who are the nephilim?

Answer 1

Nephilim in the Bible, Hebrew word of no known meaning, denoting peoples of gigantic stature with superhuman strength. The term is translated as “giants” in the Authorized Version. The Book of Genesis refers to Nephilim as the offspring of marriages between “daughters of humans” and sons of God.”

In the Torah and several non-canonical Jewish and early Christian writings, nephilim, those causing others to fall) are a people created by the crossbreeding of the sons of God and the "daughters of men" The word nephilim is loosely translated as giants (maybe intellectual and not in physical size) or titans in some translations of the Bible,-

Answer 2

Giants

The nephilim were the offspring of a mortal woman and a seraph (plural: seraphim). The angels who came from the heavens taught man of magic and vanity. These angels had off spring with the mortal women known as the Nephilim.

Answer 3

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nephilim

This article appears accurate. Note that one answer suggested that all Nephilim were destroyed in the flood. This may be true, but it may also be true that Noah was one of the Nephilim, at least in part, as he was clearly a "hero of old, man of renown". However, it appears that he was wholly human in the male line of descent.

Also note that the giants mentioned later in the bible are *not* referred to as nephilim. I am not certain why this is included in this article.

The legend / tradition that the angels came down from heaven and copulated with human women to produce the nephilim is an ancient one, but is *not* attested by biblical scripture. The identity of the "sons of the powers" is uncertain. The much later "Book of Enoch", considered canonical only by one sect of any significance, describes such an event and is the reference used by Jude to a similar event in his letter. Enoch contains incontrovertible errors, and so cannot be accepted as scriptural support for the "angel" conjecture. Many copies of Enoch were discovered among the Dead Sea Scrolls (unlike most other books),
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_sea_scrolls#Frequency_of_books_found
suggesting very strongly that Enoch was very popular among the priestly class in Jesus' time. Notice its inclusion in the link above with canonical books. Jubilees, also non-canonical, also appears to have been very popular.

Conclusion: the claim that nephilim are the descendants of angels (or demons) and humans is traditional, but is sheer conjecture from the point of view of scripture. They are remarkably similar to the legends of demigods. They are mentioned only in Genesis, in which book other gods are referred to as if existing but considerably less than the true creator God (and so, false). Given this, it is hardly appropriate to claim with certainty that these are half-angels, and equally likely is the possibility that they are demigods, the children of the lesser (false) deities of Genesis, or even a mere explanation of ancient legends of foreign demigods extant at the time of writing.

In other words, your guess is probably as good as anyone's.

Jim, http://www.jimpettis.com/wheel/

Answer 4

Encyclopedia Mythica™ Search (access key + s) Search for:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You are here: » Home » Areas » Mythology » Other mythologies » Nephilim
Cite/copy/print/rate article
Send comment References Nephilim
by Judd H. Burton
Genesis 6:4 states "The Nephilim were on the earth in those days --and also afterwards-- when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown." The Nephilim were a race of giants that were produced by the sexual union of the sons of God (presumably fallen angels) and the daughters of men. Translated from the Hebrew texts, "Nephilim" means "fallen ones." They were renowned for their strength, prowess, and a great capacity for sinfulness.
The origination of the Nephilim begins with a story of the fallen angels. Shemhazai, an angel of high rank, led a sect of angels in a descent to earth to instruct humans in righteousness. The tutelage went on for a few centuries, but soon the angels pined for the human females. After lusting, the fallen angels instructed the women in magic and conjuring, mated with them, and produced hybrid offspring: the Nephilim.

The Nephilim were gigantic in stature. Their strength was prodigious and their appetites immense. Upon devouring all of humankind's resources, they began to consume humans themselves. The Nephilim attacked and oppressed humans and were the cause of massive destruction on the earth.

Two texts of central import to the story of the Nephilim, the Bible and the Dead Sea Scrolls, mention several names for the Nephilim. The diverse kinds of these giants are cited in several passages. They are variously referred to as Emim, or "Terrors" (Gen. 14:5; Deut. 2:10), Rephaim, or "Weakeners" or "Dead Ones" (2 Sam. 23:13; 1 Chron. 11:15), Gibborim, or "Giant Heroes" (Job 16:4), Zamzummim, or "Achievers" (Deut. 2:10), Anakim, or "Long-necked" (Deut. 2:10; Josh. 11:22, 14:15), and Awwim or "Devastators" and "Serpents." Other giants are mentioned in these texts as well, such as Goliath (2 Sam. 21:19), a giant with twelve fingers and twelve toes who is mentioned as one of the Rephaim (2 Sam. 21:20), and a tall Egyptian (1 Chron. 11:23). The passage of Numbers 13:26-33 recounts the Nephilim of Canaan that Joshua and the other Hebrew spies saw. Furthermore, according to Judaic lore, a certain one of the Nephilim, Arba, built a city, Kiriath Arba, which was named for its builder and is now known as Hebron.

The wickedness of the Nephilim carried with it a heavy toll. Genesis 6:5 alludes to the corruption that the Nephilim had caused amongst humans and themselves: "The Lord saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become..." Their evil rebellion had incurred both the wrath and grief of God. God instructed the angel Gabriel to ignite a civil war among the Nephilim. He also chose Enoch, a righteous man, to inform the fallen angels of the judgment pronounced on them and their children. God did not allow the fallen angels any peace, for they could not lift their eyes to heaven and were later to be chained. The end of the Nephilim came about in the war incited by Gabriel, in which the giants eventually annihilated each other.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Article details:
N/A
Page tools:
Font size -
Font size +
Reset font size
Show index

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Article "Nephilim" created on 17 October 2000; last modified on 18 October 2000 (Revision 2). 485 words.
http://www.pantheon.org/articles/n/nephilim.html
© MCMXCV - MMVI Encyclopedia Mythica™. All rights reserved.

Answer 5

Nephilim were the prehistoric race of giants who appear in the Hebrew Bible, in the Book of Genesis, and are also mentioned in other biblical texts and in some non-canonical Jewish writings.
Read more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nephilim

Answer 6

Could giants of the earth mean Dinosaurs? Think about it!
Wasn't it said that god was mad with man because he created giants of the earth? Men at that time had great knowledge.

Answer 7

they existed in Noah's day.they were giants of the earth.born of humans and fallen angels that forsook there place in heaven to have sexual relations with the women of the earth.they were all destroyed in the flood.they were evil bad giants.

Answer 8

they are the angels that mated with the daughters of men and