Avvites (of Philistia)

The Avvites (or Avites, or Avims, or Avim, Hebrew: עוים‎) of southwest Philistia, (between lower Egypt and Gaza,) are a people and place mentioned in the Bible and related literature. The Talmud (Chullin 60b) notes that the Avvites were the first Philistines. The Midrash Rabbah on Genesis 37:5 (page 298 in the 1961 edition of Maurice Simon's translation) says that these same Philistines were giants.

First mention

Their name is first used in Deuteronomy 2:23, in a description of the conquests that had taken place in the Land of Israel before the Israelites entered Canaan. They were one of seven names for a race of "giants" in the Bible, who were destroyed.

Deuteronomy 2:20 (That also was accounted a land of giants: giants dwelt therein in old time; and the Ammonites call them Zamzummims; [21] A people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakims; but the LORD destroyed them before them; and they succeeded them, and dwelt in their stead: [22] As he did to the children of Esau, which dwelt in Seir, when he destroyed the Horims from before them; and they succeeded them, and dwelt in their stead even unto this day: [23] And the Avims which dwelt in Hazerim, even unto Azzah[Gaza], the Caphtorims, which came forth out of Caphtor, destroyed them, and dwelt in their stead.)

Second mention

Although the people were "destroyed", the place name is still found in Joshua 13:2-3 where it is included as part of the promised land to be conquered by the Israelites:

Joshua 13:2 This is the land that yet remaineth: all the borders of the Philistines, and all Geshuri, [3] From Sihor, which is before Egypt, even unto the borders of Ekron northward, which is counted to the Canaanite: five lords of the Philistines; the Gazathites, and the Ashdothites, the Eshkalonites, the Gittites, and the Ekronites; also the Avites:

Other Avim or Avites

• There is also a city called "Avim" (Joshua 18:23) in the territory of Benjamin, about which nothing further is known.

• There were also "Avites" from "Ava" (2Kings 17:24-31) brought by the king of Assyria into Samaria to take the place of the Israelites that were taken captive to other lands. Ava is identified with "Ivah" (Isaiah 37:13) by Easton, who located it "on Euphrates, between Sepharvaim and Henah", and also identifies it with the "Ahava" of Ezra 8:15.