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Giants, Nephilim

Giants on The Earth

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And the story of Nephilims and giants continues…:

Since the offspring of the Nephilim were said to be giants, and because virtually every tradition relating to the Flood and the subsequent arrival of the tutelary gods also has to do with giants, I have spent several years making note of giant lore, both mythological and purportedly historical.

I’ve even taken to the road in an attempt to verify reported discoveries of gigantic skeletons in parts of the United States and UK (without luck, unfortunately). Though such discoveries were widely reported in the mainstream press at the times in which they were made, whatever became of the skeletons remains a mystery.

Some maintain that the orthodoxy of the scientific/archeological community has created a conspiracy of silence around such anomalous finds because they can’t be adequately explained, and thus constitute some sort of threat to the prevailing paradigm. Of course, such finds can only be viewed as anomalies if taken singly. Many such discoveries would constitute the emergence of a pattern – a pattern possibly indicative of the need to rethink the prevailing wisdom.

Fortunately, the ancients charged with the transmission of their people’s history, myth, and folklore felt no need to alter it for public consumption. They simply retold the stories that had been passed down to them by their ancestors. And here too, a pattern emerges, because the creation myths central to so many ancient cultures contain nearly identical themes concerning a race of giants. Often the giants were father gods, tutelary deities, or mythic kings. Often there was a race of giants, frequently said to be the offspring of intermarriage between gods and mortals. Repeatedly, such figures are connected with the legend of a global deluge.

What follows is a brief overview of some figures or groups central to giant lore:

  • The Nephilim: These were the Sons of God who in Genesis interbred with humans, creating a race of giants. They were called “The Watchers” in The Book of Enoch.
  • The Cainites: This was a race of giants descended from Cain who lived in an underworld kingdom called “Arka.” Note that the well-known statement in Genesis that “in those days, and after that, there were giants on the earth” is in fact not what the original text stated. What it really said was “giants in the earth.”(1)
  • The Anakim: This was another name for the Watchers. It means “the descendants of Anak”, or Enoch, Cain’s son. Though it was said that a flood had been sent to destroy them, there were still entire cities of Anakim in Canaan as late as the time of Moses. And Jewish chronicler Josephus states that even in his own day it was not uncommon for people to dig up gigantic skeletal remains. Spies sent by Moses to scout Anakim strongholds reported back that the Anakim were so large that the Hebrews seemed “like grasshoppers” in comparison.
  • The Tritons: This was a race of giant gods, spawned by the interbreeding of Poseidon with a mortal woman named Cleito.(2) In some versions of the story they are part-fish. Some are said to have escaped the flood that destroyed Atlantis.
  • The Titans: These were a Greek race of giants born to Ouranos and Gaia. It is undoubtedly a later retelling of the Triton saga.
  • Atlas: He was the King of Atlantis, and a Triton/giant. He was so large and so strong that he was often represented holding the Earth upon his shoulders.
  • Quetzalcoatl: This was the giant white god who appeared to native South Americans and founded their civilizations, according to their folktales. He too is depicted supporting the Earth on his shoulders, and he told the natives that the civilization from which he originated was destroyed by a flood which he escaped by building a ship.
  • Hercules: He is also a giant, and is said to have piloted an ark.
  • Cuculainn: He is called the Irish Hercules, and came to Ireland in a ship when his homeland was destroyed by a flood. Interestingly, he seems to equate with the South American white god Kukulcan, a figure of “very tall stature” who arrived on a boat telling much the same story.
  • Votan: This is yet another tall white tutelary deity of South America. Once again we see the strange circumstance that his name sounds exactly like that of the Northern European god Wotan, a deity worshipped in an altogether different hemisphere.
  • The Ari: These were a race of Sumerian deified kings. “Ari” is a royal title meaning “the Shining Ones.” They were obviously the prototypes of The Book of Enoch’s Watchers. Numerous Sumerian seals depict them as men of gigantic stature. They are often taller than members of their courts, even when depicted seated on thrones. In the numerous seals that show them standing, they tower above those standing next to them.
  • The Tuatha de Danaan: This was a race of Celtic giants and father gods. Like the Cainites and other giants, they were said to dwell in underground kingdoms or inside hollow mountains. One of the chief deities was Lugus, a name that translates to “shining one”, revealing an astonishing connection to Sumer’s deified giant kings.
  • The Ellu: This was a race of Mesopotamian kings said to be descendants of the gods. Yet again, “Ellu” is a royal court title which translates to “the Shining Ones.” It is thought that “Ellu” was the basis of the word “Elohim”, a term translated generally as “the sons of God.” The Elohim are considered by some to be synonymous with the Nephilim of Genesis.
  • Albion: He was one of the Titan giants fathered by Poseidon. He came to England after the Flood and was for many years the island’s principle god. In those times England was actually called “Albion”, after their Titan god/king. In fact, many British places place-names retain the words “Albion” or “Albany” to this very day.
  • Iberius: A Titan and brother of Albion, he went to Spain after the Flood. And likewise, Spain was for centuries named “Iberia” in his honor.
  • King Arthur: There is some Arthurian lore which claims that he piloted an ark during the Deluge, and this legend also relates that he stood just over nine feet tall. King Henry II, inspired by stories that Arthur was buried at Glastonbury, dispatched a team there to excavate the area. At a depth of nine feet they found a lead cross inscribed with the words: “Here lies the body of King Arthur.” Sixteen feet below that was a stone sarcophagus containing the bones of a man nine feet tall. Skeptics put forth the argument that the lead cross could have been forged by local abbots wishing to draw attention (and donations) to their abbey. Such an argument, however, fails to address the fact that the nine-foot skeleton discovered beneath the cross would tend to negate the notion that this could have been a mere hoax. Later, in the early 1500s, another gigantic coffin was disinterred, and found to contain a skeleton eight feet and three inches tall. History fails to record what became of these later bones, although those of Arthur were respectfully re-interred.
  • The Cyclopses: The Cyclopses were one-eyed giants in Greek mythology. It was said that they built the city of Mycenae in Greece out of massive blocks weighing many tons each. This is why similar constructions found at Baalbek, Lake Titicaca and elsewhere are referred to as having “cyclopean” architecture.
  • The Cabiri: This was a race of giant blacksmith gods said to live in hollowed-out volcanoes. They had tattoos on their foreheads of a large solar disc, leading to speculation that the myth of the one-eyed Cyclopses may have originated with them.
  • The Cimbri: These were giants living in Celtic Gaul. They had long manes of blond hair and a fierce, warlike demeanor, all of which lead them to be compared to lions. They were also known as the “Cimmerians”, which may be suggestive of a Sumerian connection.

It was difficult in writing the foregoing descriptions not to make them all sound incredibly redundant.

But in order to state the basic facts in their simplest form, redundancy was a necessity, because all of these legends involve essentially the same story told over and over again. In some instances, not only were the stories identical, but so too were the names of the protagonists, such as Kukulcan/Cuculainn, and Votan/Wotan.

It is astounding enough that we should see identical myths in places as widely removed from one another as South America and the British Isles, but that the names of the respective flood heroes so echo one another is utterly remarkable. It would seem an altogether reasonable conclusion to draw from such evidence that perhaps these myths might have some basis in truth. Perhaps the figures were indeed real men, and perhaps those men were giants.

But if a real race of giants once inhabited the Earth, why haven’t people in recent centuries been digging up gigantic skeletons? According to author Stephen Quayle, they have. Quayle recently published Genesis 6 Giants, the result of over thirty years of research into Grail lore. The book is replete with biblical and extra-biblical accounts of giants, mythological accounts of giants, profiles on famous giants in history, and countless reports of people across the globe digging up the remains of giants. What follows are a few accounts of such excavations:

  • Item: In 1891, at Crittenden, Arizona, some workers digging the foundation of a new building at a depth of eight feet struck a huge stone sarcophagus. When they were able to open the lid, inside were the remains of a nine-foot tall giant which time had reduced mostly to a pile of dust.
  • Item: While searching in a cave near the great canyon of Barranc de Cobre in northern Mexico in the early 1930s, explorer Paxton Hayes came across 34 mummified men and women. All had blond hair. All rose to heights between seven and eight feet.
  • Item: In 1833, soldiers digging a pit at Lompock Rancho, California unearthed a twelve-foot tall giant with double rows of teeth, both on top and on the bottom. The Lompock giant’s teeth, while unusual, were not unique. Another ancient skeleton later found on Santa Rosa island off the coast of California showed the same dental peculiarity.
  • Item: In 1879, some Indiana archeologists dug into an ancient burial mound in Brewersville, Indiana and unearthed a human skeleton that measured nine feet and eight inches in length. The bones, which were stored in a grain mill, were swept away in the 1937 Flood.
  • Item: In the 1880s, while digging in a mound at Sayre in Bradford County, Pennsylvania, a reputable group of antiquarians found skeletons of humans measuring not only above seven feet tall, but having skulls with horns (located about two inches above the eyebrows.) The diggers, including two professors and a Pennsylvania state historian, turned what they found over to the American Investigating Museum in Philadelphia, but the bones were afterwards either misplaced, stolen, or lost.
  • Item: In 1903, on an archeological outing at Fish Creek, Montana, Professor S. Farr and his group of Princeton University students came across several burial mounds. Choosing one to dig into, they unearthed the skeleton of a man about nine feet tall. Next to him were the bones of a woman who had been almost as tall.
  • Item: Nature, in its December 17, 1891 issue, reported that at a depth of fourteen feet into a large Ohio burial mound, excavators found the skeleton of a massive man in copper armor. He wore a copper cap, while copper moldings encased his jaws. Copper armor also protected his arms, chest and stomach. At his side lay the skeleton of a woman, probably his wife.
  • Item: In the 1860s, some excavators digging up a hill in Marion, Ohio uncovered thirty skeletons who ranged in height from seven to eight feet.
  • Item: In the early years of the twentieth century, a team clearing out bat guano from a cavern near Lovelock, Nevada discovered several giant cadavers measuring well over eight feet in height. Their hair, still intact, was said to have been long and “reddish” in color.

The foregoing accounts, taken almost in their entirety from Quayle’s Genesis 6 Giants, have been culled from a wide variety of sources, and represent only a small sample of those documented.

They are largely reports from the United States, but reveal striking similarities to kindred finds in Europe, South America, the British Isles, Africa, China, the Middle and Near-East, Australia, and New Zealand – that is to say, virtually every corner of the earth.

Though the tales vary in detail, the fundamentals of the stories are often quite cohesive: giants corpses, frequently with light-colored hair, generally buried at a depth of between nine and twelve feet, and often interred with artifacts made of copper. Some accounts report the presence of items bearing strange hieroglyphs or symbols. That several of these finds were excavated from burial mounds seems to lend credence to the stories told to early settlers by Native Americans, i.e., that they didn’t know who built the mounds, because they were already there at the time that the “natives” arrived.

A number of Native American tribes (such as those in Colorado) have folk tales relating that a race of giants lived in America at a time prior to when their ancestors came there. Still others tell the story that a group of giant white gods came to live among them, after their own homeland (called the “White Man’s Island”) was destroyed by a flood.

It is almost a certainty that some Native American tribes not only coexisted with the giants, but also interbred with them, because the earliest explorers to the New World repeatedly documented coming into contact with Indian tribes of gigantic stature. Such episodes are noted in the chronicles of Amerigo Vespucci, Magellan, Coronado, De Soto, and Sir Francis Drake, both in North and South America.

Though the numerous accounts cited earlier are compelling, and are certainly supported by the eyewitness accounts of some of the world’s most esteemed and illustrious explorers, the sad fact remains that the most persistent commonality between all of these tales seems to be that the bones – the physical evidence – have all somehow gone missing.

In some instances, this can be explained by the fact that local authorities, presuming the remains to be the property of indigenous peoples (Native Americans, Aborigines, Maoris, etc.), simply turned them over to tribal chieftains for reburial, and this without taking a single photograph, X-Ray, or DNA sample for testing (so as not to profane the relics).

Of course, the lion’s share of these discoveries were made in the 1800s, and many far earlier, at a time in which the rights of indigenous peoples and regard for their religious institutions constituted a matter of far less circumspection than in recent years. If, as Stephen Quayle seems convinced, there is a concerted conspiracy of silence surrounding this archeological evidence, then it is a conspiracy of, well, gigantic proportions.

The accounts of these giant remains are too numerous and too far-flung for all of them to have been lost, stolen, or secreted away. And yet, I truly believe the accounts. They are supported not only by an overwhelming body of evidence found in mythology, but an equally overwhelming body of archeological evidence.

Witness the ruins of the many cyclopean cities referred to earlier. No one knows with any certainty either who built them, or (more importantly) how they were built. Witness the vast complexes of tunnels and underground cities associated with the fallen angels, and recall that many of their myths include the detail that they dwelt in underground kingdoms.

Again, no one knows who built these cities or how they were built. But an interesting fact to keep in mind is that the tunnels associated with them were generally nine, ten, or even twelve feet in ceiling height (the same average heights as those of the giant skeletons found). Such tunnels can be found in South America, the Middle East, and even the Pacific Northwest of the United States. They are reputed to exist still undiscovered in Europe, Egypt, and the British Isles.

Regular readers of this magazine will already be aware of what a pivotal role the story of the Watchers plays in regards to our own research into the Grail mythos and the bloodline connected to it. So many avenues of inquiry central to our own basic thesis seem to have a direct relationship to the Giant lore connected with the Watchers. The kings of Atlantis? Giants. The Shining Ones? Giants. King Arthur, a figure central to the Grail lore? Also a giant.

One of the first well-known paintings on the theme of Arcadia, Et in Arcadia Ego by Guercino, depicts a fairly straightforward and seemingly insignificant scene of a man gazing upon an apparently trepanned skull. When I looked at it, there seemed to be no hidden symbolism discernable. Until, that is, I noticed what appeared to be an odd disparity in proportion.

The skull, for as close as it was relative to the onlooker, seemed far larger than it should have been.

Et in Arcadia Ego, Guercino Et in Arcadia Ego, Poussin
Shepherd’s Monument

Since the painter’s execution of this painting seemed masterly in every other respect, I concluded that perhaps his intent was to portray an oversized skull.

Perhaps it represented the skeletal head of one of the primordial patriarchs of the Grail bloodline. If, as has been said, the grave of an ancient sacred king were somehow at Rennes-le-Chateau, perhaps those discovering it would open the tomb of a giant, a descendant of the Nephilim.

As time passed, and our research progressed, this initially abstract idea seemed increasingly possible. After reading ancient apocryphal texts which indicated that a number of biblical patriarchs were giants, it seemed altogether probable. Ultimately, reading about Abraham’s burial in the Cave of Treasures, I came to suspect that something far more profound might lie in wait at Rennes-le-Chateau.

Abraham was an astrologer and magician who was said to have “traced his ancestry back to the Giants.” Upon his death, his body was carried to the Cave of Treasures, an underground necropolis where the bodies of all previous patriarchs were also interred, down to and including Adam and Eve.

In addition, the Cave included treasures, relics, and a sacred archive of his progenitors. While treasures and relics are of interest to archeologists and museum-going looky-loos, and sacred archives can be dismissed by academics as mere superstitious hyperbole, such items found in the context of a necropolis of gigantic skeletons might well constitute the basis for a rethinking of world history. These people constituted a living remnant of the antediluvian world, the mythological “First Time.”

And since myth and history record that their final resting place was together, in a single location, I can only assume that they are still there.


 Endnotes:

(1) Editor’s note: The latter quote is in fact what can be found in the King James version of the Bible.

(2) Editor’s note: According to Plato, the race descended from these two figures were the kings of Atlantis, but he does not connect them to the Tritons.

Source

 

Giants, Nephilim

Enoch & the Nephilim – The Evidence Mounts

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When I research I always find references to Nephilim and the Watchers. So here’s what Enoch has to say about them:

Giovanni_Lanfranco_Norandino_and_Lucina_Discovered_by_the_Ogre1-570x398

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The Evidence Mounts

“More and more we are finding that mythology in general though greatly contorted very often has some historic base. And the interesting thing is that one myth which occurs over and over again in many parts of the world is that somewhere a long time ago supernatural beings had sexual intercourse with natural women and produced a special breed of people.”

–Francis A. Schaeffer

Evidence for the existence of the Nephilim goes beyond the biblical record. The story of Lamech, found in the Genesis Apocryphon, relates how Lamech had been away from home on a long journey. When he finally came back, he discovered to his chagrin, that his wife, Bat-Enosh (sometimes spelled as “Bit- Enosh,” i.e. the daughter of Enosh) had given birth to a baby boy in his absence. He was sure that the child had not been sired by him, and what is more, the child bore no resemblance to him or to anyone else in the family. Adding to the mystery was the fact that the boy was extremely beautiful, and when he opened his eyes he lighted up the whole house.

“I have begotten a strange son,” said Lamech, “…his nature is different and he is not like us, and his eyes are as the rays of the sun, and his countenance is glorious. And it seems to be that he is not sprung from me but from the Angels…” (1)

Lamech did what most husbands would have done: he reproached his wife for infidelity. Bat-Enosh, however, swore by all that was sacred that Lamech himself must have fathered the child. She had not known any other man, not a stranger and note this–not a Watcher or Heavenly Being.

How enlightening for our study! Who were these Watchers or Heavenly Beings? According to the Book of Daniel they were fallen angels (Daniel 4:13,17, 23).

Here is the statement made by Bat-Enosh as it reads in the Lamech Scroll:

“My lord and kinsman, remember my delicate feelings. How (ever), the occasion is indeed alarming, and my soul (is writhing) in it’s sheath. I will tell you everything truly.”

Then she saw how perturbed her husband was, and decided to repress her passion and indignation a little:

“My lord and kinsman, (I will ignore) delicate feelings and swear to you by the Holy (and) Great One, the Sovereign of heaven (and earth) that this seed came from you, conception was by you, and this fruit was planted by you and not by some stranger or any of the Watchers or heavenly beings. (Have done with) this troubled and marred expression and this gloomy mood. I am telling you the truth.” (2)

Lamech by this time must have begun to realize that the child born could have been conceived by one of these Watchers or Heavenly Beings. If so, his child belonged to the Nephilim.

MYSTERY OF NOAH’S BIRTH

Not completely sure as to what to believe, Lamech sought the advice of his father on the matter. Methuselah listened attentively as Lamech revealed this strange story, then promised his son that he would seek the advice of his father, the wise and godly Enoch. Since the family’s reputation was at stake, something had to be done.

Enoch, whose name meant “the intelligent” or “the learned,” sensed the meaning of what had happened. He sent Methuselah home with the disturbing news that the Earth would soon be visited by a terrible catastrophe and judgment. It was clear that corruption had taken place, and that the human race had become tainted. God would soon be moving in judgment, and human flesh would perish. And as for this little boy, whose birth remained a mystery, he should be raised by Lamech, and should be called Noah. What is more, little Noah had been specially chosen by God to survive this coming judgment, and would be the progenitor of the new inhabitants of planet Earth.

Despite the mystery surrounding his birth, Noah could not be one of the Nephilim, as we shall see in a later chapter. There is no doubt, however, that the unusual circumstances of his birth convinced Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech and Bat-Enosh that strange things were happening on the Earth.

The Genesis Apocryphon is not the only extrabiblical documentation. Numerous other documents indicate the existence of the Nephilim. I do not place these documents on par with Scripture, nevertheless they seem to corroborate Scripture. My sole purpose for introducing them is simply to state that they exist and that they share common features with the Scriptures.

 

My task is similar to that of Montaigne:

“Gentlemen, all I have done is make a bouquet from flowers already picked, adding nothing but the string to tie them together.” (3)

One such document is the Book of Enoch. This is a composite volume, and, although not know in Europe until the 18th Century, it was a veritable best-seller in the days of Christ. In the centuries immediately preceding and following the coming of Christ, this book was widely read and discussed, and its impact was tremendous. Without question it is the most notable apocalyptical work outside the canonical Scriptures. R. H. Charles, an outstanding authority in this field tells us that,

“the influence of 1 Enoch on the New Testament has been greater than that of all the other apocryphal and pseudoepigraphical books put together.”

For one thing, the book of Enoch gave to the world the concept of a pre-existent Messiah, and by so doing prepared the way for Christian doctrine. It was from this same book that the Manual of Discipline (found at Qumran) received its solar calendar. What is more, this book became so influential that it became an exemplar and a catalyst for the burgeoning apocalyptic literature of the time. Indeed, it can be claimed, that the Book of Enoch was one of the most important apocalyptic books ever written.

Tertullian and some of the other Church Fathers considered it of such import that they included it as part of the sacred canon of Scripture. Jude 14 is a direct quote from Enoch 1:9, 5:4, and 27:2. There is also in the Book of Enoch a doctrine that one finds nowhere else. Other authors tell us that each nation has its sar or parton, and that of Israel was Michael, or sometimes God Himself. However, in the Book of Enoch we are told that,

“God was Israel’s shepherd till the last years of the Kingdom of Judah; then in disgust He turned them over, not to their own guardian, but to the sarim of the Gentiles.” (4)

An amazing book! Such a doctrine prefigures and predicts the “times of the Gentiles” mentioned in the Bible. Yet, of all mysteries, this book remained neglected for more than 1,800 years, and continues to remain neglected, and even shunned, in the 20th Century.

ENOCH

Who was this Enoch, whose name is attached to the book? Enoch is mentioned in the Scriptures, but we are told little about him. Just four verses in all–two in the Old Testament, and two in the New. That little, however, is sufficient to distinguish him as one of the outstanding men of all times. He is listed as the seventh of the ten patriarchs between Adam and Noah. He was the father of Methuselah, the man holding the world’s record for longevity. Interestingly, Enoch became a believer and started “walking with God” after his son was born. Soon he became known for his exceptional piety and godliness. The most remarkable fact of all is that he did not die.

“Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.”

He is one of the only two men mentioned in the Bible who were translated to Heaven without tasting death.

In the Book of Enoch other significant facts are given about this patriarch. It claims that Enoch will return to Earth at the end of time, and that he will be one of the two martyrs (or witnesses) slain on the streets of Jerusalem.

The Book of Yasher adds still more detail. It tells how Enoch would periodically withdraw himself from earthly company, and visit the ten heavens. He would then return to Earth with a divine luster on his face, just as Moses emerged from the presence of God on Mt. Sinai, and knew not that his face shone. Such was the regard in which Enoch was held by some of the Jewish mystics that they referred to him as “the lesser Yahweh”– a title bordering on the blasphemous.

In the Book of Jude (verses 14-15), we are told of a prophecy Enoch made concerning the coming of the Lord. This may well be the oldest literary statement in existence. In it, Enoch predicts:

“Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”

It is obvious that Jude had access to the Book of Enoch, and he did not hesitate to quote from it.

Most scholars claim that the Book of Enoch could not have been written by the Enoch of the Bible. Because of this, the book is labeled a pseudoepigrapha. What happened, they suggest, is that a much later author compiled the work–probably around the 2nd Century B.C.–and used a number of different sources. The author then added the name of the biblical Enoch. In this way, he was assured of the book’s acceptance! Whether or not this was so, is not our present concern. But even if it were true, it is obvious that the compiler of the book must have used ancient sources that were at his disposal. He was not so much the author as the compiler or redactor of the book. What could be more honest, more modest, than for a compiler to attach to his book not his own name but that of his oldest source. And who older than Enoch?

AN ANCIENT ASTRONAUT

Enoch obviously had access to knowledge and information completely beyond the reach of mortal man at that stage in man’s development. Some of this knowledge Enoch couches in terminology that is allegorical and symbolical, and its meaning frequently escapes us. However, beneath the abstruse verbal descriptions there is some amazing data. The fact that it is conveyed in imaginative and allegorical terminology should not be allowed to detract from its basic accuracy.

The important question in considering the Book of Enoch is whether it contains any reference to the strange and bizarre event recorded in Genesis 6? Does it have anything to say about the “sons of God” and the “daughters of men” coming together in sexual union? Yes it does, many times. It contributes a number of details not found in the Genesis record. But none of these facts contradict in any way what is told us in Genesis. Instead, they elaborate on the facts already given. What, then, is this additional information?

One item of interest is Enoch’s account of a visit to the “fifth heaven,” where he saw giants with their “faces withered, and the silence of their mouth perpetual.” Enoch calls them the “Grogori” or “fallen angels,” who broke their vows, married the daughters of men, and “befouled the earth with their deeds.” He also mentions that “giants were born and marvelous big men and great enmity.”

THE WATCHERS

Significantly, the Book of Enoch (like the Genesis Apocryphon) refers to these “sons of God” as Watchers. A term, as already noted, found in the Book of Daniel. (5) Why this particular word should be used, we are not told; possibly because part of their function was to keep vigil. R.H.C. Charles, who translates the word “watchers” as “the angels, the children of heaven,” obviously believed they referred to one and the same beings.

The Book of Enoch alleges that two hundred of these Watchers descended to Earth in the days of Jared (Genesis 5:18), and some of them are given names. The worst one of all is called Azazel. The name occurs in other Jewish documents, like the Apocalypse of Abraham. Azazel is accused of having “scattered over the earth the secrets of heaven and hath rebelled against the Mighty One.” His name is also found in ancient Jewish ritual concerning the Day of Atonement. On that day, the iniquities of the people of Israel were laid on the scapegoat, and then the scapegoat was driven away “to Azazel, to the wilderness” (Leviticus 16). Azazel was a demon who inhabited a region in the Judean wilderness.

There is an interesting aside on Azazel in a brilliant essay by Dr. Jacob Z. Lauterbach explaining certain “stray references to the activity of Satan on Yom Kippur.” The ritual of that day, said Lauterbach, sought to negate Satan’s efforts in three ways: The Azazel sacrifice to appease him; the smoke of the incense to drive him away; and the white robes of the High Priest, so different from his usual vestments, a disguise to mislead him. (6)

In the Book of Jubilees a different reason is given as to why the Watchers came to Earth. It was in order “to instruct the children of men and to bring about justice and equity on the Earth.” However, the story ends in the same way: instead of instigating justice and equity, they lusted after the women of Earth, and merited the full judgment of God.

SECRETS OF THE COSMETIC TRADE

According to the Book of Enoch, these Watchers instructed the people of Earth in many studies, including the use of charms and enchantments, the arts of magic, and the secrets of the cosmetic trade. And the Book of Jubilees adds to the list, “a medical herbal” which Noah wrote down at the dictation of the angels.

It is interesting how the early Church Fathers used some of these details for preaching purposes and moralistic instruction. Foremost among these was Tertullian, and certainly one of the most original. He asks with astringent irony why should the angels have to instruct the women of Earth in the cosmetic arts? Surely, if they had succeeded in charming angels without any cosmetic aids, it were an easy matter to charm men!

ASTROLOGY, WEAPONS, ET AL

Another study in which the Watchers instructed earthlings was astrology, with all its concomitant evils. And last but not least, they instructed men how to fashion weapons of destruction, particularly swords, knives and shields. Comyns Beumont deduces that they also made ammunition, and even explosives. (7)

The Book of Enoch confirms the Book of Genesis to the letter when it states:

“There arose much godlessness, and they committed fornication, and they were led astray, and became corrupt in all their ways.” (8)

Things got so bad on planet Earth, according to the Book of Enoch, that the archangels of heaven–Michael, Uriel and Gabriel— reported the matter to the Most High God:

The whole earth has been filled with blood and unrighteousness. And now, behold, the souls of those who have died are crying and making their suit to the gates of heaven, and their lamentations have ascended; and cannot cease because of the lawless deeds which are wrought upon the earth.

CLASSIFIED MATERIAL

God was moved to anger at these Watchers, because of the horrible practices that they had introduced upon the Earth. And there was something else: God was angry at the fact that they had disclosed certain secrets, and were teaching them to their sons, the Nephilim. We are not told exactly what these secrets were, except that they were “eternal secrets” which men of Earth were striving to learn, and which God did not intend for fallen man to discover.

Things deteriorated rapidly, and soon the Nephilim were practicing the most repulsive and revolting behavior. They began to “devour one another’s flesh, and drink the blood.” This cannibalism shocked even the depraved citizens of Earth, to the extent that they brought accusation against the Watchers.

Enoch is instructed by the Most High to deliver this warning to the Watchers:

“Enoch, thou scribe of righteousness, go, declare to the watchers of heaven, who have left the high heaven, the holy eternal place, and have defiled themselves with women, and have done as the children of earth do, and have taken unto themselves wives: ‘Ye have wrought great destruction on the earth: And ye shall have no peace nor forgiveness of sin.'”

These same Watchers in turn approached Enoch to mediate on their behalf, and to write out a petition in their favor. God, however, rejects the petition and Enoch is summoned to speak to the Watchers again:

“Go, say to the Watchers of heaven, who have sent thee to intercede for them: ‘Ye should intercede for men, and not men for you. Wherefore have ye left high, holy and eternal heaven, and lain with women and defiled yourselves with the daughters of men, and taken wives unto yourselves and done like the child of earth and begotten giants as sons. And although ye were holy, spiritual living and eternal life, you have defiled yourselves with the blood of women, and have begotten children with the blood of flesh, have lusted after flesh and blood as those who do die and perish.'”

And as for the giants or Nephilim produced by them:

“The giants, who are produced from the spirits and flesh, shall be called evil spirits upon the earth…Evil spirits have proceeded from their bodies; because they are born from men and from the holy Watchers is their beginning and primal origin… And the spirits of the giants afflict, oppress, attack, do battle, and work destruction on the earth…And these spirits shall rise up against the children of men and against the women, because they have proceeded from them…thus shall they destroy until the day of the consummation, the great judgment in which the age shall be consummated over the Watchers and the godless, yea, shall be wholly consummated. And now as to the Watchers… say to them therefore: ‘Ye have no peace.'”

Such was the message given to Enoch, who transmitted it to the Watchers and their progeny on Earth.

The next question is: How was this information preserved for us? How did the succeeding generation learn these facts? The Book of Enoch supplies the answer:

“And now, my son Methuselah, I tell thee everything and write it down for thee: I have revealed everything to thee, and handed thee the books which have to do with all these things. My son Methuselah, preserve the books that come from thy father’s hand and hand them on to the coming generations of the world.”

Enoch was also given a message to deliver to Noah, telling him that the whole Earth was to be destroyed. He was also to instruct Noah in the way of escape, so that his seed be preserved for all generations.

Unquestionably, the Book of Enoch confirms the biblical record that the Earth was defiled and polluted by the incursion of extraterrestrial beings, and particularly by their shameful behavior with the “daughters of men.” And as in the Book of Genesis, so in the Book of Enoch, God is incensed with this sexual coupling between celestial and terrestrial beings, and begins to move in an act of terrible judgment.

“And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth” (Genesis 6:7).

 

THE SONS OF JARED

Other books, like The Book of Jubilee add a few more details to this awesome story. It reveals the date when these heavenly Watchers descended to Earth–461 Annus Mundi, a date which Bishop Usher would interpret as 3543 B.C. It also notes that these Watchers were specifically associated with Jared, the fifth in line from Adam.

Interestingly, there is an American organization called “ The Sons of Jared.” Their publication is called, “The Jaredite Advocate.” The aim of this group, as far as one is able to understand is to declare war on all the descendants of the Watchers–including notorious kings and dictators, who have tyrannized mankind. A sort of celestial Mafia!

Regarding this association with Jared, the Book of Jubilees tells us:

“And in the second week of the tenth jubilee of Mahalelel took unto him a wife Dinah, the daughter of Barakel, the daughter of his brother’s brother and she bore him a son in the sixth year and he called his name Jared for in his days the angels of the Lord descended on the earth, those so named the Watchers.” (9)

OTHER ANCIENT DOCUMENTS

Another minor source of data is the Zadokite Document. This was discovered about a half century ago in the attic of an old synagogue in Cairo and is thought to be related to the Dead Sea Scrolls. This document also refers to the descent of the Watchers, and to their giant offspring:

“Because they walked in the stubbornness of their hearts, the Watchers of heaven fell, yea, they were caught thereby because they kept not the commandments of God. So too their sons whose bodies were as mountains. They also fell.” (10)

The Apocalypse of Baruch is another ancient document which confirms the story of the fallen angels. Written in Syriac, it adds this new concept to the story of the fallen angels: that the source of the corruption was the sinfulness of mankind. It was human sin that caused the angels to fall.

A series of booklets called The Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs, purporting to come from the twelve sons of Jacob, (11) also refer to the fallen angels. They contain nothing like the detail of the Book of Enoch, but they do make an interesting statement: the women of Earth were the prime movers in alluring and enticing the angels. In this they agree with the Apocalypse of Baruch. They also introduce a brand new element, suggesting that the act in which the angels and the women participated was more psychological than physical:

“Thus they allured the Watchmen before the flood, for as these continually beheld them, they lusted after them and conceived the act in their mind; for they changed themselves into the shape of men and appeared to them when they were with their husbands; and the women, lusting in their minds after their forms, gave birth to giants.” (12)

It appears from this Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs that the “lusting” and the “conceiving” were in the mind. Nonetheless, the results were physical enough–they gave birth to giants!

Jewish documents are not the only ones which refer to fallen angels. The Koran contains brief reference to two angels, Harut and Maru who came to Earth. Their fall takes place when a beautiful woman appears before them. The angels had been warned in advance that there were three things they were not to do: admit existence of other gods; murder; drink intoxicants. It was precisely these three things that the charming woman demanded, if the angels were to enjoy her favors. Finally the angels agreed to drink wine–as the least of the three sins–and their paramour granted their desires.

FOLKLORE AND FABLES

Another source of information is the abundance of myths, legends, folklore and fables that speak of “giants” upon the Earth in ancient times, and how there was sexual union between demi-gods from Heaven and women from Earth. Many scholars believe that myths emerged from a kernel of historical fact. According to Andrew Tomas, mythology and folklore are “thought- fossils depicting the story of vanished cultures in symbols and allegories.” If this is so, do we find anything in myths and legends resembling the bizarre event of Genesis 6? There are indeed numerous such traditions among many nations.

Most people are acquainted with the mythologies of ancient Greece and Rome. The gods or semi-gods in these traditions go under different names, but their behavior has a common denominator. Whether these gods are called Zeus or Jupiter, Poseidon or Neptune, Aphrodite or Venus, Eros or Cupid…their sex orgies, promiscuities, cruelties and violence are all of the same cloth. And so are their offspring.

The Genesis story, according to Tom Horner, corresponds precisely to the Age of the Heroes in ancient Greece. These heroes were also “spawned by divine fathers and human mothers. One of them was Hercules.” (14)

The story of Zeus also is well known. Promotheus was aware of the secret that Zeus had no control over his lusts, and aware also of the names of the women whom he would seduce. Because of this and other reasons, Zeus planned for Promotheus to be chained in the Caucasius, where an eagle would feed on his liver each day. But each night his liver would be renewed. In this way, the torture of Promotheus was endless. Eventually however, he and Zeus were reconciled. But cruelty was not the only distinctive of Zeus. There seemed to be no boundaries or limits to his lust, and numerous women were seduced by him, including Thetis, Europa, Leda, Metis and Dione.

 

Emile Gaverluk says:

“Zeus’ amorous victories illustrate the. actions of uncontrolled spirit-beings lusting after human flesh. The whole story of Greek mythology is an expanded version of that astonishing verse in the Bible: ‘The sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair, and took them wives of all they chose.’ (Genesis 6.-2)…The mythology of the past is a startling revelation of the uncontrolled behavior of both spirit-beings and rebellious man.” (15)

But the mythologies of Greece and Rome are not the only ones that relate such strange events. Erich Von Daniken has supplied us with a wealth of samples from around the world. (16) We admit that his speculative outbursts frequently outmatch his theological soundness, nevertheless we are indebted to him for bringing to our attention many incontrovertible facts which others had left buried and undisturbed.

  • Ancient Sumerian records tell of gods descending from the stars and fertilizing their ancestors. This interbreeding of gods from heaven and women from earth is supposed to have produced the first men upon earth.
  • The native inhabitants of Malekula, in the New Hebrides believe that the first race of men were direct descendants of the sons of heaven.
  • The Incas held that they were the descendants of the “sons of the Sun.”
  • The Teutons claimed that their ancestors came with the flying Wanen.
  • Some of the South Sea islanders trace their ancestry to one of the gods of heaven, who visited them in an enormous gleaming egg.
  • The Koreans believed that a heavenly king, “Hwanin,” sent his son, “Hwanung,” to earth, married an earth woman who gave birth to Tangun Wanggom. It was he who was supposed to have welded all the primitive tribes together into one kingdom.
  • The ancient tradition Tango-Fudoki in Japan tells the story of the Island Child. The only difference here is that it was a man from earth and a maiden from heaven that came together in marriage, and spent their time together in heaven and not on earth.
  • From India comes the Mahabharata and other ancient Sanskrit texts, which tell of “gods” begetting children with women of earth, and how these children inherited the “supernatural” skills and learning of their fathers.
  • A similar mythology is found in the Epic of Gilgamesh, where we read of “watchers” from outer space coming to planet Earth, and producing giants.
  • An early Persian myth tells that before the coming of Zoroaster, demons had corrupted the Earth, and allied themselves with women.

When these and many other accounts, are all tied together, they amaze us by their common core. Each one refers, with slight variations, to the traffic between “the sons of God” and “the daughters of men”; to the sexual activities in which they engaged; and to the unusual and abnormal offspring they produced. A further convincing element in this string of samples, is that these myths and legends belong to people so far removed from each other by time, space and language that collaboration or conspiracy is out of the question. How then does one explain this phenomenon?

FABLE OR FACT

Could it be, that at some distant point in time these bizarre events actually did take place? Rather than being the fertile product of the imagination of primitive man, they were simply man’s crude description of what actually happened? Beings from Heaven and beings from Earth did actually come together, did generate children, and did produce the Nephilim.

Later, of course, many of these myths and legends developed an overgrowth of fictional imagery and imaginative fantasy, which clung to them like moss to the mill. There can be little doubt, however, that beneath this dense overgrowth lies the plant of truth. What began history, ended up as legend.

Above all else, we are convinced that the Bible speaks of these things. The basic message of the apocryphal documents and the various mythologies find corroboration in God’s Word. Spirit beings from outer space did arrive on Earth, and did produce these unnatural offspring. By this cross-breeding, man became more and more absorbed with evil and violence; the human race became tainted and corrupted; and soon the Earth was unsalvagable. These extraterrestrial being by means of genetic manipulation had succeeded in contaminating God’s special creation; so much so, that their destruction, as well as that of man became a moral necessity.

Notes:

1.   R. H. C. Charles, Fragments of the Book of Noah (London: Oxford University Press).
2.   Theodor H. Gaster, The Dead Sea Scriptures (Garden City, New York: Doubleday and Co., Inc., 1956), p. 257.
3.   Michel Eyquem de Montaign (1533-92).
4.   Bernard J. Bamberger, Fallen Angels (Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society of America, 1952), p. 25.
5.   Daniel 4:13, 17, 23.
6.   Jacob Z. Lauterbach, Hebrew Union College Annual, IV, 173ff.
7.   Comyns Beaumont, The Riddle of Prehistoric Britain (London: Rider & Co., Ltd.).
8.   Trans. by R.H.C. Charles, (London).
9.   Dr. R.H.C. Charles, The Book of Jubilees (London: A & C Black, 1902).
10. Theodore H. Gaster, The Scriptures of the Dead Sea Sect (London: Secker & Wartburg, 1957).
11. Bernard J. Bamberger, Fallen Angels (Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society of America, 1952), p. 27.
12. Ibid., p. 31.
13. Andrew Tomas, We Are Not The First (New York: Bantam Books, Inc., 1973).
14. Tom Hoover, Sex in the Bible (Rutland, Vermont: Charles E. Tuttle Co., 1974), p. 145.
15. Emil Gaverluk, Did Genesis Man Conquer Space? (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1974), p. 89.
16. Erich Von Daniken, Gods from Outer Space (New York: Bantam Books, Inc., 1972) pp. 161-162.

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Giants, Nephilim

Did Ancient Biotech Create “Nephilim”? Will Modern Science Bring Them Again?

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I have always been interest in giants and nephilims. Here’s another article about how modern science could resurrect these beasts:

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The benei Elohim saw the daughters of Adam, that they were fit extensions

(Gen 6:2, Interlinear Hebrew Bible)

In the study of the Old Testament Book of Genesis, beings of great stature called “giants” appear, which some scholars believe came into existence after powerful angels known as ‘Watchers’ descended to earth and used women (or their biological matter) to construct bodies of flesh, which they used to “extend” themselves into the material world.

The Apocryphal books of Enoch, 2 Esdras, Genesis Aprocryphon and Jasher support the Genesis story, adding that the sin of the angels grew to include genetic modification of animals as well as humans.

The Book of Jasher, mentioned in the Bible in Joshua 10:13 and 2 Samuel 1:18, says,

“After the fallen angels went into the daughters of men, the sons of men taught the mixture of animals of one species with the other, in order to provoke the Lord”

(4:18)

This clear reference to the Genesis 6 record illustrates that “animals” were included in whatever cross-species experiments were being conducted, and that this activity resulted in judgment from God.

The Book of Enoch also supports this record, saying that after the fallen angels merged their DNA with women, they,

“began to sin against birds, and beasts, and reptiles, and fish”

(7:5,6)

The Old Testament contains associated reference to genetic mutations, which developed among humans following this activity, including unusual size, physical strength, six fingers, six toes, animal appetite for blood and even lion-like features among men (2 Sam 21:20; 23:20).

What if, by corrupting the species barrier in which each creature was to recreate after its “own kind,” Watchers had successfully mingled human-animal DNA and combined the hereditary traits of different species into a single new mutation?

An entirely new being—Nephilim—might have suddenly possessed the combined intelligence and instincts (seeing, hearing, smelling, reacting to the environment) of several life forms and in ways unfamiliar to creation.


Will modern biotechnology resurrect Nephilim?

Today, molecular biologists classify the functions of genes within native species but are unsure in many cases how a gene’s coding might react from one species to another. In recombinant DNA technology, a “transgenic” organism is created when the genetic structure of one species is altered by the transfer of a gene or genes from another.

This could change not only the genetic structure of the modified animal and its offspring, but its evolutionary development, sensory modalities, disease propensity, personality and behavior traits among other things.

Such transgenic tinkering already exists in many parts of the world including the United States, Britain and Australia where animal eggs are being used to create hybrid human embryos from which stem cell lines can be produced for medical research.

A team at Newcastle and Durham universities in the UK recently announced plans to,

“create hybrid rabbit and human embryos, as well as other ‘chimera’ embryos mixing human and cow genes.”

More alarmingly, the same researchers have already managed to reanimate tissue,

“from dead human cells in another breakthrough which was heralded as a way of overcoming ethical dilemmas over using living embryos for medical research” (1)

In the United States, similar studies led Irv Weissman, director of Stanford University’s Institute of Cancer/Stem Cell Biology and Medicine in California to create mice with partly human brains, causing some ethicists to raise the issue of “humanized animals” in the future that could become “self aware” as a result of genetic modification.

Even the President of the United States, George W. Bush in his January 31st, 2006 State of the Union Address called for legislation to,

“prohibit…. creating human-animal hybrids, and buying, selling, or patenting human embryos.”

Not everybody shares these concerns.

A radical, international, intellectual, and cultural movement known as “Transhumanism” supports the use of new sciences including genetic modification to enhance human mental and physical abilities and aptitudes so that,

“human beings will eventually be transformed into beings with such greatly expanded abilities as to merit the label ‘posthuman'” (2)

I have personally debated leading transhumanist, Dr. James Hughes on his weekly syndicated talk show, Changesurfer Radio. Hughes is Executive Director of the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies and teaches at Trinity College in Hartford Connecticut.

He is also the author of “Citizen Cyborg: Why Democratic Societies Must Respond to the Redesigned Human of the Future“, a sort of Bible for transhumanist values.

Dr. Hughes joins a growing body of academics, bioethicists and sociologists who support,

“large-scale genetic and neurological engineering of ourselves….[a] new chapter in evolution [as] the result of accelerating developments in the fields of genomics, stem-cell research, genetic enhancement, germ-line engineering, neuro-pharmacology, artificial intelligence, robotics, pattern recognition technologies, and nanotechnology…. at the intersection of science and religion [which has begun to question] what it means to be human…” (3)

In related development, Case Law School in Cleveland was awarded a $773,000 grant in April 2006 from the National Institutes of Health to develop guidelines,

“for the use of human subjects in what could be the next frontier in medical technology – genetic enhancement.”

Maxwell Mehlman, Arthur E. Petersilge Professor of Law, director of the Law-Medicine Center at the Case Western Reserve University School of Law, and professor of bioethics in the Case School of Medicine is leading the team of,

“law professors, physicians, and bioethicists in the two-year project to develop standards for tests on human subjects in research that involves the use of genetic technologies to enhance ‘normal’ individuals – to make them smarter, stronger, or better-looking” (4)

Other law schools including Stanford and Oxford have recently hosted “Human Enhancement and Technology” conferences where transhumanists, futurists, bioethicists and legal scholars merged to discuss the ethical and legal ramifications of post-humans.

In his book “Life, Liberty and the Defense of Dignity – The Challenges of Bioethics“, the former chairman of the President’s Council on Bioethics, Leon Kass provided a status report on where we stand today regarding transhumanism.

He warned in the introduction that,

“Human nature itself lies on the operating table, ready for alteration, for eugenic and psychic ‘enhancement,’ for wholesale redesign. In leading laboratories, academic and industrial, new creators are confidently amassing their powers and quietly honing their skills, while on the street their evangelists are zealously prophesying a posthuman future. For anyone who cares about preserving our humanity, the time has come for paying attention” (5)

Not to be outdone in this regard by the National Institute of Health, DARPA and other agencies of the U.S. military have taken inspiration from the likes of Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings.

In a scene reminiscent of Saruman the wizard creating monstrous Uruk-Hai to wage unending, merciless war, we find billions of American tax dollars have flowed into the Pentagon’s Frankensteinian dream of “super-soldiers” and the “Extended Performance War Fighter” program (EPWFP).

Not only does the EPWFP envision

“injecting young men and women with hormonal, neurological and genetic concoctions; implanting microchips and electrodes in their bodies to control their internal organs and brain functions; and plying them with drugs that deaden some of their normal human tendencies; the need for sleep, the fear of death, [and] the reluctance to kill their fellow human beings,” but Chris Floyd in an article for CounterPunch a while back quoted the Daily Telegraph and Christian Science Monitor, saying,

“some of the research now underway involves actually altering the genetic code of soldiers, modifying bits of DNA to fashion a new type of human specimen, one that functions like a machine, killing tirelessly for days and nights on end…. mutations [that] will ‘revolutionize the contemporary order of battle’ and guarantee ‘operational dominance across the whole range of potential U.S. military employments” (6)

In keeping with our editorial, imagine the staggering implications of such science if dead Nephilim tissue was discovered with intact DNA and a government somewhere that was willing to clone or mingle the extracted organisms to make Homo-nephilim. If one accepts the biblical story of giants as real, such discovery could actually be made someday, or perhaps already has been and was covered up.

The technology to resurrect the extinct species already exists, and cloning methods are being studied now for use with bringing back Tasmanian Tigers, Wooly Mammoths and other extinguished creatures.

Let not the dead live, let not the giants rise again…

(Isaiah 26.14, Douay-Rheims Version)

The reference above from the Book of Isaiah 26:14 could be troubling, as it may reflect a prayer from the prophet, a petition to God not to allow the giants to incarnate again.

Did Isaiah pray this way because he knew something about the future, something related to a return of Nephilim?

The relationship between creatures called “Rephaim” and the Nephilim of ancient texts is enlightening, as Rephaim are viewed as the spirits of dead Nephilim in the grave.

The word “Rephaim” carries with it the meaning ‘to heal’ or to be ‘healed’ as in a ‘resurrection’. In the Ras Shamra texts, the Rephaim are described as both human and divine beings who worshipped the Amorite god Ba’al, the ruler of the underworld, where the Rephaim served as his acolyte assembly of lesser gods, kings, heroes, and rulers.

These beings were believed to have power to return from the dead through incarnation in bodily form as ‘Nephilim’. The ability of Rephaim to be reincarnated in this way as living Nephilim is viewed by some as the explanation for Nephilim existing before, and after, the Great Flood.

The book of Job may elucidate this idea when it says,

“Dead things are formed from under the waters….”

(Job 26.5)

The dead in this text are Rephaim and the phrase “are formed” is from “Chuwl”, meaning to twist or whirl as in a double helix coil or genetic manufacturing.

When combined with something my good friend Steve Quayle once wrote, the word “Chuwl” takes on added meaning:

“When the Greek Septuagint was created, the Hebrew word Nephilim was translated into Greek as ‘gegenes‘. This is the same word used in Greek mythology for the ‘Titans’, creatures created through the interbreeding of the Greek gods and human beings.

The English words ‘genes’ and ‘genetics’ are built around the same root word as gegenes; genea meaning ‘breed’ or ‘kind’. Thus, the choice of this word again suggests a genetic component to the creation of these giants.” (7)

And what about this prophecy from Isaiah:

The vision which Esaias son of Amos saw against Babylon. Lift up a standard on the mountain of the plain, exalt the voice to them, beckon with the hand, open the gates, ye ruler. I give command and I bring them: giants are coming to fulfill my wrath…For behold! the day of the Lord is coming which cannot be escaped, a day of wrath and anger, to make the world desolate…

And Babylon…shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah…It shall never be inhabited… and monsters shall rest there, and devils shall dance there and satyrs shall dwell there…”

(Isaiah 13:1-3, 9, 19-22, [Septuagint Version])

Given what is happening in Babylon (Iraq) and biotechnology today, we may be witnessing the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy


NOTES

(1) Picken, Jane. Medical Marvels, The Evening Chronicle, April 13, 2007
(2) Wikipedia, The Free Enclyclopedia. Transhumanism, 2 May. 2007. Wikimedia Foundation Inc.
(3) Grassie, William. What does it mean to be Human? A John Templeton Foundation Research Lecture Query, 2006
(4) Case Western Reserve University. Case Law School receives $773,000 NIH grant to develop guidelines for genetic enhancement research: Professor Max Mehlman to lead team of law professors, physicians, and bioethicists in two-year project, April 28, 2006
(5) Kass, Leon R. Life, Liberty and the Defense of Dignity: The Challenge for Bioethics, Encounter Books; 1 edition (October 25, 2002)
(6) Floyd, Chris. Monsters, Inc.: The Pentagon Plan to Create Mutant “Super-Soldiers”, CounterPunch, January 13, 2003
(7) Quayle, Steve. Genesis 6 Giants. Bozeman, MT: End Time Thunder Publishers, 2002.
(8) http://www.ccel.org/bible/brenton/Isaiah/13.html

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Giants, Nephilim

Giants in the Old Testament

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I have always been interested in Giants and it seems that if you believe in God and the Bible you have to believe in Giants too, because the Bible is full of tales about Giants.

Introduction

The Bible describes many individuals as giants, and it also mentions several giant people groups. Interpreters have speculated about the size of these people with guesses ranging anywhere from 6 feet to more than 30 feet in height. Also, a great deal of misinformation about biblical giants has been proliferated on the Internet along with some fake pictures of supposed giants. So did these giants really exist? If so, how big were they?

This article surveys all of the individuals and people groups described as giants in Scripture. Next, some ancient records and archaeological data that corroborate some of the biblical data will be examined. The article concludes with a study of how big these people could have been based on what we currently understand about genetics and biology.

Old Testament Giants

One of the earliest mentions of giants in Scripture is found in Genesis 14.

In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him came and attacked the Rephaim in Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzim in Ham, the Emim in Shaveh Kiriathaim, and the Horites in their mountain of Seir . . . . Then they turned back and came to En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh), and attacked all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites who dwelt in Hazezon Tamar (Genesis 14:5–7, emphasis added).

Genesis 14 does not reveal that the Rephaim, Zuzim, Emim, or Amorites were giants, but this information can be found in other places.

The Amorites

The Amorites are mentioned more than 80 times in Scripture, and early on, some were allied with Abraham (Genesis 14:13). They were descendants of Noah’s grandson Canaan (Genesis 10:15–16). Although the Bible does not provide this information, the Jewish general-turned-historian Josephus gives the name of their ancestor as Amorreus.1 While the Amorites are mentioned in the same contexts as other giants a few times, they are specifically described as giants in the Minor Prophets.

Yet it was I who destroyed the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars, and he was as strong as the oaks; yet I destroyed his fruit above and his roots beneath. Also it was I who brought you up from the land of Egypt, and led you forty years through the wilderness, to possess the land of the Amorite (Amos 2:9–10).

Through Amos, God clearly stated that the Amorites were generally very tall and strong. Some may downplay the description of the Amorites in this passage, since these verses employ figurative language, but there are some good reasons to take this passage in a straightforward manner.2

The idea that the Amorites were giants is supported by the report of the spies whom Moses sent through the land of Canaan. The Amorites were one of the people groups they saw (Numbers 13:29), and they claimed that “all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature” (Numbers 13:32). It is telling that in their response, Joshua and Caleb did not challenge the size of the land’s inhabitants (Numbers 14:6–9).3

The Emim

Deuteronomy 2 reveals that the Emim, which likely means “terrors,” were giants:

The Emim had dwelt there in times past, a people as great and numerous and tall as the Anakim. They were also regarded as giants [Hebrew rephaim], like the Anakim, but the Moabites call them Emim (Deuteronomy 2:10–11).

Moses told the people that the Emim used to live in the territory that God had given to the descendants of Lot’s son Moab (Genesis 19:37).

The Zuzim (Zamzummim)

The Zamzummim (almost certainly the same as Zuzim in Genesis 14:5) were also called giants and listed in the same chapter as the Emim:

[The land of Ammon] was also regarded as a land of giants [Hebrew rephaim]; giants [rephaim] formerly dwelt there. But the Ammonites call them Zamzummim, a people as great and numerous and tall as the Anakim. But the Lord destroyed them before them, and they dispossessed them and dwelt in their place (Deuteronomy 2:20–21).

These verses explain that a group of giants known as Zamzummim had lived in the land of Ammon, “a land of giants.” God destroyed the Zamzummim so that the descendants of Lot’s son Ben-Ammi (the Ammonites) could live in the land (Genesis 19:38).4

According to Genesis 14:5, the Zuzim were in the land of Ham. This may be in reference to Noah’s son, Ham, since they descended from him. But it is more likely a reference to the Hamathites, who were descendants of Canaan, Ham’s son. While the Zuzim and Zamzummim may have been different people groups, there are enough similarities in name, description, and geographical location to infer that they were variant names for the same group.

Rephaim

The most common term used to describe giants in the Bible is rephaim (e.g., Deuteronomy 3:11, 13). It may refer to a certain people group,5 or it may be a term that simply means giants. The singular form, raphah, also appears several times (e.g., 2 Samuel 21:16, 18, 20).6

The third chapter of Deuteronomy contains an interesting account of the victory of the Israelites over Sihon, the king of the Amorites, and Og, the king of Bashan.7 It is here that we learn an intriguing detail about Og:

For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of the giants [rephaim]. Indeed his bedstead was an iron bedstead. (Is it not in Rabbah of the people of Ammon?) Nine cubits is its length and four cubits its width, according to the standard cubit (Deuteronomy 3:11).

Some translations use the word sarcophagus (NEB) or coffin (TEV, CEV) in place of bedstead, for the Hebrew word עֶרֶשׂ (eres). The majority of English Bibles render this term as bed or bedstead, which makes sense since eres means couch, divan, bed, or bedstead. Also, it would be indeed strange to translate it as sarcophagus since these were made of stone or marble, and Og’s “bedstead” was made of iron.8

Whether Moses referred to Og’s bed or coffin is not particularly relevant to the discussion at hand. However, the size of this object is noteworthy. We are told that it was nine cubits long and four cubits in width “according to the standard cubit.” Since the standard cubit is approximately 18 inches long, then Og’s bed or coffin was about 13.5 feet long and 6 feet wide. To put this in perspective, if stood up on end, the height of this bed would have been exactly twice as tall as a person who is 6 foot 9 inches tall. Of course, he may not have been as large as his bed. Some authors have attempted to downplay the significance of these dimensions, but the Bible clearly identifies Og as a giant.

The Nephilim

The earliest mention in Scripture of giants is just prior to the Flood account.

There were giants [nephilim] 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 (Genesis 6:4).9

The word translated as “giants” in this verse is the Hebrew word nephilim, and many Bible versions simply transliterate it as such. There has been much debate over the meaning of this word. Some believe it comes from the Hebrew verb naphal, while others claim that it is from the Aramaic noun naphil.10 These individuals are described in Hebrew as gibborim (“mighty men”).11

The nephilim were mentioned again when the spies returned from their exploratory mission of the land of Canaan. These men reported that Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai (descendants of Anak, progenitor of the Anakim) dwelt in Hebron. They also stated, “the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large; moreover we saw the descendants of Anak there” (Numbers 13:28). The chapter concludes with ten of the spies giving “a bad report” trying to convince the Israelites that they could not conquer the land:

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. 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” (Numbers 13:32–33, NASB).12

The Anakim

The Anakim were mentioned in several of these passages. They were perhaps the best known of the giants dwelling in the land of Canaan at the time of the Exodus. As stated in the verse above, they were part of the nephilim. If nephilim simply refers to giants in general, then the Anakim are just said to be giants in Numbers 13:33, which is consistent with their description in this passage. So the Amorites and other giant people would also be nephilim. If nephilim refers to a particular giant tribe, then the Anakim were part of this line.

Numbers 13:22 states that Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai were descendants of Anak, who was obviously the namesake of the Anakim. Both the Emim and Zamzummim were compared to the Anakim, as they were both “a people as great and numerous and tall as the Anakim” (Deuteronomy 2:10, 21; 9:2).

Anak was the son of Arba (Joshua 15:13). Little is known about Arba, and his ancestry is not provided. However, he was apparently somewhat legendary as indicated by the parenthetical statements in the text when his name appears. The city of Hebron, where Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob settled and were buried was also called Kiriath Arba.13 We are told that “Arba was the greatest man among the Anakim” (Joshua 14:15), and “the father of Anak” (Joshua 15:13; 21:11).14 Kirjath Arba was also called “Mamre” in Genesis 35:27. Mamre was an Amorite, who was an ally of Abram (Genesis 14:13). This man owned some trees by which Abram settled, and at some point, part of Hebron became synonymous with his name.

Joshua fought several battles with the Anakim and the Amorites. Eventually, he “cut off the Anakim from the mountains: from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, from all the mountains of Judah, and from all the mountains of Israel; Joshua utterly destroyed them with their cities. None of the Anakim were left in the land of the children of Israel; they remained only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod” (Joshua 11:21–22). These actions set the stage for the famous account of Goliath in 1 Samuel.

Goliath

Of course, the most renowned giant was the mighty Philistine slain by David. Here is how he is described in Scripture.

And a champion went out from the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, from Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. He had a bronze helmet on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. And he had bronze armor on his legs and a bronze javelin between his shoulders. Now the staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his iron spearhead weighed six hundred shekels; and a shield-bearer went before him (1 Samuel 17:4–7).

Notice that Goliath was from Gath, which happened to be one of the three places where Anakim remained, according to Joshua 11:21–22. So although he is not called one in 1 Samuel 17, it is possible that Goliath was a descendant of the Anakim who mixed with the Philistine population in that area.15

There is some debate about Goliath’s height due to the textual variants in ancient manuscripts. Most English translations follow the Masoretic text in listing his height at “six cubits and a span” (approximately 9’9”). However, the NET Bible puts Goliath at “close to seven feet tall.” The reason for the discrepancy is that the Masoretic Text differs from some ancient texts, including the Septuagint and an ancient manuscript found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, labeled 4QSama, which list Goliath’s height as four cubits and a span (approximately 6’9”).

Many modern scholars believe there is stronger textual support for the shorter Goliath.16 But while he is not specifically called a giant in this passage, 2 Samuel 21:15–22 seems to identify Goliath as the “giant” (raphah) from Gath. There are other details provided that make the “six cubits and a span” the more likely figure. For example, the sheer weight of his armaments required that he must have been of enormous size and strength. His coat of mail weighed about 125 pounds and just the tip of his spear was 15 pounds. This does not even take into account his helmet, armor on his legs, javelin, or sword.17 Also, I personally find it hard to believe that every member of Israel’s army would have been terrified of someone who was my height (6’9”).18

There are many other details about the account of David and Goliath that are often overlooked. Most people assume David was a short young man when he fought against the giant, but the Bible is very clear that David was considered “a mighty man of valor, [and] a man of war” (1 Samuel 16:18) prior to fighting Goliath.

Other Giants

The Bible mentions four more Philistine giants, who were relatives of Goliath from the region of Gath. 2 Samuel 21:15–22 provides a more detailed account of these giants than the record of 1 Chronicles 20:4–8, but the latter passage does provide some extra information that helps us make sense of the passage. The additional details from 1 Chronicles are provided in brackets.

When the Philistines were at war again with Israel, David and his servants with him went down and fought against the Philistines; and David grew faint. Then Ishbi-Benob, who was one of the sons of the giant, the weight of whose bronze spear was three hundred shekels, who was bearing a new sword, thought he could kill David. But Abishai the son of Zeruiah came to his aid, and struck the Philistine and killed him. Then the men of David swore to him, saying, “You shall go out no more with us to battle, lest you quench the lamp of Israel.”

Now it happened afterward that there was again a battle with the Philistines at Gob [or “Gezer”].19 Then Sibbechai the Hushathite killed Saph [or “Sippai”], who was one of the sons of the giant. Again there was war at Gob with the Philistines, where Elhanan the son of Jaare-Oregim [or “Jair”] the Bethlehemite killed [“Lahmi”] the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.

Yet again there was war at Gath, 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 was born to the giant. So when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea, David’s brother, killed him.

These four were born to the giant in Gath, and fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants (2 Samuel 21:15–22).

David’s mighty men killed giants named Ishbi-Benob, Saph (Sippai), and Lahmi, as well as an unnamed giant with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot.20 Each of these men could have descended from the remnant of Anakim that survived in the region of Gath, Gaza, and Ashdod (Joshua 11:22).

An Egyptian Giant?

One of David’s mighty men, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, defeated a large Egyptian man:

And he killed an Egyptian, a man of great height, five cubits tall. In the Egyptian’s hand there was a spear like a weaver’s beam; and he went down to him with a staff, wrested the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and killed him with his own spear (1 Chronicles 11:23, italics in original).

Although he is often considered a giant, the Bible does not specifically identify this man as one, nor does it place this account with the exploits of David’s other men who slayed giants, but it does provide his height as being “five cubits” (approximately 7’ 6”). The KJV, NKJV, NASB, ESV, and others insert the word “great” before “height” or “stature,” but “great” does not appear in the Hebrew. This may have been done for stylistic and readability purposes or because his height is provided later in the verse. Young’s Literal Translation renders this verse in an almost perfect word-for-word match of the Hebrew: “And he hath smitten the man, the Egyptian—a man of measure, five by the cubit—and in the hand of the Egyptian is a spear like a beam of weavers” (1 Chronicles 11:23, italics in original).

In the parallel account given in 2 Samuel 23:21 the Egyptian is called “a spectacular man” in the NKJV and “an impressive man” in the NASB. While modern man may think of a 7’6” man as a giant, it is intriguing that the Bible does not identify him as such. Perhaps this is a clue that those who are identified as giants were larger than the Egyptian slain by Benaiah. Another explanation for this omission is that many of the giants were called by their particular tribes (Anakim, Emim, etc.), but the tall Egyptian is not said to belong to any of these giant groups. If that is the case, it is curious why the biblical writers would not simply use a generic term for “giant,” such as rapha.

Following these accounts in 2 Samuel and 1 Chronicles, the giants fade from the pages of Scripture (other than the retrospective mention of the Amorites as giants in Amos 2:9).

Extra-biblical References to Giants

Scores of giant skeletons have been allegedly unearthed in the past couple of centuries. These claims were especially popular in the nineteenth century. So far, no concrete evidence of these claims has been brought forth. Although some claim the evidence was ignored, destroyed, or hidden by places like the Smithsonian, it seems more likely that the vast majority of these reports were hoaxes created for various reasons.

Several websites display pictures of people standing next to or holding a giant human femur, but these bones are sculptures, allegedly replicas of a real bone found in Turkey or Greece. Once again, there are fantastic claims, but little or no hard evidence to support them.

As far as I know, no one has discovered fossil evidence of giant humans. But then again, human fossils are quite rare altogether, since humans are more capable of avoiding rapid burial in sediment and other conditions that could lead to fossilization of their remains. What is indeed significant is that many giant versions of other creatures existed in the past or still exist today. To name just a few, these include the following:

  1. spiders (e.g., the bird-eating spider, up to 12-inch leg span)
  2. moths (e.g., the Atlas moth, with a wing span of 11 inches)
  3. centipedes (up to 13 inches long)
  4. snails (e.g., the African giant snail, up to 15½ inches long)
  5. frogs (e.g. Beelzebufo, 16 inches high)
  6. dragonflies (e.g., Meganeura, with a wing span of more than 2½ feet)
  7. rats (e.g., Josephoartigasia, with a conservatively estimated body mass of 750 pounds)
  8. beavers (e.g., Trogontherium, about 7½ feet long)
  9. scorpions (e.g., the sea scorpion Jaekelopterus, estimated at more than 8 feet long)
  10. crabs (e.g., the giant spider crab, with a claw span more than 12 feet)
  11. armadillos (e.g., Glyptodon, up to 13 feet long)
  12. turtles (e.g., Archelon, up to 16 feet long)
  13. fish (e.g., Xiphactinus, 19 feet long)
  14. sloths (e.g., Megatherium, which stood about 20 feet)
  15. worms (e.g., the giant earthworm, up to 22 feet long)
  16. sea cows (e.g., Hydrodamalis, 25 feet or more in length)
  17. crocodiles (e.g., Sarcosuchus, up to 40 feet long)
  18. snakes (e.g., Titanoboa, over 42 feet long)
  19. crustaceans (e.g., supergiant amphipods 10 times larger than those previously discovered)
  20. squid (e.g., Mesonychoteuthis, 50 feet or more in length)
  21. sharks (e.g., Rhincodon, up to 65 feet long)
  22. octopuses with 100 foot long tentacles.21

The fact that scientists have discovered animals with body sizes far greater than those observed today suggests, at least in theory, the possibility of there having also been giant humans in the past, as recorded in the Bible.

Many modern scholars scoff at the idea that there could have been giant warriors in excess of seven and a half feet tall. Consequently, the biblical dimensions of these people have often been downplayed or ignored. However, the biblical data about these people can be trusted because it is in the Word of God. Furthermore, other ancient sources describe giants, and the Anakim are even mentioned as dwelling in the land of Canaan.

Egypt

During the twelfth dynasty of ancient Egypt, traditionally dated from the twentieth to nineteenth centuries B.C.,22 the Egyptians practiced something akin to the modern use of voodoo dolls. A potter would make a clay figurine of an enemy they feared. The figurine had its arms behind its back and the name of the group or its leaders would be written upon it. Sometimes a bowl or block of clay was used for listing the enemies. The figurine or bowl was then smashed in a symbolic way of cursing the enemies so that they could be defeated.

Archaeologists have reconstructed many of these Execration texts (also called Proscription Lists), and some very interesting details have been found concerning the Anakim. This is an example of a text which mentions them:

The Ruler of Iy’anaq, Erum, and all the retainers who are with him; the Ruler of Iy’anaq, Abi-yamimu and all the retainers who are with him; the Ruler of Iy’anaq ‘Akirum and the retainers who are with him (emphasis added).23

It should be noted that anaq (i.e., with a q in place of the k) is a common transliteration of the Hebrew word for Anak, עְַנָק (Numbers 13:33).

Another Execration text places the Anakim in the land of Canaan and even mentions the city of Jerusalem.24 The ancient Egyptians also called the inhabitants of the land of Canaan “Shasu.” A later text entitled The Craft of the Scribe (c. 1250 BC), which was used to train Egyptian scribes, discusses a Canaanite mountain pass during a past battle.

The face of the pass is dangerous with Shasu, hidden under the bushes. Some of them are 4 or 5 cubits, nose to foot, with wild faces.25

Egyptian cubits were longer than the Hebrew common cubit. At 20.65 inches per Egyptian cubit, the Shasu mentioned in this letter would have measured between 6’10” and 8’7.” This description shows that the traditional measurement of Goliath is not as outlandish as many critics believe.

Other Ancient Reports

Nearly every place around the world has legends of giants dwelling in the land. Certainly, one must exercise caution when reading these stories on the Internet since so much of the information online is contrary to the Word of God. For example, a few years ago, pictures of giant skeletons started to appear on websites, but they were clearly doctored (apparently part of a graphic design contest).

Greek and Roman mythology mentions the Titans, Kyklopes (Cyclops), and several other giants.26 Norse mythology contains stories of the Frost giants of Jötunheim. But these records are not limited to European mythologies or only to the ancient past. African and Asian peoples also have legends of giants, as do Native Americans.

For example, in his autobiography, “Buffalo” Bill Cody wrote the following words about a legend recounted to him by members of the Sioux tribe.

It was taught by the wise men of this tribe that the earth was originally peopled by giants, who were fully three times the size of modern men. They were so swift and powerful that they could run alongside a buffalo, take the animal under one arm, and tear off a leg, and eat it as they ran. So vainglorious were they because of their own size and strength that they denied the existence of a Creator. When it lighted, they proclaimed their superiority to the lightning; when it thundered, they laughed.

This displeased the Great Spirit, and to rebuke their arrogance he sent a great rain upon the earth. The valleys filled with water, and the giants retreated to the hills. The water crept up the hills, and the giants sought safety on the highest mountains. Still the rain continued, the waters rose, and the giants, having no other refuge, were drowned.27

Undoubtedly, many of these stories contain exaggerations of the giants’ prodigious height and strength. But is it reasonable to automatically reject every one of these traditions, or, like tales of dragons, is there possibly some truth behind the legends, as is often the case? It is interesting that much of giant lore includes descriptions of a flood sent by God (or the gods) to destroy these wicked people. Could it be that while the Bible contains the true history of our past, these groups are simply repeating their own distorted versions of world history prior to and perhaps after the dispersion at Babel?28

Modern Giants

So were all of these giants just people who developed gigantism? Although gigantism may account for some of the ancient giants, this proposed solution falls short of explaining many of the biblical accounts.

Modern gigantism is often caused by abnormalities that lead to excessive production of growth hormone.29 It is highly unlikely that Goliath, the nephilim, Anakim, or most of the other Old Testament giants suffered from such a condition since they were often described as warriors or “mighty men,” while modern “giants” are usually awkward, uncoordinated, and endure several physical ailments. There have been some rare cases where the person could accurately be described as a “mighty man.”30

Furthermore, modern gigantism is not hereditary, whereas the Bible often describes giants as being the offspring of other giants (e.g., Deuteronomy 9:2; 1 Chronicles 20:6). So the groups known as giants were not simply made up of individuals with the modern form of gigantism.

How Tall Were They?

So just how tall were the various groups of giants in Scripture? Given the discrepancy in the ancient texts about Goliath’s height, it is difficult to base our estimate on his dimensions. The Egyptian killed by Benaiah was at least 7’6” (perhaps taller if the common cubit was not being used), but he is not called a giant. The Egyptian document, The Craft of the Scribe, placed the Shasu (Anakim?) between 6’10” and 8’7”. They had to be large enough for the Israelites to claim that they looked like grasshoppers in the sight of the giants and for God to compare the height of the Amorites to cedars.

There are two main lines of thought on this subject. One idea looks at the modern understanding of human growth. Our stature is primarily affected by our DNA with some influence from environmental factors, but we seem to be limited by the “square-cube” law.31 For example, let’s use my dimensions to see what would happen if I was scaled up to twice my height. This will give us a good example since I am 6’9”, and some have argued that King Og of Bashan was as tall as his bed was long (13’6”), which is exactly twice my height. So if we were to double my height, then we would also need to increase my width and depth proportionally to compensate.

This means that, along with my height, both my width and depth would double, so we would need to multiply my weight (about 250 pounds) by a factor of eight. So a person of my proportions at 13’6” would weigh 2000 pounds! Not only is it difficult for us to imagine a person so large, but also when considering the compressive strength of bone,32 we would conclude that Og’s skeletal system would be under tremendous stress, and he would be much more likely to suffer broken bones than a normal-sized person, not to mention the dangerous stress placed on his body’s other systems.33

meganeuraThe second view is based on three points mentioned above. First, would a 5’6” individual really feel like a “grasshopper” compared to someone who is 7–8 feet tall? Admittedly, this is somewhat subjective, but the contrast seems to require a taller giant. Next, as pointed out in the second footnote, there is a strong comparison of the height and strength of the Amorites to the cedar and oak trees in Amos 2:9. Third, the evidence of other creatures in the fossil record that are far greater than twice the size of their modern counterparts provides support to the idea that the limits imposed by the square-cube law may not be as strict as we imagine them to be. For example, the meganeura is an extinct dragonfly, whose wingspan was greater than 30 inches. The Wikipedia entry (Wikimedia Commons image, right) on this creature states the following:

Controversy has prevailed as to how insects of the Carboniferous period were able to grow so large. The way oxygen is diffused through the insect’s body via its tracheal breathing system puts an upper limit on body size, which prehistoric insects seem to have well exceeded.34

While I don’t believe in “prehistoric” creatures (since man has been on earth since Day Six, and God has revealed what happened during the first five days in a historical account), the meganeura shows that the size limits of living organisms may be greater than expected. Those holding the second view do not have a problem with the biblical giants exceeding nine feet in height.

Furthermore, it should be pointed out that the square-cube law is accurate when applied to building materials, but it doesn’t seem to perfectly relate to biological organisms, although it probably provides some “ballpark” limits. For example, the average house cat is about 30 inches long (head to tail), 9–10 inches tall, and weighs about 11 pounds, while tigers reach 12 feet in length (head to tail), 3 feet in height, and weighs about 500 pounds.35 If we were going to estimate the weight of a 10-foot long, 3-foot tall cat using the square-cube law, based on the dimensions of the average house cat, then the numbers would not match what we see in reality. According to this rule, when we quadruple the length (2.5 feet to 10 feet), then we would need to multiply the weight by 64 (4 x 4 x 4), which means we would expect the weight to be approximately 700 pounds. This is significantly higher than the weight of a tiger of this size.36

This example shows that tigers and house cats do not share the exact same proportions, but this is exactly the point. Both animals belong to the created cat “kind,” and the much larger varieties (lions, tigers, etc.) are not perfectly “scaled up” compared to the smaller varieties. If this were the case with giant humans, then perhaps a 13’6” Og isn’t out of the realm of possibility, but the notion that some biblical giants were 20–30 feet tall or greater is probably a “stretch.”

Conclusion

So which view is accurate? I honestly do not know, but the square-cube law seems to provide some upper limits, so it is unlikely that they reached 20–30 feet or more. However, I do know the Bible clearly teaches that giants existed in the past. Many of them lived in and around the land of Canaan, and Joshua was involved in several battles with them. David and his mighty men killed some Philistine giants. The Egyptians knew about the Anakim and feared them. Finally, cultures from around the world have legends that are often remarkably similar to biblical accounts, including the existence of giants.

The biblical accounts of giants are more than just “tall” tales. These enormous people truly existed, and no amount of scoffing or rationalizing by skeptics will change that fact.

Source

Here is the Shield Of The Son video about Giants in the Bible:

 

And if you want to study these tales you have to stick with the King James version of the Bible and you can find it here on my site:

>> https://www.auricmedia.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/kjv_bible_with_apocrypha.pdf