One other person, place or group in the registry answers to the name Rapha. Every Rapha in the Bible
person · also Rephaites
Rapha
רָפָה
Rapha was the ancestor of several Philistine giants who fought against David and his mighty warriors.
- verses
- 7
- first named
- 2 Samuel 21:16
- last named
- 1 Chronicles 20:8
- period
- United Monarchy
- role
- Giant
Description
Who was Rapha?
Rapha is mentioned in 2Samuel 21 and 1Chronicles 20 as the ancestor of several Philistine giants who fought against King David and his mighty warriors. The name "Rapha" is used to describe these giants as descendants of the Rephaim, a people known for their great stature and strength (Deu.2.11, 20-21). In 2Sa.21.16, Ishbi-benob, one of the descendants of Rapha, wielded a bronze spear and threatened to kill David, but Abishai came to David's aid and killed the giant. Another descendant of Rapha, Saph (also called Sippai in 1Ch.20.4), was killed by Sibbecai the Hushathite (2Sa.21.18). In 2Sa.21.20 and 1Ch.20.6, another descendant of Rapha is described as a huge man with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot. This giant was killed by Jonathan, the son of Shimea, David's brother (2Sa.21.21; 1Ch.20.7). These battles against the descendants of Rapha are summarized in 2Sa.21.22 and 1Ch.20.8, emphasizing that they were defeated by David and his servants. The mention of Rapha and his descendants highlights the ongoing conflict between the Israelites and the Philistines, as well as the bravery and skill of David and his warriors in facing and defeating these formidable enemies. The victory over the giants also demonstrates God's faithfulness in fulfilling His promise to give the Israelites victory over their enemies and to establish David's kingdom.
Relations
Direct connections
Every entity the graph places in a stated relation with this one, grouped by the kind of link. Each relation is authored once and its inverse derived, so both ends always agree. Rows marked “registry” come from the identity spine rather than from a verse, and a row marked “which bearer is the source’s decision” is one where the name could have meant more than one person. The last group is not a relation at all — it counts the events two entities stand in together.
Places
Where this happens
A person is placed by the events they take part in, and an event has to clear three things to place them: it must say where it happened, that place must be one the gazetteer can put a coordinate on, and the verse must report it rather than foretell, command or ask it. Nothing anchored here clears all three. Where the text names a setting no gazetteer surveys — a vineyard, a palace, a plot of ground — it is left off rather than guessed at; where a place is named only in a prophecy, the map does not draw what was said to be coming as though it had happened; and a place reached only through a relation is not inherited, because standing beside somebody is not being somewhere.
No verse Atlas has read as a report puts this person anywhere.
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Where to read it
Every verse of the text carried here that names this entity — 7, across 2 books.
Onward
Where this page goes
Not the direct relations above — these are one hop further out, ranked so that a rare shared connection outweighs a common one. Descriptions by STEPBible TIPNR.
Sources