Deuteronomy 2:20
(It is also counted as a land of Rephaim. Rephaim formerly lived there—but the Ammonites call them Zamzummim—
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The verse notes that the Ammonites called the ancient inhabitants "Zamzummim," a name that likely means "noisy ones" or "mutterers." This detail highlights how names often carry cultural memory, reflecting not just who people were, but how they were perceived by their neighbors. It also hints at the lost histories of ancient peoples, reduced to descriptive labels by those who eventually displaced them.
As God is directing the Israelites to bypass the lands of Moab and Ammon, He inserts these historical notes about who originally lived there. The Ammonite territory, the text explains, was once occupied by a formidable race of giants called the Rephaim, whom the Ammonites themselves called Zamzummim. This detail serves to underscore that the lands these nations possessed were originally conquered territories, cleared by God’s hand for His people.
Ever wonder about the 'ancient peoples' mentioned in the Bible? This verse points to a time before the Ammonites, a time of legendary figures.
This verse introduces us to the Rephaim, a people known for their imposing stature, often translated as 'giants.' They were among the earliest inhabitants of the land that would later be known as Ammon.
The Ammonites had their own name for these early inhabitants. What does 'Zamzummim' tell us, and why does it matter?
The Ammonites called these ancient dwellers Zamzummim. While the exact meaning is debated among scholars, several possibilities shed light on how they were perceived:
Understand the original words
Rephaim · Hebrew Noun
A term used in the Bible to describe an ancient race of people often characterized by their great stature or strength, sometimes associated with giants. They represent the inhabitants of the land that existed before the current occupants and often possess a mythic or fearful quality in historical accounts.
The description of the Ammonite land as once belonging to the 'Zamzummim' highlights that the nations Israel was to bypass east of the Jordan River had their own histories of conquest, often with God's intervention, before Israel's arrival.
~1400 BC
Abraham's Covenant with God
God makes a covenant with Abraham, promising him descendants and land. This covenant provides a basis for God's later dealings with the descendants of Abraham's nephew Lot (Moabites and Ammonites).
c. 1400 BC
Zuzim and Rephaim tribes inhabit the land
Ancient texts like Genesis mention tribes such as the Zuzim (possibly the same as Zamzummim) and Rephaim inhabiting lands east of the Jordan River before later peoples like the Ammonites. These were likely formidable, possibly tall, groups.
c. 1300 BC— this verse
Ammonites settle east of the Jordan
The Ammonites, descendants of Lot, establish themselves in the territory east of the Jordan River. They conquer and displace the earlier inhabitants like the Zamzummim.
c. 1300 BC
Moabites settle south of Ammonites
The Moabites, also descendants of Lot, settle the land south of the Ammonites, having displaced the Emim, another group described as giants.
This passage names the Zuzim, who are widely considered to be the same people as the Zamzummim mentioned in Deuteronomy, providing an earlier mention of this ancient race.
Deuteronomy 3:11This verse also refers to giants (Rephaim) in the land of Bashan, showing a pattern of God's people encountering and dispossessing ancient, formidable inhabitants in promised lands.
Numbers 13:33The spies in this chapter report seeing the Anakim, another group of giants in Canaan, highlighting the recurring theme of formidable inhabitants in lands God gave to His people.
Joshua 13:12This verse mentions Og, king of Bashan, who was a survivor of the Rephaim, connecting the giants of Bashan to the broader history of these formidable peoples being displaced.
gillDeuteronomy 2:20: "(That also was accounted a land of giants: giants dwelt therein in old time; and the Ammonites call them Zamzummims;"
That also was accounted a land of giants,.... Ammon was so reckoned as well as Moab, Deuteronomy 2:10 . giants dwelt therein in old time; the Rephaim dwelt there, as they did also in Ashteroth Karnaim, Genesis 14:5. and the Ammonites call them Zamzummims; they are thought to be the same with the Zuzims in Genesis 14:5 who had their name, as Hillerus (c) thinks…
clarkeDeuteronomy 2:20: "(That also was accounted a land of giants: giants dwelt therein in old time; and the Ammonites call them Zamzummims;"
That also was accounted a land of giants - That was accounted the land or territory of the Rephaim. Zamzummims - Supposed to be the same as the Zuzim, Genesis 14:5. Of these ancient people we know very little; they were probably inconsiderable tribes or clans, "pursuing and pursued, each other's prey," till at length a stronger totally destroyed or subdued the…
The verse notes that the Ammonites called the ancient inhabitants "Zamzummim," a name that likely means "noisy ones" or "mutterers." This detail highlights how names often carry cultural memory, reflecting not just who people were, but how they were perceived by their neighbors. It also hints at the lost histories of ancient peoples, reduced to descriptive labels by those who eventually displaced them.
As God is directing the Israelites to bypass the lands of Moab and Ammon, He inserts these historical notes about who originally lived there. The Ammonite territory, the text explains, was once occupied by a formidable race of giants called the Rephaim, whom the Ammonites themselves called Zamzummim. This detail serves to underscore that the lands these nations possessed were originally conquered territories, cleared by God’s hand for His people.
As God is directing the Israelites to bypass the lands of Moab and Ammon, He inserts these historical notes about who originally lived there. The Ammonite territory, the text explains, was once occupied by a formidable race of giants called the Rephaim, whom the Ammonites themselves called Zamzummim. This detail serves to underscore that the lands these nations possessed were originally conquered territories, cleared by God’s hand for His people.
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Understanding these different names helps us see how various cultures remembered and labeled the peoples who came before them, often imbuing them with significant characteristics.
c. 1400-1300 BC
Destruction of earlier inhabitants
The text implies God actively destroyed the Rephaim and similar giant-like peoples before the Ammonites and Moabites took possession of their lands, paralleling the later conquest of Canaan.
"(It is also counted as a land of Rephaim. Rephaim formerly lived there—but the Ammonites call them Zamzummim—" — The verse notes that the Ammonites called the ancient inhabitants "Zamzummim," a name that likely means "noisy ones" or "mutterers." This detail highlights how names often carry cultural memory, refl…
