Deuteronomy 2:11 tells us that a people known as the Emim, a tall and powerful group, were classed with the Rephaim, the giant-like peoples of the ancient Near East, even though the Moabites had their own name for them. Moses is recalling this detail as he speaks to the new generation of Israelites on the eastern side of the Jordan River, just before they enter the land of promise. He is explaining that the land they are passing through has a history of previous inhabitants.
These also are considered to be Rephaim, as the Anakim; but the Moabites call them Emim.
Deuteronomy 2:11 (WEB)
What Deuteronomy 2:11 Means
The verse begins by linking the Emim to the Rephaim and the Anakim. In plain terms, Moses is saying that the people who once lived in this region were the same kind of people as the other large, feared groups known from earlier traditions. The word “Rephaim” was used broadly for ancient giant-like folk, and the Anakim were a tribe remembered for their great height. The point is that these were people of unusual size and strength.
The phrase “but the Moabites call them Emim” shows that different peoples gave the same group different names. Moses is not correcting anyone here. He is simply recording that the Moabites, who lived nearby and had their own local vocabulary, called them by a name meaning something like “terrors.” The verse does not promise anything directly to the reader. It is a historical note, but it stands as evidence that God had been dealing with these lands long before Israel arrived.
The Context of Deuteronomy 2:11
Deuteronomy is presented as the final series of speeches Moses gave to Israel before his death, traditionally written down by Moses himself, with later editorial touches recognized by many scholars. Its first audience was the generation that had grown up in the wilderness, gathered on the plains of Moab, ready to cross the Jordan. Those listeners needed to hear again the history of their journey and the character of the God who led them.
Just before verse 11, Moses explains that God had told Israel not to attack Moab, because God had given the land of Ar to the descendants of Lot. Verse 10 and verse 11 then step aside to describe earlier inhabitants of the region, and verse 12 continues by describing the Horites who were displaced by Esau’s descendants. Read in this setting, verse 11 is one of several parenthetical notes showing that God gives and removes lands according to his own purposes, not Israel’s alone.
Key Phrases in Deuteronomy 2:11
Deuteronomy 2:9
The LORD said to me, “Don’t bother Moab, neither contend with them in battle; for I will not give you any of his land for a possession; because I have given Ar to the children of Lot for a possession.”
(WEB)
This verse comes just before the passage under discussion and records God’s instruction not to contend with Moab, because he had given Ar to Lot’s descendants. Reading it alongside verse 11 shows that God’s care for these neighboring peoples is part of the same larger story of land and inheritance.
Deuteronomy 2:14
The days in which we came from Kadesh Barnea, until we had come over the brook Zered, were thirty-eight years; until all the generation of the men of war were consumed from the middle of the camp, as the LORD swore to them.
(WEB)
This verse closes the section by marking the length of the wilderness journey and the passing of the generation that had refused to trust God. It helps readers see that the land descriptions in verses 10 through 12 belong to a larger account of God’s faithfulness across many years.
A Short Prayer From Deuteronomy 2:11
Lord, you have been at work in the lands and histories of people long before I arrived in my own small corner of the world. Thank you that the places I am entering were not unknown to you. When I feel uncertain about what lies ahead, remind me that you have led others through strange and difficult territory, and that you have never lost track of the people who lived there before. Help me to walk forward with humility and trust, knowing that my future is held in your hands. Amen.
