Place Old Testament
Rephaim Valley
Also known as Valley of, Rephaim =ESV, NIV, KJV; valley of, the giants =KJV
The Valley of Rephaim was a valley near Jerusalem where David fought the Philistines (2Sa. 5:18, 22; 23:13; 1Ch. 11:15; 14:9). Mentioned in 8 verses across 4 books, first at Joshua 15:8.
Why it matters. Valley near Jerusalem, site of battles
- Primary passages
- Location
- 31.756, 35.223 (approximate, within about 2 km)
Coordinates from STEPBible TIPNR (palopenmaps.org link). Approximate; not independently verified.
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Rephaim Valley
The Valley of Rephaim, also known as the Valley of the Giants, was a fertile valley located southwest of Jerusalem, near the border between Judah and Benjamin (Jos. 15:8; 18:16). It was the site of two significant battles between David and the Philistines (2Sa. 5:18, 22; 23:13; 1Ch. 11:15; 14:9). In one instance, David and his men were hiding in a cave near the Philistine camp in the Valley of Rephaim when three of his mighty men risked their lives to bring him water from the well at Bethlehem (2Sa. 23:13; 1Ch. 11:15). The valley is also mentioned figuratively in Isaiah 17:5, comparing the harvest of Israel to the gathering of grain in the Valley of Rephaim.
Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.
Connections
No reviewed connections yet.
Appears in Scripture
Named in 8 verses across 4 books. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.