How Tall Were The Nephilim Giants In The Book Of Genesis?

Although the book of Genesis is not very long, it is packed full of history and other fascinating details and it is mentioned rather briefly about the beings called Nephilim. These have created suspense to the readers and scholars over the centuries especially when described as ‘giants’.

Old Testament Nephilim and Their Relationship to Genesis 6

Nephilim is mentioned only twice in the whole Bible, and the first attested passage is within the book of Genesis in chapter 6 vs. 1-4. In this section, it identifies them as being the progeny of the ‘Sons of God’ and the ‘Daughters of men."

As it proceeds to say, these were the Nephilim that dwelt in the earth in those days and also after that, when the ‘Sons of God’ went in to the ‘Daughters of men’ and they bear children to them. And these were the names of the mighty men that were of old, men famous, which were of the nation.

Although this passage gives background information of the Nephilim, it does not describe their height in further detail. The term ‘giants’ which is mentioned in some of the translations is added later and there is nothing mentioned in the Hebrew text concerning these people.

 Historical Interpretations

Historical works have brought different approaches on the size of the Nephilim. The first Jewish and Christian writers explained them as giants of inconceivable size. Sometimes the Giants are said to have been a couple of hundred feet tall. Such portrayals could be attributed to mere myth and people’s fondness of making heroic legends taller in their narratives.

The Nephilim are mentioned in medieval and renaissance art as being significantly taller than men and women of average height. These artistic elements were beautiful but they did not depict the history or even the biblical work as per the imagination of the artists.

 Linguistic Analysis

Curiously enough, the term “Nephilim” is not directly translated as giants in Hebrew; its origin is not as clear, some sources claim the name derives from the root “naphal” – to fall. Some say it lies in relation to the Hebrew word for wonderful or marvelous.

Comparative Mythology

In the several mythological systems of prehistoric cultures, the concept of giants is present in the form of the first creatures or the opponents for gods and heroes. These mythological giants, therefore, differ in size ranging from beings that are slightly taller than humans to those that are numerous times larger than them. You can click the link: https://www.britannica.com/list/12-greek-gods-and-goddesses to learn more.

If this is so, the Nephilim narrative might echo these other giant myths for one or another reason, which indicates that it belongs to the repertoire of Ancient Near Eastern cultures.

 Archaeological Perspectives

From an archaeologist’s perspective, such a race of hyper tall humans has yet to be proven to have ever existed in the ancient Near East.

A variety of skeletons from the stipulated time and geographical areas also reveal average height ranges of the contemporary populations and there are different individuals who were taller than the average population heights, but they cannot be categorized as giants.

Certain researchers, who consider themselves as the followers of “historical” approach towards the Nephilim interpretation as giants, have occasionally presented archeological findings of some unusually large human bones or constructions. Still, these are usually not backed up by mainstream archeological data and knowledge and often contain misidentifications or obvious overstatements.

Modern Scholarly Interpretations

Different views on the passage about the Nephilim can be found with modern biblical scholars and theologians. Some perceive it as a myth or a parable which is in no way a history unless one wants to revert to mythology. In this regard, the Nephilim might be used to depict a noble or a dominant society, a royal group or a tribe well known for their fighting skillfully.

It has been postulated that the term Nephilim may either refer to the fallen angels or their (human-fallen angels) offspring. In this interpretation, the fact that they are referred as giants might not mean that they had to be physically large, but more related to their spiritual or even cultural importance.

Still, the problem of the height of the Nephilim giants according to the Book of Genesis has not been explained. In modern folklore and some historical myths, it is described that they were giants, but the biblical text itself does not comment on the size and traits of giants very often. You can click here to read the text for yourself.

This is because, although the Israelites provided no specific measurements for the Nephilim, the text’s history is much more complex, and translations semantically differ to an extent. Contemporary academic work is much less inclined to concentrate on the size of these personages and much more regarding their values and role in terms of culture and religion.

Finally, it is vital to say that at the end of the day the height of the Nephilim might not matter as much as their position in the story of creation from the Bible’s first book. In the texts it is used to depict the wickedness that was prevailing on the earth before the flood hence creating room for the Lord to cleanse the face of the earth.

However, whether the people perceiving the Nephilim and recounting their deeds are to be taken literally or as mere symbols of might and evil, the sons of the gods and humans continue to remain one of the most interesting and enigmatic topics of the biblical stories.

When discussing the Nephilim one has to understand that there are certain restrictions to the information we have and various possibilities of interpretation of the historical sources. Scholarly works and fascination with these characters show that the Genesis continues to hold influence and create debate over the centuries.

One must reflect on the fact that with the ever developing knowledge in cultures and literature of the ancient Near East region more understanding may be revealed about the Nephilim. As for their size, it is as unknown to this day as their roots; therefore, researchers, theologians, and eager readers can only carry on deciphering the works of the two sisters.