Who Were These Giants?

Giants in the Land 

Remarkably, the Torah also mentions these giants, called nephilim נפילים in Hebrew, after the flood. When Moses sent twelve spies to scout out the land, ten spies brought an evil report. They were terrified by what they had seen, “We saw the descendants of Anak there” (Num. 13:28). The Hebrew word Anak ענק means “giant.” Therefore, the Hebrew text literally says, “We saw giants.”

Joshua and Caleb Encourage Israel

The response of Joshua and Caleb is remarkable: even though they challenged the "bad report” itself, they did not challenge the information about giants. They didn’t say, “What are you talking about? We haven’t seen any giants!” Joshua and Caleb didn’t dispute the fact; they just encouraged Israel not to be afraid. Moreover, although we never really receive an answer about whether these were giants or not, we learn from their answer some additional intriguing information. 

Discover the Unsolved Mysteries of Scripture

While the translation says, “Their protection is gone,” in Hebrew, Joshua and Caleb say something completely different: ‎"Their shadow is gone, and the Lord is with us” (Numbers 14:9)! The giants without shadow who had occupied the Land – who were these creatures?  Aren’t you curious to find out? Enroll in our live, online Biblical Hebrew course, and uncover unsolved mysteries like this using the power of the original language of Scripture.