The biblical history of giants was well known to the Hebrews and their fearsome physical attributes made
powerful neighboring states that would challenge Israel's efforts of conquest and independence. The biblical
accounts of giants served to:
1) reminded the Israelites of their dismay and bleak chances of success, and
2) acknowledged their ultimate dependence on God.
The Bible mentions several names or races of giants:
Nephilim
Little detail is known about the Nephilim aside from biblical accounts; however, extrabiblical
Egyptian sources dated about 2000 BC mention their existence.
4) The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came
in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old,
men of renown.
31) But the men who had gone up with him said, "We are not able to go up against the people,
for they are too strong for us." 32) So they gave out to the sons of Israel a bad report of the
land which they had spied out, saying, "The land through which we have gone, in spying it out, is a land
that devours its inhabitants; and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great size. 33)
"There also we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and we became like grasshoppers
in our own sight, and so we were in their sight."
Rephaim
The Rephaim were one of the original occupants of the land, east of the Jordan, before the Canaanites
immigrated. Og was a descendant of this race. Other giant groups similar or related to them were the
Zamzummin (Zuzim), the Emim and the Anakim.
Extrabiblical accounts confirm the biblical existence of Rephaim. The Ras Shamra Texts whose cuneiform
is dated about Joshua’s time, frequently mention the Rephaim.
5) In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him, came and defeated the
Rephaim in Ashteroth-karnaim and the Zuzim in Ham and the Emim in Shaveh-kiriathaim,
18) On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, "To your descendants I have given
this land, from the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates: 19) the Kenite
and the Kenizzite and the Kadmonite 20) and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Rephaim 21)
and the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Girgashite and the Jebusite."
10) (The Emim lived there formerly, a people as great, numerous, and tall as the Anakim. 11)
Like the Anakim, they are also regarded as Rephaim, but the Moabites call them Emim.
20) (It is also regarded as the land of the Rephaim, for Rephaim formerly lived in it, but the
Ammonites call them Zamzummin, 21) a people as great, numerous, and tall as the Anakim, but the
LORD destroyed them before them. And they dispossessed them and settled in their place,
10) all the cities of the plateau and all Gilead and all Bashan, as far as Salecah and Edrei,
cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan. 11) (For only Og king of Bashan was left of the remnant of
the Rephaim. Behold, his bedstead was an iron bedstead; it is in Rabbah of the sons of Ammon. Its length
was nine cubits and its width four cubits by ordinary cubit.) 12) "So we took possession of this
land at that time. From Aroer, which is by the valley of Arnon, and half the hill country of Gilead and
its cities I gave to the Reubenites and to the Gadites. 13) "The rest of Gilead and all Bashan,
the kingdom of Og, I gave to the half-tribe of Manasseh, all the region of Argob (concerning all Bashan,
it is called the land of Rephaim. 14) Jair the son of Manasseh took all the region of Argob as
far as the border of the Geshurites and the Maacathites, and called it, that is, Bashan, after his own
name, Havvoth-jair, as it is to this day.)
4) and the territory of Og king of Bashan, one of the remnant of Rephaim, who lived at Ashtaroth
and at Edrei,
12) all the kingdom of Og in Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth and in Edrei (he alone was left
of the remnant of the Rephaim); for Moses struck them and dispossessed them.
Anakim
Anak, from whom the Anakim were descendants of, was the son of Arba. The city Kirjath-arba, which means
‘the city of Arba’ was built by Arba, and the city ultimately became Hebron. Before the Conquest, the Anakim
resided in the south near Hebron. It is believed that the Philistines intermingled with the race of Anakim from
which Goliath of Gath, who fought David, came from.
Extrabiblical accounts confirm the biblical existence of Anakim. Egyptian manuscripts, the Execration
Texts dated between 1900 and 1700 BC, records curses on Anakim chieftains who lived in Canaan.
10) (The Emim lived there formerly, a people as great, numerous, and tall as the Anakim.
11) Like the Anakim, they are also regarded as Rephaim, but the Moabites call them Emim.
20) (It is also regarded as the land of the Rephaim, for Rephaim formerly lived in it, but
the Ammonites call them Zamzummin, 21) a people as great, numerous, and tall as the Anakim, but
the LORD destroyed them before them. And they dispossessed them and settled in their place,
21) Then Joshua came at that time and cut off the Anakim from the hill country, from Hebron,
from Debir, from Anab and from all the hill country of Judah and from all the hill country of Israel.
Joshua utterly destroyed them with their cities. 22) There were no Anakim left in the land of
the sons of Israel; only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod some remained.
12) "Now then, give me this hill country about which the LORD spoke on that day, for you heard
on that day that Anakim were there, with great fortified cities; perhaps the LORD will be with me, and
I will drive them out as the LORD has spoken." 13) So Joshua blessed him and gave Hebron to Caleb
the son of Jephunneh for an inheritance. 14) Therefore, Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb
the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite until this day, because he followed the LORD God of Israel fully.
15) Now the name of Hebron was formerly Kiriath-arba; for Arba was the greatest man among the
Anakim. Then the land had rest from war.
31) But the men who had gone up with him said, "We are not able to go up against the people,
for they are too strong for us." 32) So they gave out to the sons of Israel a bad report of the
land which they had spied out, saying, "The land through which we have gone, in spying it out, is a land
that devours its inhabitants; and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great size. 33)
"There also we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and we became like grasshoppers
in our own sight, and so we were in their sight."
4) Then a champion came out from the armies of the Philistines named Goliath, from Gath, whose
height was six cubits and a span. 5) He had a bronze helmet on his head, and he was clothed with
scale-armor which weighed five thousand shekels of bronze. 6) He also had bronze greaves on his
legs and a bronze javelin slung between his shoulders. 7) The shaft of his spear was like a weaver's
beam, and the head of his spear weighed six hundred shekels of iron; his shield-carrier also walked before
him.
15) Now when the Philistines were at war again with Israel, David went down and his servants
with him; and as they fought against the Philistines, David became weary. 16) Then Ishbi-benob,
who was among the descendants of the giant, the weight of whose spear was three hundred shekels of bronze
in weight, was girded with a new sword, and he intended to kill David. 17) But Abishai the son
of Zeruiah helped him, and struck the Philistine and killed him. Then the men of David swore to him,
saying, "You shall not go out again with us to battle, so that you do not extinguish the lamp of Israel."
18) Now it came about after this that there was war again with the Philistines at Gob; then Sibbecai
the Hushathite struck down Saph, who was among the descendants of the giant. 19) There was war
with the Philistines again at Gob, and Elhanan the son of Jaare-oregim the Bethlehemite killed Goliath
the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver's beam. 20) There was war at Gath again,
where there was a man of great stature who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four
in number; and he also had been born to the giant. 21) When he defied Israel, Jonathan the son
of Shimei, David's brother, struck him down. 22) These four were born to the giant in Gath, and
they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.
Emim
The Emim (Hebrew meaning "dreadful ones") lived east of the Jordan. Little else is known about them.
5) In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him, came and defeated the
Rephaim in Ashteroth-karnaim and the Zuzim in Ham and the Emim in Shaveh-kiriathaim,
10) (The Emim lived there formerly, a people as great, numerous, and tall as the Anakim. 11)
Like the Anakim, they are also regarded as Rephaim, but the Moabites call them Emim.
Horim
The Horim occupied the mountain range of Seir. Little else is known about them.
5) In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him, came and defeated
the Rephaim in Ashteroth-karnaim and the Zuzim in Ham and the Emim in Shaveh-kiriathaim, 6) and
the Horites in the hill country of Seir, as far as El Paran near the desert.
10) (The Emim lived there formerly, a people as great, numerous, and tall as the Anakim. 11)
Like the Anakim, they are also regarded as Rephaim, but the Moabites call them Emim. 12) Horites
used to live in Seir, but the descendants of Esau drove them out. They destroyed the Horites from before
them and settled in their place, just as Israel did in the land the LORD gave them as their possession.)
20) (It is also regarded as the land of the Rephaim, for Rephaim formerly lived in it, but the
Ammonites call them Zamzummin, 21) a people as great, numerous, and tall as the Anakim, but the
LORD destroyed them before them. And they dispossessed them and settled in their place, 22) the
LORD had done the same for the descendants of Esau, who lived in Seir, when he destroyed the Horites from
before them. They drove them out and have lived in their place to this day.
Victories over giants would remind the nation of Israel of God's blessings and covenant, and the psalmist
memorialized these victories:
11) Sihon, king of the Amorites, and Og, king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan;
20) And Og, king of Bashan, for His lovingkindness is everlasting,
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