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Nephilim

For other uses, see Nephilim (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with Nevi'im or Niflheim.

The Fall of the Rebel Angels by Hieronymus Bosch, based on Genesis 6:1–4

The Nephilim (/ˈnɛfɪˌlɪm/; Hebrew: נְפִילִים Nəfīlīm) are mysterious beings or people in the Hebrew Bible who are described as being large and strong.[1] The Hebrew word Nephilim is sometimes translated as "giants", and sometimes as its literal meaning "the fallen ones".[2] Their origins are disputed. Some, including the author of the Book of Enoch, view them as offspring of fallen angels and humans.[3][4] Others view them as offspring of the descendants of Seth and Cain.[5][6][7]

This reference to them is in Genesis 6:1–4, but the passage is ambiguous and the identity of the Nephilim is disputed.[2][8] According to the Book of Numbers 13:33, ten of the Twelve Spies report the existence of Nephilim in Canaan prior to its conquest by the Israelites.[9][10]

A similar or identical Biblical Hebrew term, read as "Nephilim" by some scholars, or as the word "fallen" by others, appears in the Book of Ezekiel 32:27 and is also mentioned in the deuterocanonical books Judith 16:6, Sirach 16:7, Baruch 3:26–28, and Wisdom 14:6.[11][12]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b "Nephilim". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
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  8. ^ Doedens, J. J. T. (2019). The Sons of God in Genesis 6:1–4: Analysis and History of Exegesis. Brill. pp. 75–76. ISBN 978-9004395909. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference JPS_1917 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ "Numbers 13:33". www.sefaria.org. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  11. ^ For the view that "Nephilim" appear explicitly in Ezekiel 32, see Hendel, Ronald S. "Of Demigods and the Deluge: Toward an Interpretation of Genesis 6:1–4". Journal of Biblical Literature, vol. 106, no. 1, 1987, p. 22. JSTOR 3260551.
  12. ^ For the view that the term "Nephilim" does not appear explicitly in Ezekiel 32:27, but that a related word is used to deliberately refer to the traditions about Nephilim, see Doak, Brian R. "Ezekiel's Topography of the (Un-)Heroic Dead in Ezekiel 32:17–32". Journal of Biblical Literature, vol. 132, no. 3, 2013, pp. 607–624. JSTOR 23487889.