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Were there giants in the Bible?
Great question! Here's the answer:
Yes, there were giants in the Bible in a couple of places in the Old Testament.
Giants are mentioned throughout the Bible (Genesis 6:4; Joshua 12:4). Og, king of Bashan was a giant (Deuteronomy 3:11). The intimidating people in Numbers 13:30–33 were giants. David fought the giant, Goliath (2 Samuel 21:19), perhaps the most famous giant in the Bible. The Anakites were also said to be giants (Deuteronomy 9:1–2).
The giants in the Bible are not the same as the giants in fairy tales. Giants in the Bible would have been 9 or 10 feet tall, not 30–50 feet tall like in story books. The Nephilim were also very tall. They were known as the "fallen ones, giants." Many scholars believe the Nephilim were the offspring of the sons of God and the daughters of men (Genesis 6:1–4). Not all scholars agree on the meaning of that phrase; some say demons were involved, trying to stop Jesus from coming as a human, but there is nothing in the Bible that makes it clear.
Other scholars hold the view that the Nephilim were strong and mighty warriors (Genesis 6:4). This view says they were still humans, but probably tall. There were giants on the earth during biblical times, but they are not the same giants we see in fictional stories.
Bible Truth
“There began to be many human beings on the earth. And daughters were born to them. The sons of God saw that the daughters of human beings were beautiful. So they married any of them they chose. Then the Lord said, ‘My Spirit will not struggle with human beings forever. They will have only 120 years to live.’ The Nephilim were on the earth in those days. That was when the sons of God went to the daughters of human beings. Children were born to them. The Nephilim were famous heroes who lived long ago. Nephilim were also on the earth later on” (Genesis 6:1–4).
“A mighty hero named Goliath came out of the Philistine camp. He was from Gath. He was more than nine feet tall” (1 Samuel 17:4).
“Og, the king of Bashan, was the only Rephaite left. His bed was decorated with iron. It was more than 13 feet long and six feet wide. It is still in the Ammonite city of Rabbah” (Deuteronomy 3:11).
