Nephilim נְפִלִים
Mysterious giants mentioned in the pre-flood and post-flood eras.
Who is Nephilim in the Bible?
The Nephilim were a mysterious race of giants mentioned in two distinct periods of biblical history. They first appear in Genesis 6:4, where they existed on earth when "the sons of God" took human wives and fathered children, though scholars debate whether the Nephilim were themselves these offspring or a separate race of mighty men who lived before the flood. The Nephilim appear again in Numbers 13:33, where Israelite spies report encountering giants in Canaan, including descendants of Anak, centuries after the flood. Their identity remains debated, with interpretations ranging from fallen angels to powerful human rulers, but they consistently represent formidable supernatural or semi-divine beings whose presence underscores God's judgment on corrupt humanity before the flood and the obstacles Israel faced in claiming the Promised Land.
Biography
The Nephilim are mysterious figures mentioned in two distinct contexts in the Old Testament. They are first introduced in Gen.6.4, just before the account of the great flood. The passage states that the Nephilim were on the earth when the "sons of God" married the "daughters of men" and had children by them. It also mentions that the Nephilim were mighty men of old, men of renown.
The exact identity of the "sons of God" and the nature of the Nephilim have been the subject of much debate among scholars. Some interpret the "sons of God" as fallen angels who married human women, while others believe they were powerful human rulers or descendants of Seth who intermarried with the descendants of Cain. The Nephilim are often understood as giants or heroic figures who were the offspring of these unions.
The second mention of the Nephilim occurs in Num.13.33, where the Israelite spies report seeing them in Canaan during their reconnaissance mission. The spies describe the Nephilim as descendants of Anak and compare their own size to that of grasshoppers in the sight of these giants.
In Scripture
2 biblical books ; 1 with study contentGenesis 1 verse
- Genesis 6:4
"The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and afterward as well—when the sons of God had relations with the daughters of men. And they bore them children who became the mighty men of old, men of renown."
Study Genesis →
Numbers 1 verse
- Numbers 13:33
"We even saw the Nephilim there—the descendants of Anak that come from the Nephilim! We seemed like grasshoppers in our own sight, and we must have seemed the same to them!”"
Names & Aliases
| Form | Language | Script | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group | Hebrew | נְפִלִים | properly, a feller , i.e. a bully or tyrant |
Nephilim
en.6.4">Ge 6:4, relating to the antediluvians; the other in Nu 13:33, relating to the sons of Anak in Canaan. In the former place the Nephilim are not necessarily to be identified with the children said to be borne "the daughters of men" to "the sons of God" (Ge 6:2,4); indeed, they seem to be distinguished from the latter as upon the earth before this unholy commingling took place (see SONS OF GOD). But it is not easy to be certain as to the interpretation of this strange passage. In the second case they clearly represent men of gigantic stature, in comparison with whom the Israelites felt as if they were "grasshopers." This agrees with Ge 6:4, "the mighty men that were of old, the men of renow." Septuagint, therefore, was warranted in translating by gigantes.
James Orr
ne'-fis.
See NIPHIS.
ne'-fish, ne-fi'-sim, ne-fish'-e-sim, ne-fusim (nephicim, nephucim): The former is