The first and most transparent explanation is that divine beings came to earth, assumed human flesh, cohabited with human women, and spawned unusual offspring known as Nephilim. Only by examining the evidence, which includes the height of people in the ancient world, the relative lengths of a cubit and span, and the textual evidence for the most reliable reading, will we be be able to come to a conclusion that seems plausible. Goliath had much experience in war trainings a very tall man as a giant in Israel interpretations but true that King Saul was head and shoulders over every man stating he was just a tall man but with Goliath a GIANT. He enlisted the help of author Douglas Van Dorn, who had just written a book on the subject, to guide the project. God bless! Also, although you might not be intimidated by someone 69 is not the point. It stretches all reason and reality to say that the Nephilim were 130 or 450 feet tall. Nephilim, the original giants that could reach the size or almost the size of skyscrapers (which isnt unbelievable when you look at how high planes can go before air becomes a bother). 11:22). The notion that Goliaths brother must be from Gath originally, means he couldnt possibly have fought a battle and died in another Philistine town called Gob is ludicrous. Well heres the thing. No one knows everything. 6 foot king as a giant, its doubtful 6 additional inches would suddenly make goliath the super intimidating giant. Likewise Elhanan the one who killed Goliath, is simply the birth name of King David. Why? Perhaps Fields Of The Nephilims best-known song thanks to it reaching no.28 in the official UK single charts after its release in the summer of 1988. Then, approximately 700 years later the Chronicler came along and tried to harmonize the conflicting stories of Goliaths demise found in 1 Sam. Which span of years were our bones from to compare? God bless! Here, this is the best list I could find: 1. Image from Arik. Clyde E. Billington, GOLIATH AND THE EXODUS GIANTS: HOW TALL WERE THEY?,, Descendants of the Nephilim in Genesis 14, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andr%C3%A9_the_Giant, https://www.biblestudywithrandy.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/10-The-Savior_The-Lord-Almighty-Reigns.m4a. Studies have shown conclusively that the average American, when challenged to do so, was unable to successfully locate their own backside with the use of both hands, a map, a guide dog, a Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer to assist, and a GPS locator. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. The point of this article is to discuss one small (pun intended) point of the story. What is the difference between Nephilim Apparently, Sir Isaac Newton argued that the sacred cubit length of the Egyptians was beteeen 24.90 and 25.02 inches. No matter which version of the text you choose (MT or LXX), Goliath, at most, would be in the 9-10 foot range. Lines in South America can only be fully realized from an airplane. The Nephilim were the offspring of heavenly beings who were placed in the spiritual realm to watch over the earth in those days. Randy, I have found this article and comments to be very interesting! Because there is so much archaeological evidence that needs to be explored.. Moonchild I have really enjoyed reading this article. So, my point: Using 25 inches as the baseand calculating 4 cubits and a span, we have around 109 inches (just around 9 feet). Og was named in Deuteronomy (3:11) as the only remaining man from the Rephaim. The Jerusalem Post Customer Service Center can be contacted with any questions or requests: Gilgal Refaim is an ancient megalithic monument in the Golan Heights (Credit: Hebrew Wikipedia user ., CC BY-SA 3.0), Sign up for The Jerusalem Post Premium Plus for just $5, Upgrade your reading experience with an ad-free environment and exclusive content, Copyright 2023 Jpost Inc. All rights reserved, Sign up for our Christian World newsletter >>. The Nazka (sp?) In the bible, the Nephilim are mentioned exactly twice, and are never named or defined. why else do we find ancient tribes of natives in Az. Thanks for your response. In the Book of Enoch it speaks to 450 tall. Now, to really see something great go back into time and you will see and know the truth. Just a thought. The Bible does in fact describe them as very large people, but again nothing in the range that you are proposing. The closest corresponding entities in Greek mythology would be the people from the Golden Age or maybe the Bronze Age*, but neither is really a good fit at all. The Nephilim as they are known in the Bible simply dont exist in Greek mythology. *See Ages of Man - Wikipedia for an overview of the Five Ages of Man in Greek mythology Billington estimates that a person who is 5 feet tall would have a span of about 7 1/2 inches. Humans are NOT like whales who live in the ocean All the other Philistine giants had Philistine names. My article is looking at the evidence for which reading seems to be the most original. Your email address will not be published. Also, some of them look like unearthly beautiful human beings!!!! The purpose of Gilgal Refaim is still a mystery and the focus of scholarly debate. Anytime there is a suggested reading that is different, I want to hang on to the reading of the MT. Nyuck, Nyuck as Curly of the Three Stooges would always SAY!! We see demons everywhere, in movies, shows, in . Where Will the Battle of Armageddon Be Fought? They sustain that these Nehpilim are, in fact, not Giants. The tallest man I believe is 89. If Goliath was but 4 cubit that would mean david didnt slay the tallest man in the world. If someone was say 4 feet taller? And why 5 smooth stones and not 4 if Goliath has 3 other brothers and not 4? Thanks for your comment. WebThe most notable feature of the Nephilim is their colossal size, with some measuring between 15 to 20 feet (4,5 to 6 meters) in height, although there is evidence of Nephilim up to 328 or 656 feet (100 or 200 meters) in height, I have no problem with those who want to assert that Goliath was 9 ft. tall. The bigger a person becomes, the harder it is on their organs. Four Theories - Christianity.com Furthermore, 2 Samuel 21:15-22 relates four stories of Philistines who are killed by Davids men. 21:19 does) I would offer 3 arguments: You are, of course, welcome to respond. Descendants of Ham. Keeping in mind we do not know which cubit was being used, it seems to me that the evidence favors 4 cubits. Those look to be defenses akin to Giants. The description of his tall stature certainly suggests a connection with the descendants of the Nephilim. He changed the text to create a brother for Goliath so he could give credit to Elhanan for his death. I have attempted to answer the Giant means giant comment made. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Ive given the reasons why I believe the LXX has the original reading. The main commentary of the Nephilim happens in Genesis chapter six. Modding and Workshop Support :: Breeders of the Nephelym: kranttu 2 yr. ago. The Chronicles account only helps to clear up the confusion. The human body has no trouble in the 7 foot height area, its only the 8 foot range where it starts struggling, because its reaching its limits. Hi Dave, The explanation you offer also comes with an agenda and that agenda is clearly seen in your sarcasm toward the biblical accounts. This is an interesting observation frequently overlooked. We bring the sources and encourage the viewer to ask questions, to continue to study and do their own research.. Hays says that a scribe copying the manuscript accidentally looked down at verse 7 and saw the number 6 (as in six hundred) and copied it into verse 4. I have done a good amount of studying on this subject and would just love to go back and forth with someone and what not. Thats not to say there were no giants after the flood, but all giants after the flood were killed by Moses and the Israelites. We have to add the word roughly because, quite obviously, the length from one persons elbow to the tip of their middle finger may be shorter or longer than that of someone else. 3. My point here is that the Bible indicates these people were large, but we have no specific measurements. Sorry for bad spelling. You have been a gentleman with your responses and it is clear you have an unbiased view which is great! None of it adds up to a story worth telling if he was only 69. Saul was a head taller than the other Israelites. How does someone reach the conclusion that the average man was 55? . WebRT @xreamm: Nephilim height chart https://t.co/Cr43cm8kWG. The Nephilim are the offspring of The Watchers mating with the daughters of men. The fossils indicate they were substantially more muscled, including the children. Thanks for your comments. Goliath could be a descendant of the Nephilim without being over 9 feet tall. First, we should not judge Goliaths height based on modern standards, but rather on ancient Near Eastern standards. Goliath had 3 relatives later killed not sure their height was recorded. Steve, What do you make of the dozens of skeletons at 7ft+ range found in the 1800s in the US alone? 3:1-11). Hays points out the well-known fact that the MT of 1&2 Samuel has a number of scribal errors. I just found your blog and I appreciate your writing and care for the Word. If hes 99 then, he needed a cane to walk like everyone 8 foot and taller did. Not by rolling on treesCarried by huge men. I therefore believe its possible that later scribes revised based on the 18 inch cubit length that was prevalent at the time of the Masoretes when they updated the numbers to an 18 inch system (widely in use at the time). ), then that makes it a perfectly legitimate source. So. By the time David was born, there were no more giants, descendants of giants who were less than 10 feet tall, as well as tall men were around however. and assumed it was correct. From the ground, it appears as random piles of rocks. Did we compare the bones of 10,000 men from the ancient world stretching from Asia, to the Middle East and then average their height? WebMale MC is estimated to be around 5'4. The other link in my post refers to an article by Clyde Billington. Hi Andre, That certainly could be a possibility. Im seeking which may be the original reading. Neanderthal fossils lack the predominant chin of humans and a last set of molars. If you have done any archaeological work yourself, or if you have some credible archaeological sources that refute this stat, I would certainly be interested in knowing about those sources. The NIV uses the word Nephilim. 5 total brothers as David knew when he killed Goliath that Goliaths brothers would come after him. My problem with the baseline assessment is it is entirely based on the average height of a man from the ancient world being 55. Gen 6:4 is the only reliable reference to Nephilim and it does not provide us a physical description so that we have no reliable biblical physical description of them. How tall were the biblical giants? Comparative height chart This chart is more of percentile sizes between characters than actual set heights. True Andy. Its readings are worth considering on a case by case basis. Im not an expert on all the discoveries ever made. Different times and different cultures often result in a different way of assessing things. God bless! Hays also argues that it is much easier to explain how 4 cubits was changed to 6 cubits rather than the other way around. Mostly through Patterns of Evidence and a YouTube video I saw when he talked about the need to revise Egyptian chronology. The Smithsonian Museum would appear to have been the most notorious thief and misappropriated loser of relics and national archives in the history of the world. When the Spirit-inspired writers of the Scriptures used hyperbole, they are emphasizing a point just as we do today. People who where very tall, but not true giants. Peter. Thanks for writing. If the LXX was accepted by the early church (and it was! My understanding of what hes saying is that even though the Lahmi brother of Goliath occurs in the Chroniclers account (which was obviously compiled later), this particular passage reflects an earlier form of the text. The most They were the heroes of old, men of renown. As for the Nephilim and their descendants, I am in agreement that they are the offspring of the sons of God and the daughters of men as recorded in Gen. 6:1-4. If you follow the story of Saul in 1 Samuel, it emphasizes his fear and lack of faith. 1Sam. Also, nowhere does it state in 2 Samuel that the person they are talking about is Goliath. It is certainly possible that the size of his bed suggests he was of unusual height. Nephilim Also, that only eight people and some animals survived the flood is affirmed circa five times in the Bible so that Nephilim did not survive and there is no indication that they, somehow, returned. Problem solved, Goliath grows from 66 to approximately 99. Hi Marla, Any non-standard unit of measurement is sure to have fluxes and variations. Similarly, Gob is most likely a scribal error for Gath because Gath was Goliaths hometown, and if the text is speaking of Goliaths brother, he would presumably be from Gath also. It is disengenuous to call them all middle Eastern. One Final Item to Note. 6 cubits and a span using an 18 inch system still puts Goliath between that 9 and 10 foot range. 20:5 is not a late product manufactured to ease the contradiction in 2 Sam. Randy, I have heard a similar approach before by others, but it creates a whole new issue with the baseline that is more difficult to determine. 9+ feet would indeed be a giant. It was a false report to get the Israelites to turn against Moses. Nuriel The Angel of Hailstorms and Spellbinding, Transcendental Meditation Vs Mindfulness Meditation. While we cannot be positive that Goliath had this condition, it seems to indicate he stood out significantly from his peers and was such a terrifying sight that he far surpassed even those soldiers who were above average in height (bigger and taller) than their peers (i.e. Most people cruise right over that passage. In the end, what matters is that faith in, and zealousness for, YeHoVaH will lead us to victory and keep us humble: the battle always belongs to Him. There are still diverse details about his height. Therefore, although the story in 1 Samuel 17 may not refer to Goliath as a giant, it seems certain that other passages indicate he was a descendant of the Nephilim. Let me make a few points: I wish you the best. This dual arrangement, circles of stones near a serpentine mound, appears in several places around the world where it was known to be used as a necropolis for this form of burial, Landa explained. Thanks Randy, always a delight to read your well reasoned articlesLove ya mate WebMany texts have confirmed Goliath as a Nephilim. Of course, they might also choose to adopt a Philistine name such as Goliath.The Anakim are also said by the biblical writer to have remained in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod (Josh. Dear Tabitha, . Required fields are marked *. Im sure Goliath was massive. What Does The Bible Say About Burning Sage. The Nephilim are referenced in Genesis and Numbers and are possibly referred to in Ezekiel. The Bible describes the Nephilim in several places, Landa said. No I believe he was 9 foot plus as even today we have 8 foot plus people and they are not descendants of Giants just hyperthyroid cases mostly.t. If you are not sure, these few characteristics might convince you if that person was, in fact, a Nephilim or an offspring. 21 refers to Goliath as the rapha which is sometimes translated as giant in English translations. The point is, however, that here is a scholar who is convinced by text form that the Chronicles reading is legit. It has to do with what the text says and which text seems to have the best explanation for being the original reading. And it came to pass when the children of men had multiplied that in those The concept of Nephilim still leaving among us today comes mostly from the spiritual community. Nephil | Alien Species | Fandom I have no problem with that. Its more likely David would have been around 5 foot or so (very realistic for the period), and Goliath around 7-ish (another realistic amount for the period). Physically, they were not different than us. The Nephilim of The Bible are very easy to recognize. Which makes them look like some kind of fairies. A six-foot tall man cant possibly appear to be tall enough to be an intimidating danger to the Israeli army. Heres why 9 feet would be out of the realm of realism. Im just amazed at the amount of research and study youve put in to this. The subject can easily become sensationalized, and Landa stressed that he did not want to take that approach. The name Bashan is derived from the proto-Semitic root Ugaritic term btn, meaning serpent.. Look at guys like Shaq whos a little over 7. WebHow tall were the biblical giants? document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. I'd kinda like to see something akin to "cattle shows" where the most well bred wild nephilim win, maybe according to some hidden judging system where different judges (which change for each show) like certain traits and body types more, and the player has a few days ahead of time to know who the judges will be. God bless! Comparative height chart Notes: The height of Goliath varies between the various witnesses (manuscripts) to 1 Samuel 17.4 between 4 1/2 Scripture indicates that there were giants on the earth in those days and also afterwards. I would date the final form of Samuel to the exile. If we compare Goliaths height to known examples of people with giantism then we narrow down the comparison and may get a more accurate glimpse of Goliaths height. According to Travis Sanders, many Nephilim look just like us, and they often dont even know what they really are. Look at Robert Wadlow (the one mentioned who was 8 feet, 11.1 inches tall at last measurement). Since the Israelites didnt refer to their appx. What does the grass hopper claim illustrate. When I read this story in the bible and took time to figure out the size , it came up to 9 and 6 tall. Take the footage of Conor McGregor (59) sparring with Hafthor Bjornsson (610). I appreciate your thoughtful response. This reference is to Goliath and here he is associated with the Rephaim, who were also considered to be descendants of the Nephilim. Therefore, it is not disingenuous to speak about people of the Ancient Near East and include Israel in that category. 17:4 And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. That is not the purpose of this blog. Amazing Results of Sandalwood Powder for Acne Scars, 3 Methods to Use Shea Butter for Acne Scars. 28-33) stated by unfaithful, disloyal, contradictory, embellishing spies who also contradict Moses, Caleb, Joshua, God, and the entire rest of the Bible, who make five assertions about which the rest of the Bible knows nothing, and whom God rebukes. At its center is a mound of loose stones over 65 feet in diameter and over 16 feet tall, covering a central chamber carved into solid rock. Saul is said to be head and shoulders above everyone else. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown. The MT (from which the reading 99 comes from) has a history that goes back to the BC time period. Though the Rephaim are never mentioned directly in the same breath as the Nephilim, they are directly connected to the Anakim, whom are connected with the Nephilim. Steve Quayle has conducted much research on the topic, and claims the two were cousins, or, shared some sort of blood relation. I appreciate your logic, refrences to reliable resources, plain language, and openness to discussion. Simply that we are often too hasty in our judgment of what is going on in the text. God bless! How tall were the Nephilim | Christian Forums Remember, the dinosaurs they were not exactly small in size. And to wield a spear with a 15 pound head on it. I will have more to say about this below. My desire is to examine the text and to the best of my ability to understand which reading is the most likely. However one man killing a thousand men is as God puts it a pure work of God. Some say Goliath stood at four cubits and a span which is about 7.80 feet (2.38 It is a misnomer to think that only Philistines lived in Philistine cities or that only Israelites lived in Israelite cities. 1. They needed the high ground from giants. Greetings, brother! The most convincing to me include what he calls the external evidence. This concerns the textual evidence. The fact that 4QSam(a) is earlier than the MT and that it, and Chronicles, and the LXX, always agree with each other whenever there is a variant is compelling. The search takes them around the globe to Egypt, Peru and the United States, but most significantly, the docu-series begins in the Golan Heights in Israel. Lets start with Genesis 6:4 in one of the Modern versions, the NIV: Genesis 6:4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those daysand also afterwardwhen the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. This second figure seems impossibly low for a giant like Goliath and we might be tempted to automatically throw it out as a possibility. 17:5 He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. Im always willing to post opposing views. On this particular passage, however, bible scholar, J. Daniel Hays argues in a very convincing way for the reading found in one of the Dead Sea Scrolls (4QSam[a]) and the Septuagint (LXX). Randy. lol. How do you expect a guy who cant hardly walk to be a soldier? Therefore, there is a high chance that youve already met a nephilim in person. There is not a few thousand years between the Hebrew text and the LXX. These giants where between 10 and 140 feet tall as noted in Amos and in Deuteronomy. Hi Morris, 1. For some, a person 99 is out of the realm of reality, and they would therefore be inclined to the more reasonable reading of 6 9 61. I am surprised by some of the comments on this post which leads me to believe that we have a poor understanding of literary devices, grasshoppers being one of them. So.. Im glad you found the article and comments informative. Behind the Scenes Universe Hes big on both fronts, and more likely the way Goliath was. Thank you Jamie. Thus the Rapha are a semitic people and it would not be unusual for some to use Semitic names even though living among the Philistines. There was clearly a very intelligent design behind the site, Landa noted. Today we would think anyone taking every statement we make literally as either not being very discerning or having a poor grasp of the rules of grammar. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. You raise some good questions. Since we are only given the height of Goliath (and as this article points out, there are two different recordings of his height), it is not possible to know if he was the tallest or if someone else was taller. Israelites, Edomites, Moabites, Ammonites, all shared a common ancestry, as the Bible makes clear. God bless! The reference to Rapha in 2 Samuel 21 doesnt really mean giant, although the Rephaim were considered to be a very tall people. I looked into this matter further. Please see my response to Andre. If you are asking who the tallest man in the Bible is, its difficult to say because the Bible does not tell us. I would encourage you to read some of my responses in the comment section and also encourage you to read other articles of mine. Im not saying the giants were 30 ft. tall but Im also not saying only a foot or so taller. Also what were the Chinese defending against with the Great Wall? Thank you for your very kind and encouraging words! Hi Andy, So your argument is duly noted. What about other texts like Book of Enoch and Book of Hasher that are referenced in Jude and Revelation? All those 8 foot tall people today need canes to walk, so if he was a foot taller than them, just as Wadlow was (who also needed a cane to walk), how could he be a soldier if he couldnt even walk? The Bible DOES NOT say he is from Gob only that is where the battle took place and where Elhanan slew him.