The Rephaim

The Complete Word Study Dictionary: Old Testament 7496. רָפָא rāp̱āʿ

7496. רָפָא rāp̱āʿ: A masculine noun meaning shades, departed spirits, deceased ones, dead ones. The term always occurs in the plural form (rp̱āʾiym) and consistently denotes those who died and entered into a shadowy existence within šʾôl (7585) (Job 26:5; Prov. 9:18; Isa. 14:9). Three times the word is employed in direct parallelism with the Hebrew term for dead ones (mēṯiym, from mûṯ [4191], to die) (Ps. 88:10[11]; Isa. 26:14, 19). “Shades” or deceased ones do not rise (Isa. 26:14). They reside in a place of darkness and oblivion (Ps. 88:10[11]). They cannot praise God (Ps. 88:10 [11]). The smooth words of the adulteress bring her victims down to death, to the place of the shades, never to return (Prov. 21:16; cf. Prov. 2:16–19; 9:13–18). Yet even in the Old Testament, a confident resurrection hope was gloriously and joyously held out to those in Sheol who obeyed God while alive (Isa. 26:1

Genesis 14:5 KJV 1900

And in the fourteenth year came Chedorlaomer, and the kings that were with him, and smote the Rephaims in Ashteroth Karnaim, and the Zuzims in Ham, and the Emims in Shaveh Kiriathaim,

7496. רָפָא‎ rāp̱āʿ: A masculine noun meaning shades, departed spirits, deceased ones, dead ones. The term always occurs in the plural form (rep̱āʾiym) and consistently denotes those who died and entered into a shadowy existence within šeʾôl (7585) (Job 26:5; Prov. 9:18; Isa. 14:9). Three times the word is employed in direct parallelism with the Hebrew term for dead ones (mēṯiym, from mûṯ [4191], to die) (Ps. 88:10[11]; Isa. 26:14, 19). “Shades” or deceased ones do not rise (Isa. 26:14). They reside in a place of darkness and oblivion (Ps. 88:10[11]). They cannot praise God (Ps. 88:10 [11]). The smooth words of the adulteress bring her victims down to death, to the place of the shades, never to return (Prov. 21:16; cf. Prov. 2:16–19; 9:13–18). Yet even in the Old Testament, a confident resurrection hope was gloriously and joyously held out to those in Sheol who obeyed God while alive (Isa. 26:1).