Genesis 15:20 Daily Devotional & Meaning – The Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaims, and God’s Promise Over Every Obstacle
- Benjamin Michael Mcgreevy
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
Daily Verses Everyday! Day 68
“And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims,”
This is a verse that may appear, at first glance, as simply another link in a chain of ancient names. Yet when read within the unfolding covenant scene of Genesis 15, these three peoples become more than geographical identifiers; they become symbols of the profound depth of God’s promise, the magnitude of His sovereignty, and the impossible nature of what He swears to accomplish. God is not merely listing territories; He is revealing the spiritual weight of His covenant by naming the very peoples who inhabit the land Abram’s descendants will inherit. Each name carries its own historical and theological significance, forming a vivid picture of the immense power and grace required to fulfill the promise.
The first group named, the Hittites, were known historically as a people of considerable power. Although much larger Hittite empires would arise in later centuries, even the Canaanite Hittites of Abram’s day represented strength, structure, and advancement. Their existence as an organized, established society in the land meant that God was not giving Abram an empty, unclaimed wilderness but a territory held by a people with real political and military presence. To Abram, this would have been a startling reality. God was promising him land that was already developed, protected, and fortified. The presence of such a people demonstrates a central truth of covenant theology: God’s promises do not depend on favorable human circumstances. He does not wait for empires to crumble before speaking His will. He declares His purposes in the face of existing powers, emphasizing that His sovereignty is not threatened by human governments, achievements, or defenses. The mention of the Hittites reminds us that God’s promises are made in full awareness of the world’s strength, yet His word remains unshaken.
Following the Hittites, God names the Perizzites, a people whose identity differs greatly from the structured might of the Hittite populations. The Perizzites were rural dwellers, often living in unwalled villages and occupying wide stretches of open farmland. Their presence represents not centralized power but a dispersed, pervasive occupation of the land. Where the Hittites symbolize concentrated resistance, the Perizzites symbolize resistance spread across every valley and plain. Their existence indicates that even if large fortified cities could be overcome, the landscape was still filled with countless settlements of people everywhere, occupying every part of the promised territory. Their name carries the implication of a people who fill the land with constant, widespread presence. In this, the Perizzites represent a second truth of God’s covenant work: some obstacles to divine promises are not dramatic or intimidating but simply omnipresent. They symbolize the daily challenges, the exhausting realities, and the constant pressures that seem to stretch endlessly across our lives. Yet God mentions them deliberately, revealing that His purposes are not hindered by the scattered nature of human resistance. He can overcome not only empires but also the slow drip of everyday struggle.
Then comes the most arresting name of the three: the Rephaim. Scripture consistently portrays the Rephaim as giants, a people of extraordinary stature and supernatural-seeming might. Their presence in the land was legendary. Later texts describe them as fearsome in Deuteronomy 2:10–11, as ancestors or related kin of the Anakim in Deuteronomy 2:20–21, and as so formidable that Israel’s spies trembled at the thought of confronting their descendants in Numbers 13:33. One of the most well-known Rephaim is Og, king of Bashan, whose bed measured approximately 13 feet in length in Deuteronomy 3:11. To the ancient mind, the Rephaim represented the pinnacle of human fear, as they were the embodiment of the impossible, the unconquerable, and the overwhelming. The mere mention of their name in God’s promise to Abram carries enormous weight. God is not avoiding the reality of giants in the land. He is acknowledging them and including them in the inheritance. He is declaring, in effect, that not even the strongest, most terrifying, most seemingly invincible forces can obstruct what He has decreed.
By including the Rephaim in the covenant promise, God reveals the deepest dimension of His commitment: His word is not limited by human fear or human impossibility. If the Hittites represent human power and structure and the Perizzites represent human presence and persistence, the Rephaim represent human terror. Yet God folds even the giants into His covenant gift. He is not waiting for them to fade. He is not promising Abram a land free from danger or intimidation. He is promising Abram a land in which the giants already stand, because the presence of the impossible only showcases the magnitude of the One who fulfills the promise. In doing so, God shows Abram and us that His covenant is not based on human strength but on divine faithfulness. Abram is asleep during the covenant rite, unable to contribute and powerless to add anything. God alone walks through the pieces, binding Himself to do all that He has promised. It is a covenant of sheer grace, upheld entirely by God’s might.
Thus, Genesis 15:20 becomes a profound testimony of the nature of divine promises. God names peoples who represent every form of human resistance: the strength of empires, the spread of the commonplace, and the intimidation of giants. Yet, He speaks with absolute certainty, declaring the land already given to Abram’s descendants. In this, God teaches us that His promises are not hindered by what occupies the place of blessing. He does not require an empty battlefield. He does not need the giants to disappear before He fulfills His word. Instead, He declares His purpose in the midst of overwhelming obstacles so that the glory belongs to Him alone.
For believers today, this passage speaks with immense relevance. Many times, God’s promises regarding our lives seem overshadowed by forces stronger than us, circumstances that fill every corner of our field of vision, or fears that stand like giants towering over our faith. Yet the God who spoke to Abram speaks still: the obstacles do not nullify the promise. The presence of giants does not negate the inheritance. The land can be filled with Hittites, Perizzites, and Rephaim, and God’s oath still stands firm.
If you would like to explore Genesis in a sustained, verse-by-verse way with space to reflect, journal, and trace how these foundational truths unfold through Scripture the Verse by Verse book expands these reflections into a unified reading experience. The book gathers these meditations into a structured journey through Genesis, designed to help readers linger in the text and engage God’s Word more deeply over time.
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