רְפָאִים֙

𐤓𐤐𐤀𐤉𐤌

refaim

the Rephaim

or רָפָה; from רָפָא in the sense of invigorating; a giant; giant, Rapha, Rephaim(-s). See also בֵּית רָפָא.

H7497

Genesis 14:5 · Word #11

Lexicon H7497

Lemmaרָפָא
Lemma (Paleo)𐤓𐤐𐤀
Transliterationrâphâʼ
Strong'sH7497
In-contextthe Rephaim

Morphology HNgmsa All morphology codes

Part of Speech N — Noun — A person, place, thing, or idea
Subtype g — Gentilic — Gentilic noun (nationality/origin)
Gender m — Masculine — Masculine
Number s — Singular — Singular
State a — Absolute — The noun stands independently

SIBI-P1 H7497-05

enfeebled giants

Rootרפא/רפה (r-p-ʾ / r-p-h)
Core Meaningsto heal, to restore, to slacken, to become weak, to let drop
Semantic RangeA people of great stature in ancient Canaan; ancestral giants; inhabitants of the Valley of Rephaim; in poetic texts, the shades or departed spirits in Sheol.
Conceptual SignificanceThe Rephaim represent both formidable pre-Israelite inhabitants of the land and, in wisdom and poetic literature, the powerless dead. The ironic association of a name rooted in weakness/slackness with mighty giants underscores the biblical theme that even the strongest become enfeebled in death and before YHWH’s sovereignty.
Morphological NotesMasculine plural noun (absolute), functioning as a proper ethnic or tribal name in many contexts; occasionally used as a common noun for the departed dead. Strong’s H7497.
Rendering RationaleThe form רְפָאִים is a masculine plural noun. Rendering it as "enfeebled giants" preserves the traditional identification of a race of giants while drawing attention to the root idea of slackness or weakness (רפא/רפה). The masculine plural is reflected in the plural noun "giants."

AI-generated (openai/gpt-5.2-chat-latest)

Word Usage (25 occurrences of H7497)

Location Form Transliteration Meaning
Genesis 14:5 רְפָאִים֙ refaim the Rephaim
Genesis 15:20 הָ/רְפָאִֽים harefaim Rephaim
Deuteronomy 2:11 רְפָאִ֛ים refaim Rephaim
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