"Where Did It Come From?" - And This Time: What Is the Origin of the Name "Emek Refaim"?

Nir Topper
Jun 8
2 min read

Emek Refaim ("Valley of Rephaim") is today the name of one of the central and most well-known streets in Jerusalem, running through the heart of the German Colony, but its origin is ancient and deep. The name is mentioned already in the Bible as a geographical valley serving as a reference point in describing the borders of the inheritance of the Tribe of Judah: "...which is at the end of the Valley of Rephaim northward" (Joshua 15:8), and also as a battleground where King David defeated the Philistines: "The Philistines also came and spread themselves in the Valley of Rephaim" (2 Samuel 5:18). The word "Refaim" (Rephaim) appears in the Bible in two meanings: an ancient Canaanite people sometimes described as a race of giants who dwelled in the area: "Which also were accounted giants, as the Anakim" (Deuteronomy 2:11); and in various contexts — an epithet for the dead dwelling in Sheol (the underworld), as described: "But he knoweth not that the dead [Rephaim] are there; and that her guests are in the depths of hell [Sheol]" (Proverbs 9:18). The name of the valley, therefore, is intertwined with those ancient and mysterious inhabitants who left their mark on the local geography and history.

Despite the somewhat chilling connotation of the word, over the years the area has become a symbol of settlement and life. As early as 1873, when the German Templers established their colony on the site and turned it into an agricultural and urban hub, they chose to call it by the biblical name "Refaim". However, during the British Mandate period, the main street of the colony was called "Beit Safafa Road" (named after the village to which it led). Only after the establishment of the State of Israel, as part of a broad move to Hebraize street names in Jerusalem, did the street first and officially receive its current name – Emek Refaim Street. Thus, a direct and fascinating connection was formed between the cafes, shops, and contemporary culture of modern Jerusalem, and a tract of land where, according to tradition, the giants of antiquity once walked.

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Image 1 - The Emek Refaim area at the beginning of the 20th century (exact year unknown), when it contained only the houses of the German Colony and the train station. Source: The Colony Photographers - CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons