Giants are a significant yet intriguing topic in the Bible. These large beings are mentioned numerously throughout the Old Testament, representing an era of history that was characterised by complexity and contrasting moral paradigms. They play key roles in many narratives and are often cited as powerful and fearsome beings. This summary aims to explore the biblical representation of giants without referring to specific verses, instead focusing on the broader themes and narratives they appear in.
Who Were the Giants in the Bible?
Biblical giants, often described as ‘Nephilim’ or ‘Rephaim’, were not just taller, but also stronger than average humans. The Rephaim were inhabitants of Canaan, the land that God later promised to Abraham and his descendants while the Nephilim were the offspring of ‘the sons of God’ and ‘the daughters of men’. These giants were infamous for their imposing stature, strength and their generally malevolent demeanor. Despite the speculation around their true nature and origin, the Bible portrays them as literal beings and integral characters in several biblical accounts.
What Role Did Giants Play in the Bible?
Giants occupy various roles within the biblical narratives. They often embody the opposition or adversity that God’s people must overcome. For instance, in the story of David and Goliath, Goliath is a towering giant from the Philistine camp whose defeat showcases David’s faith and trust in God. Similarly, the Anakim, a race of giants living in the Promised Land, served as an obstacle for the Israelites to conquer the land. Thus, giants were symbolic of obstacles that required extraordinary faith and divine intervention to overcome. This symbolism made the victories of God’s people even more extraordinary and validated their faith.
Where Were the Giants Mentioned in the Bible?
The Giants are predominantly mentioned in the Old Testament of the Bible. In the book of Genesis, they appear among the populations before and after the Great Flood. Later, they show up in the account of Moses sending scouts to explore Canaan, where the scouts report that the land is inhabited by giants. The sighting of these giants scared the Israelites and even led them to doubt God’s promise. Additionally, giants are also mentioned in the books of Numbers, Deuteronomy, and Joshua, reinforcing their continuous presence in the biblical narrative.
Why Were Giants Important in the Bible?
The significance of giants in the Bible goes beyond their physical presence. They serve as powerful symbols of the spiritual challenges that God’s people faced and had to overcome. In many cases, the giants exemplified the power of faith, as God’s people were often physically smaller and weaker and had to rely on their faith in God to defeat them. These victories over the giants proved that with God, nothing was impossible, reinforcing the underlying message of trust and faith in God’s capabilities.
When Did Giants Appear in the Bible?
Biblical giants make appearances at pivotal points in the Old Testament. They first emerge in the early chapters of Genesis, the symbolic ancestors of the wickedness that led to the Great Flood. Later, they reappear during the Exodus from Egypt when the Israelites were poised to enter Canaan, symbolizing the trials that awaited God’s chosen people in their pursuit of the Promised Land. The final appearance of giants occurs in the Davidic narratives where David’s victory over Goliath becomes a testament to faith and divine guidance, marking a crucial shift in Israel’s history.
Below is the full list of bible verses on giants (King James Version – KJV). The list is ranked in order of popularity and we hope you find the inspiration you need.
Most Popular Bible Verses About Giants
Genesis 6:4
“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.”
Related Themes: Earth
Numbers 13:33
“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.”
Deuteronomy 1:28
“28 Whither shall we go up? our brethren have discouraged our heart, saying, The people is greater and taller than we; the cities are great and walled up to heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakims there.”
Deuteronomy 3:11
“11 For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of giants; behold, his bedstead was a bedstead of iron; is it not in Rabbath of the children of Ammon? nine cubits was the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it, after the cubit of a man.”
Jude 1:6
“6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.”
Related Themes: Pride Angels Earth Omnipotence
Genesis 6:1-4
“1 And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.3 And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.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.”
Related Themes: Technology Earth Earth
2 Samuel 21:18
“18 And it came to pass after this, that there was again a battle with the Philistines at Gob: then Sibbechai the Hushathite slew Saph, which was of the sons of the giant.”
Joshua 11:21
“21 And at that time came Joshua, and cut off the Anakims from the mountains, from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, and from all the mountains of Judah, and from all the mountains of Israel: Joshua destroyed them utterly with their cities.”
Deuteronomy 2:21
“21 A people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakims; but the LORD destroyed them before them; and they succeeded them, and dwelt in their stead:”
Deuteronomy 2:11
“11 Which also were accounted giants, as the Anakims; but the Moabites call them Emims.”
Deuteronomy 2:10
“10 The Emims dwelt therein in times past, a people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakims;”
Psalm 3:6
“6 I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about.”
Related Themes: Fear
Deuteronomy 2:20
“20 (That also was accounted a land of giants: giants dwelt therein in old time; and the Ammonites call them Zamzummims;”
Isaiah 40:22
“22 It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:”
Related Themes: Earth Sovereignty New Beginnings Technology Transcendence
2 Samuel 21:15-22
“15 Moreover the Philistines had yet war again with Israel; and David went down, and his servants with him, and fought against the Philistines: and David waxed faint.16 And Ishbibenob, which was of the sons of the giant, the weight of whose spear weighed three hundred shekels of brass in weight, he being girded with a new sword, thought to have slain David.17 But Abishai the son of Zeruiah succoured him, and smote the Philistine, and killed him. Then the men of David sware unto him, saying, Thou shalt go no more out with us to battle, that thou quench not the light of Israel.18 And it came to pass after this, that there was again a battle with the Philistines at Gob: then Sibbechai the Hushathite slew Saph, which was of the sons of the giant.19 And there was again a battle in Gob with the Philistines, where Elhanan the son of Jaareoregim, a Bethlehemite, slew the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.20 And there was yet a battle in Gath, where was a man of great stature, that had on every hand six fingers, and on every foot six toes, four and twenty in number; and he also was born to the giant.21 And when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea the brother of David slew him.22 These four were born to the giant in Gath, and fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.”
Numbers 13:23
“23 And they came unto the brook of Eshcol, and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bare it between two upon a staff; and they brought of the pomegranates, and of the figs.”
Related Themes: Lust
1 Chronicles 20:4-8
“4 And it came to pass after this, that there arose war at Gezer with the Philistines; at which time Sibbechai the Hushathite slew Sippai, that was of the children of the giant: and they were subdued.5 And there was war again with the Philistines; and Elhanan the son of Jair slew Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, whose spear staff was like a weaver’s beam.6 And yet again there was war at Gath, where was a man of great stature, whose fingers and toes were four and twenty, six on each hand, and six on each foot: and he also was the son of the giant.7 But when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea David’s brother slew him.8 These were born unto the giant in Gath; and they fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.”
Numbers 13:32-33
“32 And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature.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.”
1 Samuel 17:4
“4 And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.”
Matthew 22:30
“30 For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.”
Romans 6:23
“23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Related Themes: Life Hell Repentance Sin Omnipotence
2 Peter 2:4
“4 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;”
Amos 2:9
“9 Yet destroyed I the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars, and he was strong as the oaks; yet I destroyed his fruit from above, and his roots from beneath.”
2 Samuel 21:16
“16 And Ishbibenob, which was of the sons of the giant, the weight of whose spear weighed three hundred shekels of brass in weight, he being girded with a new sword, thought to have slain David.”
Deuteronomy 2:10-11
“10 The Emims dwelt therein in times past, a people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakims;11 Which also were accounted giants, as the Anakims; but the Moabites call them Emims.”
2 Samuel 21:20
“20 And there was yet a battle in Gath, where was a man of great stature, that had on every hand six fingers, and on every foot six toes, four and twenty in number; and he also was born to the giant.”
