Who Are the Nephilim?

The mysterious beings of Genesis 6

Ellen White 01/03/2016 (01/03/2016T12:49)
This Bible History Daily article was originally published in 2014. It has been updated.Ed.

The Nephilim, the product of the sons of god mingling with

the daughters of Adam, the great Biblical giants, the fallen
ones, the Rephaim, the dead onesthese descriptions are
all applied to one group of characters found within the
Hebrew Bible. Who are the Nephilim? From where do the
heroes of old, the men of renown come?
Genesis 6:14 tells the readers that the Nephilim, which
means fallen ones when translated into English, were the
product of copulation between the divine beings (lit. sons of
god) and human women (lit. daughters of Adam). The
Nephilim are known as great warriors and Biblical giants
(see Ezekiel 32:27 and Numbers 13:33).
It was once claimed that the mating of the sons of god and
the daughters of Adam that resulted in the Nephilim caused
the flood, and this caused the Nephilim to have a negative
reputation. This was believed because the next verse (Genesis
6:5) is the introduction to the flood narrative and because
their name means fallen ones. It is unlikely that this
interpretation is correct because Genesis 6:4 presents nothing
but praise for the Nephilim and no criticism is present. In
addition, the name fallen ones is likely a reference to their
divine paternity transformingfallinginto the human
condition, albeit an almost superhuman condition.

Who are the Nephilim? The giant

Goliath is best known for facing the
formidable but slight David and
losing. Many theorists believe that
Goliath was a descendent of the
Nephilim of Genesis 6. This painting
of the confrontation between David
and Goliath was completed by
William H. Johnson in 1944 during the
Harlem Renaissance. The naive style
presents the scene in its basic, most
essential parts. Credit: Smithsonian
American Art Museum, Washington,
D.C.

Genesis 6, Ezekiel 32, and Numbers 13 are the only passages that mention the Nephilim by that
term. So where do the names Rephaim and the dead ones originate? The first thing to
recognize is that these are not two separate titles, but rather a name, Rephaim, and a meaning,
dead ones. The Bible refers to two groups as the Rephaim. The first are dead people who have
achieved an almost divine status, similar to the concept of Saints. The second is a term that is
applied to races of Biblical giants. It is this second usage that is often conflated with the
Nephilim.
The Rephaim appear in Deuteronomy 2:11; 3:11; 2 Samuel 21:19 and Joshua 11:22 and almost
always take the form of one member of the Rephaim (Anaqim, Og, Goliath) being in opposition
with Israel or its representative. In this sense, the Rephaim live up to their name, as their

purpose in each narrative is to die. The juxtaposition of the mighty Biblical giants defeated by the
underdog, Gods chosen, is foreshadowed in the very name attributed to these characters.

This Bible History Daily article was originally published on November 19, 2014.

Ellen White, Ph.D. (Hebrew Bible, University of St. Michaels College), is

the senior editor at the Biblical Archaeology Society. She has taught at five
universities across the U.S. and Canada and spent research leaves in
Germany and Romania. She has also been actively involved in digs at
various sites in Israel.

Further reading in the BAS Library:

Ronald S. Hendel, When the Sons of God Cavorted with the Daughters of Men, Bible
Review, Summer 1987.
James C. VanderKam, Enochs Vision of the Next World, Bible Review, April 2003.
Ronald S. Hendel, Biblical Views: Giants at Jericho, Biblical Archaeology Review,
March/April 2009.
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