Who were the Nephilim?

The Bible says little: they were men of great stature and renown, the “mighty men” of Genesis 6:4. The identity of the “sons of God” linked to them is debated among interpreters.

How many times are the Nephilim mentioned in the Bible?

The word appears in two verses: Genesis 6:4 and Numbers 13:33 (twice in the latter).

Hebrew word · Strong H5303

What does Nephilim mean?

Nephilim is the Hebrew word the King James translates “giants”. It appears in only two verses: Genesis 6:4, before the flood, and Numbers 13:33, in the spies' report about the people of Canaan.

נְפִיל

nᵉphîyl · transliteration · nef-eel' · pronunciation

In Strong’s lexicon: properly, a feller, i.e. a bully or tyrant
In the King James: giants2
Appears in: 2 verses

See the full H5303 entry →

The meaning of Nephilim in the Bible

The word is usually connected with the verb naphal (H5307), “to fall” — hence readings such as “the fallen ones” or “those who cause others to fall”. Strong's lexicon defines it as “a feller”, a bully or tyrant. Genesis 6:4 mentions them alongside the union of “the sons of God” and “the daughters of men”, and speaks of “mighty men which were of old, men of renown”.

Who the sons of God were in this passage is one of the most debated questions in the Bible: fallen angels, descendants of Seth or powerful rulers are the three most common readings. In Numbers 13:33 the frightened spies say they were “as grasshoppers” before the giants — and the story shows that the real problem was lack of faith, not the size of the enemy.

Where Nephilim appears

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.

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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.