Rephaim (Hastings' Dictionary)

The word used in Hebrew to describe the earlj' giant peoples of Palestine. Many regard rdpha as a proper name, forming the gentilic adjective rephd'i, of which rv/jfui'im is the plural. It is more in accord with the use of the word, however, to regard rdpha as a concrete noun, and rcphd'im as the direct plural either of this or of the corresponding abstract noun. It is used as the geographical name of a certain valley (see next art.)

In Gn 14' the syntax indicates that it is a proper name, definite without the article. The statement is strictly that ' they smote Rephaim,' that is, they smote a region of that name, the region, of course, being so named from the char- acter of its inhabitants. Evernvhere else the word is strictly a common noun, dehnite or indefinite as the case may be, substantially equivalent to our English word 'giants.'

For the derivation of this meaning from tlie stem idea, and for an account of the rephd'im, see GlANT. The word rephaim is also used to denote the inhabitants of the world of the dead (Job 26», Ps 88'", Pr 2'* 9'' 21'^ Is 14» 26"- '"), bein'' here nearly the equivalent of the English word ' ghosts,' in the popular sense of that word.

RSphd 'im in the sense of ghosts is used only in the plural, and, like riphd'tm in the sense of giants, has the ordinary syntax of a common noun, definite or indefinite. The two are from the same stem. Schwally (Lcben nach dem Tode, 64 f . ) supposes a connexion between C'x;-i ' ghosts ' and D'xd-) ' extinct giants.' W. R. Smith (quoted by Driver, Dent. p. 40) suggests that the ' old giants were still thought to haunt the ruins and deserts of East Canaan ' ; see also Schwally in ZATW, 1898, p.

132 ff. W. J. Beecher. REPHAIM, YALE OF (o-NS-ip^i: ; KoiXdi 'Va-txulyL, K. ru;if TiTavujv, k. tCiv yt,'y6.vTwv/l£t^eK'Va<paiivt <pdpay( areped). — A locality near Jerusalem. The Hebrew word here used for valley denotes an arable valley. So we may at once dismiss all theories that would make it either a plateau or a steep-sided ravine j though it is quite possible that it may have been a system of arable valleys, rather than a single REPEAL KEPHIDBI 227 ralley.

Different opinionB have been held con- cerning it, but really the evidence all bears in one direction. The northern extremity of the vale of Repliaim was just over the western ridge of the upper part of the ravine of the son of Hin- nom (Jos 15'- • 18"). Josephus {Ant. vil. xii. 4) says thnt it was ' the valley which extends to the city of Bctlilehem, which is twenty furlongs from Jerusalem.'

It is puzzling to know how lie measures his twenty furlongs ; but that Betlilehem had strategic relations with the vale of Keidiaim is confiniied by 2 S 23", 1 Ch ll'».

This is not in contradiction with the statement that David, getting to the rear of the Philistines when they were encamped in the vale of Kephaim, ' smote them from Geba until thou come to Gezer ' (2 S 5^, 1 Ch 14") ; for the effect of his strategic movement might be to compel them to move from their camp and attack him ; or, while encamped to the south- west of Jerusalem, they might have had outposts as far north as Geba or Gibeon.

But the sacred writer evidently thought of the rale of Kephaim as somewhat extensive, for he twice says that the Philistines spread themselves there (2 S 5'«- «", 1 Ch W- "). Hence the locality referred to is probably the system of small valleys which supply the southern affluent of the Naiir Rflbln, a stream which flows into the Mediterranean some distance south of Joppa.

One branch of this afUuent starts near Jerusalem and another near Bethlehem, the two unitin" about three miles Bouth-west of Jerusalem. The vale of Rephaim may well be these two, \vith their tributaries. It was natural that invading Philistine armies should march up the valley of the Nahr Kflbin to attack Jerusalem. The name doubtless indicates that this region had been occupied especially by ripha'tm, at .some period before Joshua s conquests.

Its celebrity is mainly connected with events that occurred soon after Darid had been made king of all Israel in Jerusalem. In two successive campaigns the Philistines attacked him here, and were defeated (2 S 5"-», 1 Ch 148-" and 2 S S'^'^^, 1 Ch 14"-"). The Brst of these two campaigns was of the most desperate character (2 S 23"-", 1 Ch lI"-'»). See G. A. Smith, HGHL p. 218. W. J. Beecher. REPHAN (LXX BA 'Vaifiv, Q "Pf^dr, in Am 6»; WH VofjLipi, variants ?tii<p6.ii, '?

efi<piv [AV Remphan], 'VaKpav, 'Pf^di-, in Ac 7**). — Tliis word replaces the p'3 of tlie Heb. text, and there is much difl'erence of opinion as to the reason of this change. Influenced by the fact that the LXX tr. was made at Alexandria in Egypt, some have contended that the translators substituted for the word Chiun (apparently pronounced by them, more correctly, Kewnn), the meaning of which was prob- ably obscure to them, an Egyptian equivalent term, viz.

repa-ln-neteru], a title of the god Set, identified with Saturn ; but this, besides being a hardly probable hypothesis itself, is also unlikely on account of the etymological difficulties in- volved. The general opinion at present is, that Hep/inn is sini|ily a mistake for, or an alteration of, the Kfitxtn {Chiun) of the Heb. text, K having been replaced by Ji, and pk (0) substituted for i, with the sound of v, sharpened to something resembling /.

There is no doubt that this is the best oi all the explanations proposed, for Kewan would seem to be nothing else but the Semitic-Babylonian Kaawanu, for an older Kaya- wanu, ' the planet Saturn.' That a Babylonian etymology is to be sought rather than any other, may be regarded as indicated by the fact that SiccUTil in the lirst part of the verse is apparently from the Akkad. Sakkut or Sak-ui, the latter being one of the non-Semitic names of Saturn, translated by Kaawanu in Babylonian.

In addition to this, Saturn was also called §alam, ^ahne, as ' the dark star,' a name which recalls the expression cj'pTs, 'your images,' which, in the Heb., immediately follows Chiun { = Kaawanu = Bephan), and would furnish a parallel to the translation of orr^p ('your king ') after Siecuth, by ' Moloch ' in the LXX. As has been already shown (see NiMKOD, NiSKOCH, etc.)

, the Hebrew scribes were accustomed to distort the names of heathen deities, apparently to show their contempt for them, and there is but little doubt tliat this has been done in the present case. No name resembling Replian or Remphan as the pronunciation of the ideographs for Saturn has as yet been found in Akkadian or Semitic- Babylonian. LiTEKjiTrRR.— Schrader in SK, 1874, pp. "i24-.'5.15, and In Riehm'8 U WU ; Delitzsch in the Calwer BibcUexicun, under 'Ciliun,' and in Assyr.

HWB 669' (end of art. SaImu'): and the Comm. on Amos and Actfi. T. G. PlNCIIES.