ABOUT GIANTS (2)

0. Introduction

a) Did GIANTS exist not only before but also AFTER Noah's flood? If they did exist, who were they? How big was their stature? Where can we find them in the Bible? The ones who lived before the deluge were known as the Nephilim "In those days, and even later, there were giants on the earth . . ." (Genesis 6:4)

b) Some believe these gigantic people were the product of fallen angels marrying human women. This cannot be true, however, as Jesus said angelic beings (whether righteous or not) do not marry (Matthew 22:29-30, Luke 20:34-36). Additionally, angels are composed of spirit, which is a completely different type of existence than man who was made from the ground (Genesis 3:19). Please see our article "Who are the Nephilim in the Bible?" for more information about this fascinating subject. Suffice to say, these giants perished in the flood along with the rest of humanity.

1. A giant king

a) The Israelites, while wandering the wilderness 40 years, encountered a second group or race of people known to produce large, powerful humans. In reminding the Israelites of the battle they fought and won against Og, king of Bashan, Moses said the following.

i) 11 King Og was the last of the Rephaim. His coffin (most other translations have 'bedstead' and not 'coffin'), made of stone . . .

b) The NKJV and other translations state that Og slept in a bed 9 cubits long and 4 cubits wide. Various Bible commentaries place the length of a Biblical cubit anywhere from 17 inches (43.2 centimeters) to 21 inches (53.3 centimeters). If we use a conservative value of 18 inches in a cubit, Og's bed was 13 1/2 feet long and 6 feet wide! For comparison purposes, the most common large mattress in the U.S., the "king size" mattress, is 6.6 feet long and 6.3 feet wide.