REPHAN (rē'făn). A pagan deity worshiped by the Israelites in the wilderness (Acts.7.37-Acts.7.50). It is probably a name for Chiun or Saturn (Amos.5.26; see niv footnote), a view supported by the LXX.
REPHAN re’ făn (LXX
̔Ραιφὰν; NT
̔Ρομφά,
G4854, plus numerous variants, meaning uncertain). KJV REMPHAN, rĕm’ fen (
Acts 7:43).
The name of an astral deity associated with the planet Saturn, quoted in Acts 7:43 from the LXX tr. of Amos 5:26. Here the MT has kiyyûn. This is equal to the Akkad. kaiwanu, meaning “Saturn.” The Heb. has substituted the vowels of siqqus, “detested thing,” for the vowels of the Akkad. word to reflect the detestability of the pagan god. How the LXX came to have the unexpected ̔Ραιφὰν is uncertain. It may be the result of a mistaken transliteration or a form of Repa, an Egyp. name for the god of the planet Saturn, substituted by the Alexandrian trs. for the less intelligible kiyyûn.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915)
re’-fan: A name for Chiun, the planet Saturn.
See Astrology, 7; CHIUN.
