The Emims dwelt therein in times past, a people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakims;
Parallel translations
- WEB (The Emim lived therein before, a people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakim.
- BSB (The Emites used to live there, a people great and many, as tall as the Anakites.
- NKJV (The Emim had dwelt there in times past, a people as great and numerous and tall as the Anakim.
- NASB (The Emim lived there previously, a people as great, numerous, and tall as the Anakim.
- NLT (A race of giants called the Emites had once lived in the area of Ar. They were as strong and numerous and tall as the Anakites, another race of giants.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
A note explains that the Emim, a great and tall people like the Anakim, once lived in Moab's land. This sets the giants in historical perspective.
Overview
This parenthetical remark records that formidable peoples like the Emim, comparable to the dreaded Anakim, had previously occupied Moab before being displaced. By noting that such giants had already been overcome in history, the text quietly reassures Israel that fearsome enemies are not invincible. God's providence governs the rise and fall of peoples, reminding believers that no obstacle is too great for the God who fulfills His purposes in Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- Gen 14:5And 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,
- Num 13:22And they ascended by the south, and came unto Hebron; where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of Anak, were. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)
- Deut 2:11Which also were accounted giants, as the Anakims; but the Moabites call them Emims.
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Christ at the center
Moses promised a Prophet like himself to whom Israel must listen (18:15); Jesus is that Prophet, the one who keeps the covenant we broke and becomes the curse for us by hanging on a tree (Gal 3:13).
How Deuteronomy 2:10 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.