Who were the Refa'im?
Rashi #1: The Refa'im were synonymous with the land over which Og Melech ha'Bashan ruled. 1
Rashi #2 (to Devarim 2:20): Giants known as Refa'im settled in several lands on the east side of the Yarden, but not all of these lands were promised to Avraham. 2
QUESTIONS ON RASHI
Rashi writes: "Refa'im - the land of Og (Devarim 3:13)." This is difficult, because the verse refers to Og as king of the Emori (Devarim 3:8), and the Emori are already mentioned on this list?
Mizrachi: Eretz Refa'im was the land inhabited by the Chivi (whose name is missing on this list). Og was their king, despite being an Emori, for he was a giant like they were.
Gur Aryeh: The Emori lived on both sides of the Yarden River. Those on the eastern side were known as Refa'im, and Og was their king. Those on the western side were known simply as Emori. 1
This also explains why the land of the Emori is termed "a land of milk and honey" (Shemos 13:5), a praise reserved for Eretz Yisrael proper - it refers to those Emori who lived west of the Yarden (Ramban ibid).
