What Were the Nephilim?
image from Attack on Titan
There are only two verses in the Bible that use the word “Nephilim,” and they’re both pretty mysterious. Let’s look at each of them and unpack them.
Genesis 6:4
“The Nephilim walked the earth in those days (and also afterward) when the sons of God(s) entered into the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men of ancient times, men of renown.”
—Genesis 6:4
This verse almost leaves us with more confusion than answers.
“Nephilim” means “Giants”
The Hebrew word for Nephilim means “giants,” which makes it seem like they were extra-tall humanoids.
Nephilim are Half-Human / Half-Sons-of God(s)
It sounds like the Nephilim are what you get when the “sons of God(s)” impregnate human women.
Who are the “Sons of God(s)?”
In the Hebrew, it’s unclear if this term is talking about the sons of God (big G) or the sons of gods (little g). I’m not sure if it’s talking about “big G” God, because John 3:16 says that Jesus is God’s only son.
If it is talking about “big G” God, then maybe when it mentions his “sons,” it’s talking about angels… but impregnating human women doesn’t seem like something God’s servants would do, so maybe it’s talking about fallen angels (aka demons).
If it’s talking about “little g” gods, then that probably means demons.
Either way, my logic leads me to conclude that these were demons. (Although I could be wrong about that.)
They Were Strong
Genesis says that the Nephilim were “mighty men of old, men of renown.” My mind goes straight to Hercules (even though Hercules would have come wayyy after this). But it sounds like they were strong and legends about them were passed down throughout the generations.
Numbers 13:32–33
“…All the people we saw in Canaan are men of great size. We also saw the Nephilim there (Anak’s sons are part of the Nephilim), and we became like grasshoppers to them.”
—Numbers 13:32–33
They Were Probably of Great Size
This verse doesn’t explicitly say that the Nephilim were of great size, but it groups them in with people who were of great size. And it sounds like they made the Israelites feel like tiny grasshoppers compared to them.
Who was Anak?
There are 8 verses in the Bible that mention “Anak.” The word “Anak” means “neck,” which doesn’t tell us too much, but the footnotes say that he was a patriarch of giants who lived in Canaan (modern-day Israel). Numbers 13:28 implies that Anak’s descendants were strong and lived in fortified cities that were “very large.” Deuteronomy 9:2 implies that Anak’s descendants were “great and tall.”
Conclusion
It sounds like the Nephilim were a race of giants who were born from women who had been impregnated by demons. They were strong and lived in Canaan (modern-day Israel).
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