Introduction

The identification of the Nephilim is debated. The term “Nephilim,” likely derived from the Hebrew verb נָפַל (naphal, “to fall”), appears to be an eponym for a class of renowned warrior-like people who fell in battle. Later Greek interpreters identified the Nephilim as semi-divine “giants” (γιγαντες, gigantes) that arose from the union of the “sons of God” and the “daughters of men” (Gen 6:1–4). The identification of Nephilim in Genesis is difficult to discern. However, the Nephilim in Numbers are directly linked to the giant race of the Anakim, and by extension the Rephaim, Emim, and Zamzummim (Deut 2:10–11, 20). This connection likely paved the way for the Septuagint (LXX) translators’ interpretation of Nephilim as giants. The Greek LXX, intertestamental, and New Testament writers, rabbinic exegetes, and historians have all influenced understanding of the Nephilim.