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Thursday, May 21, 2009

Nephilim (Giants) in the Bible: Fallen angels or big brutes?


This is an article from my other website that addresses the issue of the identity of the Nephilim or giants of Genesis 6:4 -

http://signsoftheend.net/Pages/Article1-Nephilim.html


The bible uses several Hebrew words that have been translated as ‘Giant’ in the KJV of the English bible. The very first occurrence is in Gen. 6:4
‘There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.

A great deal of misinformation is floating around on the Internet and in print regarding the nature of these giants. Hundreds if not thousands of websites claim that the Nephilim (one Hebrew word for giant) were a product of intercourse between fallen angels and earth women and therefore some sort of mutant hybrids. Whether these angels had fallen before they mated with women or they fell as a result of this mating is not clear. Since they were supposedly a result of a union between two species (angels and women) they had to be hybrids or at least that is the assumption. This interpretation, first of all assumes that the bible claims that the sons of God referred to in Gen. 6:2 and 6:4 were angels whereas the bible makes no such claim. Secondly the assumption is made that the Nephilim were a product of the union between these ‘angelic’ sons of God and earthly women; this too is an incorrect assumption. Here’s what the bible actually says about both the giants (Nephilim) and the sons of God in Gen. 6:4.

• Regarding the giants (Nephilim) all Gen 6:4 has to say: ‘
There were giants in the earth in those days. That’s it! There is nothing else that the bible has to say about them in Gen. 6:4. It makes no claim here or anywhere else that the Nephilim or giants were in any way shape or form hybrids or came about as a result of intercourse between ‘sons of God’ and daughters of men.

• It clearly states that the sons of God and daughters of men mated sometime after the giants (Nephilim) were already in the earth.
And also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men… So how could the giants or Nephilim be the product of a union between the sons of God and the daughters of men when the giants were already here even before this union ever took place? Duh!

• Were the giants (Nephilim) really hybrids or were they just flesh and blood creatures much like man but bigger in size? Mythological hybrids such as centaurs and satyrs were clearly a cross between two species. Whether the Nephilim were hybrids or not is an entirely debatable topic. First of all the bible makes no such claim that they were half angel and half man, on the contrary the bible teaches that angels cannot reproduce, that they are not sexual creatures (Matthew 22:30). Secondly wherever there is mention of giants in myths and legends they are always portrayed as big human type of creatures not half pig and half man or any other such monstrosity. The sleight of hand used by proponents of the hybrid theory is to use the Hebrew word Nephilim rather than the English word Giant correctly translated as such in the KJV. It is much easier to create far-fetched theories using exotic words such as Nephilim rather than plain old giant.

• The bible uses a variety of words such as Nephilim, Anakim, Emim, Zamzummim, and Rapha or Rephaim that have been translated GIANT in the KJV. However the words Emim, Zamzummim, Anakim and a couple of other words refer to the same type of creature – these are the same word in different languages. The tribes that dwelt in the land of Canaan in the days of Moses such the Edomites, the Moabites, the Ammonites etc. used different words in their own language to describe the same creatures that were giants. In the Hebrew language there are primarily three words translated as giant in the KJV– Nephilim, Anakim and Rephaim.

• In the historical portion of the Old Testament, the books from Genesis to Job, the word giant refers always to creatures of rather large size but very much shaped like man, that is they were biped intelligent flesh and blood creatures whose height may have ranged from 9–30 feet. The three different Hebrew words used for giant may refer to the difference in the size of the giants: the Nephilim were probably the biggest and tallest at 20 plus feet, the Anakim were shorter around 12-18 feet and the smallest giants were the Rephaim were around 9-12 feet tall. Goliath the Philistine whom David slew was a Rephaim and estimated to be around 10 feet tall.

• The Nephilim would be comparable to and may actually have been the trolls of myth and legend. They were almost certainly cannibals and mortal enemies of man not their mating partners. Their size may truly have been gigantic as tall as 30 feet. This matter of their size has not been deduced from the bible but rather from the study of myths and legends of almost all cultures worldwide. Their origin is a bit of a mystery but a hypothesis can be presented that may answer the question as to where they came from. They may well have been genetic mutants but it is almost certain that this mutated state is how they arrived on Earth in the days before the flood. Their mutation (not hybridization) did not occur in the pre-flood days on Earth but in an age that preceded Adam possibly on another planet or planets.

• They arrived here shortly after Adam and Eve’s expulsion from Eden and preceded the arrival of the sons of God. They may well have been the first ‘other worldly’ creatures that mankind came in contact with after the serpent in the Garden of Eden. The myths and legends of almost all cultures suggest that at some time in the distant past visitors that were viewed as gods came from the heavens. These ‘gods’ were not only human in form but also in the form of beasts and hybrids. So why could these ‘giants’ not have come from somewhere out there? The Nephilim in my opinion were GIANTS not demons that came from some other planet possibly from within our solar system. They created some of the most enigmatic of ancient megaliths such as the massive dressed stones used in the ancient pre-Canaanite temple of Baalbek in modern day Lebanon. Such massive stones that cannot be moved even with modern equipment were certainly not the creation of the Canaanites that arrived there later.

• The Anakim of which Og, king of Bashan is the most famous member seem to be smaller in size although still very large compared to the average size of modern man. They also seem to have had a more sophisticated culture than the Nephilim. They lived in cities and had kings and rulers over them. However like the Nephilim trolls they too seem to have had a very violent nature. They seem to have appeared shortly after the flood and established the first civilizations in the Middle East contemporaneously with or established shortly after the tower of Babel. They occupied the land to the west of Shinar (modern day Iraq) while Nimrod and company were busy trying to build the tower and ancient city of Babel (Babylon.) The size of the Anakim can be guessed at fairly accurately because the bible does give us measurements that suggest that Og was roughly 12 feet tall and slept on a bed that was 6’wide by 14’ long. Although the bible does not state clearly what sort of abominations these Anakims were committing it is apparent that because of God’s judgment they were being driven out of the land even in the times of Abraham (Gen. 14:5). Long before Moses and the children of Israel destroyed Og the king of Bashan and his kingdom; many Anakim kings had already lost their kingdoms to Edom and Moab and other descendants of Abraham and Lot. (Deut. Chapter 2)

• Interestingly enough there is really no record of how and when these ‘giants’ whether the Nephilim or the Anakim arrived in the Middle East. However in South America almost every culture has a legend of ‘giants’ arriving by sea to their shores. Furthermore it was about the time of Abraham around 2000 BC that this first wave of giants seems to have landed in Central and South America and perhaps North America. Did these Anakim giants start leaving their original abode to points west because of their continued destruction at the hands of the descendants of Noah? As the children of Noah began to multiply and spread westwards from Shinar they started doing battle with these Anakim and started displacing them. That would be a valid reason to pack up and move – after all survival is a natural instinct and if their very survival was threatened why would they stick around? Is this how they ended up in South America and build megalithic structures such as those at Machu Pichu, Tihuanaco and numerous other locations across Central and South America?

• The Rephaim were the smallest of the giants and lasted until the days of King David and some of his
descendants before becoming extinct. These giants were extant in the old world till at least 1000 BC and may have continued even longer in the Americas perhaps even till the time of Christ. Goliath was the most famous of the Rephaim and in size he was around 9 or 10 feet tall and must have weighed over 500 pounds. There is an identical Hebrew word Rephaim that means DEAD, SPIRIT or SHADE. The KJV correctly translates the word as Giant or Dead in context. For example in Isaiah 14:9 the KJV correctly translates the word Rephaim as DEAD not Giant because this is the correct translation in context. The Hebrew word Rapha (7496 in Strong’ concordance) which is the root word for Rephaim means DEAD. The same word Rapha (7497) also means Giant. Though the word is the same, the meanings are entirely different and not interchangeable. For example the English word LET has more than one meaning: Let means to ALLOW but it also means to RENT, HIRE or LEASE. The two meanings are not interchangeable and the meaning must be understood in context. The reason I bring this up is that many ‘scholars’ intentionally mislead us in trying to prove that the Rapha were spirits or angels or hybrids. This is just not the case; the Rapha or Rephaim that David slew was very much flesh and blood as were all the GIANTS in the bible.

In conclusion if we stick to the English word GIANT when reading the Bible rather than use Hebrew words the meaning is not so confusing. The Hebrew word for King is Melekh; we don’t go around saying the Melekh of Babylon was Nebuchadnezzar, we correctly use the English word King to keep the meaning plain. Unless the word has been transliterated into our language there is no need to use the words from the original language; the meaning is much clearer when we use the correctly translated word such as king to describe a king in the English language rather than Melekh or Roi or another word from a different language. Those who insist on using the word Nephilim instead of the correctly translated English word Giant do so to prove a pre-conceived notion. Their far out theories on hybridization or angel-human mating etc. can simply not be proven by using the simple word Giant so they give their theories a garb of scholarliness by using the Hebrew word Nephilim – vow! Now it sounds so intellectual! However it is nothing more than smoke and mirrors. If they are so insistent on using the original Hebrew words they should just give up the English language and start using Hebrew for all their communications.

My studies of the Bible and mythologies and legends of various cultures lead me to conclude there existed on Earth in time past some rather large human like creatures with some very nasty habits including chowing down on mankind from time to time. There are different words in different languages to describe these creatures and one of the more famous Hebrew words is Nephilim. No matter what the word used to describe them they were simply large flesh and blood creatures, ugly brutes perhaps but not spirits or shades or hybrids or demons or devils. Wherever the context implies devil or demon the KJV uses the word devil or evil spirit so why would it use the word Nephilim in only two places in the Bible to describe devils or demons? My theory on their origin is that they came from another planet or planets possibly to seek greener pastures having destroyed their own worlds through warfare or other means. They were not a peaceable race that much is for sure; mythologies of all cultures describe cosmic warfare and it could well have involved the giants. I am almost certain that they did not originate on Earth and that they were mutants of some
sort. Somewhere along the line the genes of their ancestors were tinkered with to create these monsters but they were not hybrids: they were not a combination of two or more species. It is also my opinion that they are now extinct – that we will not see them walking on the Earth ever again. Those who use the word Nephilim to predict their return are referring to the spirits of devils not flesh and blood creatures. These spirits whose presence will certainly be felt even in the physical realm have always been devils and never were the Nephilim to begin with. These same folks also claim that the sons of God were fallen angels, which is another unbiblical theory with no basis in fact. I have touched on the identity of the sons of God in some of my previous posts and in some interviews that prove beyond doubt that they were not fallen angels. More on the subject later.

12 comments:

  1. Good article. As far as the cosmic theory goes, the only planet that seems like it might have been able to ever support life recently is Mars. And here we thought they'd be LITTLE green men!

    As far as them being the offspring of the Sons of God, I am not entirely convinced the Sons of God were exactly like angels in their nature. But that is neither here nor there, since it really can't be answered with the information we have now. When the bible speaks of Sons of God, isn't the word used "Elohim"?

    You seem to be interested in the origin and intent of such words, so I figure I can ask: In Genesis 1 the Hebrew says that Elohim created the Heavens and Earth etc, but in Genesis 2 it speaks of Elohim Yaweh, which is the proper name for God. Why the different distinction from the same author in the same sitting?

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  2. Nice post; I would just like to add that the book of Enoch is not mentioned. A very explicit story about the "Watchers" is told and how they had children with the women. Also how they came from the sky. Taken into account that Enoch is mentioned and quoted in many places not only in the bible but also on many other ancient books ranging to greeks to copies found in ethiopia. And also the one who prophesized the comming of the "chosen one" as he called him. Also he tells how the giants became the king of men and also consumed all their labor or work; and eventually started eating the humans. Ending the story with god being mad at the "Watchers"; sending them to a place which's description matches that of a Massive Black Hole eating several stars rolling in a fire disc (accretion disc) in a dance of death eaten by this amorphous terrible objet. Just like the stars dance around the black holes when they are devoured by it. The destiny of the giants product of the crossing of the "Watchers" and the women is death by the "big flood" which according to the book is sent by god for that particular purpose. Also I would like to mention that the many of the Tihuanaco sculptures have a god with "tears" on it's cheeks.

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  3. WOW! I MUST SAY THIS IS VERY INTERESTING. I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO SEE WHAT THE WRITTER THINKS ABOUT THESE OPINIONS OR FACTS. I WOULD LOVE TO READ MORE.I PERSONALLY DONT HAVE ANY QUESTIONS BUT HAVE HEARD ABOUT THE TWO DIFFERENT NAMES IN THE BOOK OF GENESIS. I HAVE ALSO HEARD ABOUT THE BOOK OF ENOCH FOUND IN THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS.

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  4. I studied these Scriptures of Enoch would invite all readers to look up Book of Enoch and start reading for yourselves. Much of what is said fills in great gaps in the scriptures. There have been too many sciptures found in various languages (with the exact same story about these Watchers and their children the Giants, who were to become the evil spirits talked about during the entire Bible) for these to not be true. Exciting reading. Explains much.

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  5. To live in the afterlife in the presence of God, or otherwise, is plainly what Jesus taught. Hence there is a dimension we are only getting glimpses of. -As already pointed out: Angels are not sexual beings,procreation is reserved to mankind. However, we are also taught that Jesus was made a little lower than the angels. (Hebrew 2:7-9)
    So - we can gather from that teaching that it is possible for TRANSDIMENSIONAL existence to take place. Jesus, the Son of God came willingly for a specific purpose ! TO SAVE MANKIND ! The agenda of the fallen angels was the opposite: To snare mankind into a mixup of origin, from which there is no redemption !
    The angels came, after their fall with Lucifer, to defile humanity. There is no salvation for them, that is why they are discribed as 'dead'.
    Admittedly there is so much we do not understand, but one thing we do know - the spiritual dimensions are far more complex than we understand, and the enteties living in it are quite varied.
    Hope this will keep our minds open for more learning.
    Anna

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  6. Very interesting. But I personally do not believe in life on other planets ET , but God is from the universe so he could be classed as a spaceman.
    As for the nephilim there is much confusion exactly who the sons of god are, if they are human why does the bible not say that the sons of men mated with the Daughters of men?.
    And why does the bible not refer to the human females as the Daughters of god.
    There is so much history in the past that is lost, all that is left is stories and myths but many of these stories could be true.

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  7. The Benei Ha'Elohim (fallen angels) are a direct creation of God . Adam was also a direct creation of God, but his offspring were not direct creations but descendants.. the product of Adam and Eve. The Sons of God were the fallen angels who were a direct creation of God. They took the daughters of men. The book of Jude tells us that they left their proper domain to do this, and went after strange flesh (the daughters of men). We think that because the angels are not given in marriage that they are unable to to this thing that angered God... not so. All through scripture we are told that angels appeared, ate, and were able to be touched... They do not always appear as a spirit. The offspring of the fallen angels and daughters of men were the nephilim. Because they were corrupted flesh and not "produced after its own kind" as Genesis states Gods original creation would... when they died, their spirits would remain on earth, and are now called "Evil Spirits" as there is no redemption provided for them... We know stories of nephilim as "Greek Mythology" they were probably true stories of the Nephilim. It is a huge subject and relevant for now as we are told they will be back.

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  8. thanks owen and wendy for your information...as far as addressing the article that states the bible doesn't refer to angels as the sons of God, read Job 2:1-2. now we know that the sons of God were angels because not only was Satan with them who is an angel but they came before God who was not in the earth as that is where they had just come from before coming before God and man could not do this. i hope this helps. i feel we all need to test the spirits and check things out in the bible and not just believe man, but God.

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  9. You know,it's easy to see why so many people can not come to Christ.All the comments I have read here are something else. Please read the Bible and analyse what you read,the Bible clearly states angel do NOT have sex, in fact to enter the swine they had to ask Jesus for permission.What makes anyone believe they can have sex or enter a persons body a will;can you imagine what this world would be like if they had that power? which by the way is what will happen when the restraint of the Holy Spirit is removed and even then they will not be able to invade the humane soul. So read in Heb. Nephilim, meaning "violent" or "causing to fall" (Gen.6:4). These were the violent tyrants of those days, those who fell upon others. In other words it refers to people who inspire fear by just looking at them and I'm sure we've all seen that type of person;they are bullies who prey on the weaker person.Besides that,Only GOD has the power to create human life not satan.

    Another thing psalm 8:5 says For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels,4480, 430 and hast crowned him with glory and honor.
    Psa 8:6 Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:
    Psa 8:7 All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field;
    Psa 8:8 The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.
    The word wrongly translated angels here is Strongs H430 'ĕlôhîym which means You have made him a little lower that You (Yourself)Christ never was and never will be lower that any angel and neither will we.
    Man was given dominion over all creation (air,land and sea)
    We are not permitted to worship angels,they are there to serve us not visa versa

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  10. You know,it's easy to see why so many people can not come to Christ.All the comments I have read here are something else. If You whom are supposed to help them see the truth are confused then what? Please read the Bible and analyse what you read,the Bible clearly states angel do NOT have sex, in fact to enter the swine they had to ask Jesus for permission.What makes anyone believe they can have sex or enter a persons body a will;can you imagine what this world would be like if they had that power? which by the way is what will happen when the restraint of the Holy Spirit is removed and even then they will not be able to invade the humane soul. So read in Heb. Nephilim, meaning "violent" or "causing to fall" (Gen.6:4). These were the violent tyrants of those days, those who fell upon others. In other words it refers to people who inspire fear by just looking at them and I'm sure we've all seen that type of person;they are bullies who prey on the weaker person.Besides that,Only GOD has the power to create human life not satan.

    Another thing psalm 8:5 says For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels,4480, 430 and hast crowned him with glory and honor.
    Psa 8:6 Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:
    Psa 8:7 All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field;
    The word wrongly translated angels here is Strongs H430 'elohiym which means You have made him a little lower that You (Yourself)Christ never was and never will be lower that any angel and neither will we.
    Man was given dominion over all creation (air,land and sea)
    We are not permitted to worship angels,they are there to serve us not visa versa.

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  11. Even though my friend, Paul Sandhu, and I have done an entire series of shows on the subject of the Nephillim/giants on my show; I have concluded that we disagree.

    One cannot simply use the Bible as an arbiter of history to prove/disprove many other texts and records which document that humankind interacted with angelic beings. The abundance of evidence in many ancient accounts, plus numerous artifacts found in civilizations from Sumeria, Egypt, Mesopotamia, to the Meso-American cultures give wide evidence as to the existence of hybrid beings which resulted from human-angelic interaction.

    The Bible, while a wonderful chronicle of God's work with a specific group of people, the Hebrews, and the fulfillment of Messiah as Christ Jesus, is not a record of the history of humankind. Rather, it is a subset of history interwoven with a spiritual plan for redemption.

    Just as one would not use a cookbook to learn how to fix one's automobile, we must be cautioned, likewise, to not use the scriptures of the Hebrews to learn about the wider scope of history. The Bible may be reverenced for its value as a spiritual work, and for the glimpses it offers into history related to its millieu; but is NOT in any manner a conclusive source for history.

    I will add that Biblical historical literalism is a great barrier to spiritual warfare, as millions of "Biblical Christians" remain ignorant of the immense power that opposes them in the realms of the physical plane and the heavens. Because a matter is not "in" the Bible, or the Bible is unclear or inconclusive, does not render the matter "void."

    Paul writes:
    " If they are so insistent on using the original Hebrew words they should just give up the English language and start using Hebrew for all their communications."

    This is pure sophistry, based on the conceit that modern English is all-inclusive, and renders all meanings perfectly. Not only is it a denial of good scholarship, but ignores the lessons of history whereby the English language was based upon linguistic minimalism (see Francis Bacon, "The New Atlantis" and writings of 19th century illuminists.) One need not be a scholar to study the words of ancient Hebrew (or Aramaic/Greek/Latin, and find that our present language is a contraction of the richness of those tongues.

    Arguing history, even the mythological works of ancient times, from a single source which has been translated and re-translated is simply ignorance of a much larger tapestry of history and language. Arguing spiritual concepts by linguistics alone is a fool's errand, and demonstrates a willful ignorance, again, of a wider body of evidence, both physical and spiritual.

    I have great wartmth for Paul's work, and value his understanding of the scriptures, but on this matter we are in sharp disagreement. I come to this conclusion nearly three years after doing the shows with Paul on the Threshing Floor, but I am grateful FOR those shows, as they quickened me to seek deeper the truths behing what we now call the Nephillim/ET/UFO phenomena.

    Randy Maugans-The Threshing Floor
    http://threshingfloor-radio.com

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  12. If we are going to discuss biblical issues then let's stick to the bible.
    The "sons of God"
    Gen_6:2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
    Gen_6:4 There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.
    Job_1:6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.
    Job_2:1 Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD.
    Job_38:7 When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
    Joh_1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
    Rom_8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
    Rom_8:19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
    Php_2:15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;
    1Jn_3:1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
    1Jn_3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
    CLEARLY the sons of God are God fearing MEN.

    Children of God
    Children of God
    Mat_5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
    Luk_20:36 Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.
    Joh_11:52 And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad.
    Rom_8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
    Rom_8:21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
    Rom_9:8 That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.
    Gal_3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
    1Jn_3:10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.
    1Jn_5:2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
    Children = boys AND girls

    Are there other worlds...
    Heb_1:2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
    Heb_11:3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

    A more logic explanation is that the descendants of Seth(sons of God) married the "daughters of men" (descendants of Cain)

    Why then were Satan among the Sons of God (from the unfallen worlds)?
    Because man lost his dominion of the earth given to him in Gen 1:28 to satan when he ate from the forbidden tree,(Also read Luk 4 : 6)and therefore lost the privilege of representing the earth before God.

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