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Compilation and commentary by Stella Paterson www.ekklesia4him.net

January 2013 (Amended February 2, 2013)

Old Testament study of the word “Giant” Important note: This is a corrected version of the original study that was posted on January 23, 2013. It was brought to my attention that the Nephilim were actually giants. Upon doing a search of the word “nephilim” I found a web site that has an abundance of information on the subject, all of it being more accurate than any others ‘out there.’ This amended study will include links to that web site. By way of introduction, this is an excerpt of the resume belonging to the owner of that site, Dr. Michael Heiser: “Mike Heiser earned an M.A. (1998) and Ph.D. (2004) in Hebrew Bible and Ancient

Semitic Languages from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His dissertation was

entitled, "The Divine Council in Late Canonical and Non-Canonical Second Temple

Jewish Literature" (English translation: the dissertation dealt with the presence of a

pantheon in the Hebrew Bible and the binitarian nature of ancient Israelite religion and

Judaism, a backdrop for the the belief in the deity of Christ in the New Testament).

Before going to the UW-Madison, Mike also earned an M.A. in Ancient History from the

University of Pennsylvania (1992; major fields, Ancient Syria-Palestine and Egyptology).

Mike can do translation work in roughly a dozen ancient languages, among them Biblical

Hebrew, Biblical Greek, Aramaic, Syriac, Egyptian hieroglyphs, Phoenician, Moabite,

and Ugaritic cuneiform. He has also studied Akkadian and Sumerian independently. “Mike has taught over two dozen courses over the span of 15 years of undergraduate

teaching. He is currently the Academic Editor at Logos Bible Software in Bellingham,

WA.” He is well qualified, and his work can be trusted above most anything else available. The original study of January 23 began with this paragraph:

In Genesis, chapter six, the account of Noah and the flood includes a Hebrew word that is erroneously translated as “giant.” Strong’s Greek dictionary shows that the word actually means “properly, a feller, that is, a bully or tyrant.” “Feller” is an older language word derived from the word “fell,” which is defined: “Cruel; barbarous; inhuman,” according to Webster’s 1828 dictionary.

We find now that Strong’s definition is incorrect, and that the Hebrew word “nephı̂yl

nephil” does indeed mean “giant,” which he did translate correctly. They may well have been bullies or tyrants, but we must consider the truthful facts. The error in the definition occurs because of the mistaken assumption that the root word for “nephı̂yl nephil” is “nâphal,” which means “to fall.” At this web address you will find an explanation as to how that error was made: http://www.michaelsheiser.com/nephilim.pdf

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There have been photos of giants circulating via email, and posted on web sites, showing enormous bones supposedly belonging to giants. This page will explain the source of most of those photos: http://michaelsheiser.com/PaleoBabble/2010/02/giant-paleobabble/ Mike Heiser’s web sites and blogs are worthy of time spent reading and following the blog comments as he interacts with visitors, telling in a very authoritative yet gentle manner the truth as found in the ancients scripts. One question I have not yet found an answer to is this: The Nephilim would have been destroyed in the flood, so where did the

other giants come from in the rest of the Old Testament? It would seem, from Dr. Heiser’s writings that the Nephilim would not have been anything other than very tall men--possibly not much taller than some of our tall men today. But from the descriptions of other giants in post-flood accounts, they were much larger. As can be seen, the true definition of the Hebrew word “nephı̂yl nephil” is far from what many are saying in these days, and especially as the end times progress, with more and more evil manifesting everywhere. Countless numbers of people, even respected

ministers, are promoting a doctrine that says the Nephilim are “fallen angels,” and that they co-habit with human females to produce evil offspring. There are wildly unusual tales of aliens, all because of the error in translation from the ancient languages, as can be seen in the above PDF from Dr. Michael Heiser’s web site. The man of flesh is fully capable of being evil on his own, without some fallen angel ‘fathering’ him. We need only remember the words God spoke to Noah: "My spirit shall

not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh." (Gen. 6:3) And then, as Paul told Timothy, “Yea, and all that would live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. But

evil men and impostors shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.” (2 Timothy 3:12-13 RV). Yes, Satan sends his demons to deceive those especially that are attempting to be “godly” in their own strength, not realizing they are still entrenched in self and flesh. They are ripe for deception, and can quickly become the “deceiving and

being deceived.” They are very dangerous, and will lead many astray, while, at the same time, persecuting those who truly walk in Truth. Jezebel in particular is very active as the Second Coming draws nearer. As we see “evil flesh” increasing in number around the world, we must remember Jesus’ words. He said that the time of His Coming would be as in the days of Noah, with everyone carrying on with life as usual, seemingly complacent, even in the midst of what is coming upon them. We must also remember that in Noah’s day “God saw that the

wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of

his heart was only evil continually” (Gen. 6:5). And so it is today. Of the above two described types of “evil,” the most dangerous one is the “religious” one who is deceived and deceiving others--the reason being that the soul is at risk, while those who are “only evil continually” can destroy only the body of a true and faithful follower of Jesus Christ. The following are the Hebrew words that were translated “giant,” including all the verses in which the words appeared. Both Strong’s and Brown-Driver-Briggs’ dictionaries have mistakenly shown the root word as “nâphal.” (See Dr. Heiser’s PDF on “nephilim”).

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First, we have the definitions as they appear in the Hebrew dictionaries, and then the quoted passages following each definition shown at the beginning of the quotes. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1. Hebrew #5303 נפל נפיל

nephı̂yl nephil (nef-eel', nef-eel') Strong’s Definition: “properly, a feller, that is, a bully or tyrant”

Translated: “giant” Brown-Driver-Briggs’ Definition:

1) giants, the Nephilim

2. Hebrew #7497

רפה / רפא

râphâ'��râphâh (raw-faw', raw-faw')

Strong’s Definition: “a giant”

Translated: “giant, Rapha, Rephaim (-s)”

Brown-Driver-Briggs’ Definition: 1) giants, Rephaim

1a) old tribe of giants Part of Speech: noun proper, of tribe, gentilic ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1. Hebrew #5303 נפל נפיל

nephı̂yl nephil (nef-eel', nef-eel') Strong’s Definition: “properly, a feller, that is, a bully or tyrant”

Translated: “giant”

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- The word “giants” was used by the KJV translators in these two verses. Other versions use the word “nephilim” in translation. Genesis 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.” (KJV) Note: The above verse has led to a lot of speculation and resulting strange doctrines, with varying beliefs as to who the “sons of God” and “daughters of men” actually were.

Numbers 13:33: “And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the

giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.” Note: It would almost appear that the translators inserted the wrong Hebrew word in the above verse, rather than the one in this next definition. (Just a thought).

2. Hebrew #7497

רפה / רפא

râphâ'��râphâh

raw-faw', raw-faw'

Strong’s Definition: “a giant”

Translated: “giant, Rapha, Rephaim (-s)”

Brown-Driver-Briggs’ Definition: 1) giants, Rephaim

1a) old tribe of giants Part of Speech: noun proper, of tribe, gentilic - The following quotes contain the word “giant(-s).”

2 Samuel 21:16, 18, 20, 22: “And Ishbibenob, which was of the sons of the giant, the

weight of whose spear weighed three hundred shekels of brass in weight, he being girded

with a new sword, thought to have slain David. . . . And it came to pass after this, that

there was again a battle with the Philistines at Gob: then Sibbechai the Hushathite slew

Saph, which was of the sons of the giant. . . . And there was yet a battle in Gath, where

was a man of great stature, that had on every hand six fingers, and on every foot six toes,

four and twenty in number; and he also was born to the giant. . . . These four were born

to the giant in Gath, and fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.”

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1 Chronicles 20:4, 6, 8: “And it came to pass after this, that there arose war at Gezer

with the Philistines; at which time Sibbechai the Hushathite slew Sippai, that was of the

children of the giant: and they were subdued. . . . And yet again there was war at Gath,

where was a man of great stature, whose fingers and toes were four and twenty, six on

each hand, and six on each foot: and he also was the son of the giant. . . . These were

born unto the giant in Gath; and they fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his

servants.” Deuteronomy 2:11, 20: “Which also were accounted giants, as the Anakims; but the

Moabites call them Emims. (That also was accounted a land of giants: giants dwelt

therein in old time; and the Ammonites call them Zamzummims;” Deuteronomy 3:11, 13: “For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of giants;

behold, his bedstead was a bedstead of iron; is it not in Rabbath of the children of

Ammon? nine cubits was the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it, after the

cubit of a man. And the rest of Gilead, and all Bashan, being the kingdom of Og, gave I

unto the half tribe of Manasseh; all the region of Argob, with all Bashan, which was

called the land of giants.” Note: A cubit = 17-22 inches. Using the average cubit length of 20, and multiply by 9 cubits, we arrive at a length of 15 feet for the bed of the giant. Using the same method of calculation, it was more than 6 feet wide!

Joshua 12:4: “And the coast of Og king of Bashan, which was of the remnant of the

giants, that dwelt at Ashtaroth and at Edrei,” Joshua 13:12: “All the kingdom of Og in Bashan, which reigned in Ashtaroth and in

Edrei, who remained of the remnant of the giants: for these did Moses smite, and cast

them out.” Joshua 15:8: “And the border went up by the valley of the son of Hinnom unto the south

side of the Jebusite; the same is Jerusalem: and the border went up to the top of the

mountain that lieth before the valley of Hinnom westward, which is at the end of the

valley of the giants northward:” Joshua 17:15: “And Joshua answered them, If thou be a great people, then get thee up to

the wood country, and cut down for thyself there in the land of the Perizzites and of the

giants, if mount Ephraim be too narrow for thee.” Joshua 18:16: “And the border came down to the end of the mountain that lieth before the

valley of the son of Hinnom, and which is in the valley of the giants on the north, and

descended to the valley of Hinnom, to the side of Jebusi on the south, and descended to

Enrogel,” - The word “rephaim(s)” is used in the following passages.

2 Samuel 5:18, 22: “The Philistines also came and spread themselves in the valley of

Rephaim. . . . And the Philistines came up yet again, and spread themselves in the valley

of Rephaim.”

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2 Samuel 23:13: “And three of the thirty chief went down, and came to David in the

harvest time unto the cave of Adullam: and the troop of the Philistines pitched in the

valley of Rephaim.” 1 Chronicles 11:15: “Now three of the thirty captains went down to the rock to David,

into the cave of Adullam; and the host of the Philistines encamped in the valley of

Rephaim.” 1 Chronicles 14:9: “And the Philistines came and spread themselves in the valley of

Rephaim.” Isaiah 17:5: “And it shall be as when the harvestman gathereth the corn, and reapeth the

ears with his arm; and it shall be as he that gathereth ears in the valley of Rephaim.”

Genesis 14:5: “And in the fourteenth year came Chedorlaomer, and the kings that were

with him, and smote the Rephaims in Ashteroth Karnaim, and the Zuzims in Ham, and

the Emims in Shaveh Kiriathaim,” Genesis 15:(18-19&)20 (&21): “In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram,

saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river,

the river Euphrates: The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, And the

Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims, And the Amorites, and the Canaanites,

and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.”

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