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Deuteronomy 2:20

(That also is considered a land of Rephaim: Rephaim lived there before; but the Ammonites call them Zamzummim,
Deuteronomy 2:20 · World English Bible
Parallel translations
  • KJV (That also was accounted a land of giants: giants dwelt therein in old time; and the Ammonites call them Zamzummims;
  • BSB (That too was regarded as the land of the Rephaim, who used to live there, though the Ammonites called them Zamzummites.
  • NKJV (That was also regarded as a land of giants; giants formerly dwelt there. But the Ammonites call them Zamzummim,
  • NASB (It is also regarded as the land of the Rephaim, because the Rephaim previously lived in it, but the Ammonites call them Zamzummin,
  • NLT (That area was once considered the land of the Rephaites, who had lived there, though the Ammonites call them Zamzummites.

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 Ammon's land too was once home to Rephaim, whom the Ammonites called Zamzummim. The giants had earlier been displaced there as well.

Overview

This parenthetical remark records that mighty Rephaim, locally called Zamzummim, formerly inhabited Ammon's territory before being driven out. As with Moab and Seir, the note shows that fearsome peoples had already been dispossessed under God's providence. The recurring theme reassures Israel that giants are not undefeatable when God ordains a land for others. It quietly builds confidence that the same God will give Israel its promised inheritance.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 1

  • Gen 14:5In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer came, and the kings who were with him, and struck the Rephaim in Ashteroth Karnaim, and the Zuzim in Ham, and the Emim in Shaveh Kiriathaim,

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (2)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Deuteronomy videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Deuteronomy 2:20YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on DeuteronomyMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

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 2:20 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.