{
  "id": "dict_005905",
  "term": "Valley of Rephaim",
  "slug": "valley-of-rephaim",
  "letter": "V",
  "entry_type": "biblical_place",
  "entry_family": "theological_term",
  "depth_profile": "standard",
  "short_definition": "An Old Testament valley near Jerusalem, known for territorial references and David’s battles with the Philistines.",
  "simple_one_line": "A valley near Jerusalem mentioned in Joshua, Samuel, Chronicles, and Isaiah.",
  "tooltip_text": "A biblical place-name associated with the Jerusalem area and several military events in David’s reign.",
  "aliases": [],
  "scripture_references": [],
  "original_language_terms": [],
  "related_entries": [
    "Jerusalem",
    "Philistines",
    "David",
    "Rephaim",
    "Mount Perazim",
    "Achor Valley"
  ],
  "see_also": [
    "Joshua 15",
    "Joshua 18",
    "2 Samuel 5",
    "1 Chronicles 14",
    "Isaiah 17"
  ],
  "lede_intro": "The Valley of Rephaim is a biblical place-name for a valley near Jerusalem, most often remembered for the Philistine conflicts in David’s day.",
  "at_a_glance_definition": "A valley near Jerusalem in the Old Testament, associated with boundary descriptions and military activity, especially during David’s reign.",
  "at_a_glance_key_points": [
    "Location near Jerusalem, probably southwest of the city",
    "Appears in territorial and narrative passages",
    "Best known for David’s victories over the Philistines",
    "The exact modern identification is uncertain"
  ],
  "description_academic_short": "The Valley of Rephaim is an Old Testament place-name, usually understood as a valley near Jerusalem, probably to the southwest of the city. Scripture mentions it in connection with territorial descriptions and significant military events, especially the Philistine conflicts during David’s reign. The name may preserve an older association with the Rephaim, a people group mentioned elsewhere in the Old Testament, but the biblical emphasis in these passages is geographical and historical rather than doctrinal.",
  "description_academic_full": "The Valley of Rephaim is an Old Testament place-name, usually understood as a valley near Jerusalem, probably to the southwest of the city. It appears in Joshua’s territorial descriptions and in several narrative passages about military conflict, especially the Philistine attacks and defeats in David’s reign. Isaiah also uses it in an agricultural simile. The name may preserve an older association with the Rephaim, a people group mentioned elsewhere in the Old Testament, but in the cited passages the emphasis is on geography, history, and battle setting rather than on doctrine. Because this term is chiefly a location in the biblical narrative, it should be treated as a biblical place entry.",
  "background_biblical_context": "The Valley of Rephaim is connected with the land allotments of Judah and Benjamin and later with episodes in David’s battles against the Philistines. Its mention in Isaiah shows that it could also serve as a recognizable local reference point for everyday life and harvest imagery.",
  "background_historical_context": "The valley is generally placed in the region just southwest of Jerusalem, though its exact boundaries are debated. In the ancient Near Eastern setting, valleys near major cities often served as travel routes, cultivation areas, and military corridors, which helps explain why this location appears in both territorial and battle narratives.",
  "background_jewish_ancient_context": "The name likely reflects an older memory of the Rephaim, a group associated in the Old Testament with ancient inhabitants or formidable peoples. Later Jewish readers would have understood the valley primarily as a known regional landmark near Jerusalem, without needing to infer any doctrinal meaning from the name itself.",
  "key_texts_primary": [
    "Joshua 15:8",
    "Joshua 18:16",
    "2 Samuel 5:18, 22",
    "1 Chronicles 11:15",
    "1 Chronicles 14:9"
  ],
  "key_texts_secondary": [
    "2 Samuel 23:13",
    "Isaiah 17:5"
  ],
  "original_language_note": "Hebrew: emeq rĕpā’îm, commonly rendered “Valley of Rephaim,” with Rephaim referring either to an ancient people group or to the site’s traditional name.",
  "theological_significance": "The Valley of Rephaim has no major doctrinal significance by itself, but it supports the historical reliability and geographical concreteness of the Old Testament narrative. It also reminds readers that God’s dealings in Scripture occur in real places and historical events.",
  "philosophical_explanation": "As a place-name, the Valley of Rephaim is not a concept to be systematized but a historical marker. Its value lies in anchoring biblical events in real geography, which strengthens the narrative’s concreteness and accountability to history.",
  "interpretive_cautions": "The exact location is not certain, so claims about precise modern identification should remain cautious. The name should not be overread as a symbolic or theological term unless the immediate context warrants it.",
  "major_views_note": "Most interpreters understand it as a valley southwest of Jerusalem. Details of exact borders and modern location remain debated, but the biblical references are clear enough for historical and literary purposes.",
  "doctrinal_boundaries": "This entry should be treated as geography, not doctrine. Any theological reflection should remain secondary to the plain historical sense of the passages.",
  "practical_significance": "The Valley of Rephaim helps readers locate key Old Testament events and see how Scripture ties God’s work to actual places and history. It also illustrates the importance of careful geographical reading in biblical interpretation.",
  "meta_description": "Biblical place-name near Jerusalem associated with David’s battles and Old Testament territorial references.",
  "public_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/valley-of-rephaim/",
  "json_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/data/dictionary/valley-of-rephaim.json",
  "final_disposition": "PUBLISH_CANONICAL"
}