Repha-im, The valley of

( 1 Samuel 5:18 1 Samuel 5:22 ; 23:13 ; 1 Chronicles 11:15 ; 14:9 ; Isaiah 17:5 ) also in ( Joshua 15:8 ) and Josh 18:16 it is translated in the Authorized Version "the valley of the giants ," a spot which was the scene of some of Davids most remarkable adventures. He twice encountered and defeated the Philistines there. ( 2 Samuel 5:17-25 ; 23:13 ) etc. Since the latter part of the sixteenth century the name has been attached to the upland plain which stretches south of Jerusalem and is crossed by the road to Bethlehem --the el Bukah of the modern Arabs. (This valley begins near the valley of Hinnom, southwest of Jerusalem extending toward Bethlehem. It is about a mile long, with hills on either side. This agrees with Josephus and is the generally-accepted location of this valley. --ED.) Tobler, however, in his last investigations conclusively adopts the Wady Der Jasin , on the northwest of Jerusalem. The valley appears to derive its name from the ancient nation of the Rephaim. [GIANTS]