Deuteronomic narrative: their displacement by the Moabites becomes an analogy for what God was about to do for Israel as it prepared to enter Canaan. Moses used the precedent of nations being uprooted from their lands, even fearsome giant-like peoples, to assure Israel that God's power to dispossess enemies was not limited to any one people or time. Just as God had cleared the way for Moab by removing the Emim (Deuteronomy 2:10–12), so He would clear Canaan for Israel. The Emim also remind readers that God's sovereign governance of the nations operates across history, long before Israel appears on the scene.

Verse Appearances (3)

Genesis

Genesis 14:5

Deut

Deut 2:10 Deut 2:11

References

Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Individualised Proper Names with all References (TIPNR). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
Wikidata contributors (n.d.) Wikidata. Available at: https://www.wikidata.org. [CC0]
Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]

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