Who Are the Nephilim?

The mysterious beings of Genesis 6

The Nephilim, the product of the sons of god mingling with the daughters of Adam, the great Biblical giants, “the fallen ones,” the Rephaim, “the dead ones”—these descriptions are all applied to one group of characters found within the Hebrew Bible. Who are the Nephilim? From where do the “heroes of old, the men of renown” come?
Genesis 6:1–4 tells the readers that the Nephilim, which means “fallen ones” when translated into English, were the product of copulation between the divine beings (lit. sons of god) and human women (lit. daughters of Adam). The Nephilim are known as great warriors and Biblical giants (see Ezekiel 32:27 and Numbers 13:33).

It was once claimed that the mating of the sons of god and the daughters of Adam that resulted in the Nephilim caused the flood, and this caused the Nephilim to have a negative reputation. This was believed because the next verse (Genesis 6:5) is the introduction to the flood narrative and because their name means “fallen ones.” It is unlikely that this interpretation is correct because Genesis 6:4 presents nothing but praise for the Nephilim and no criticism is present. In addition, the name “fallen ones” is likely a reference to their divine paternity transforming—falling—into the human condition, albeit an almost superhuman condition.

In the free eBook Exploring Genesis: The Bible’s Ancient Traditions in Context, discover the cultural contexts for many of Israel’s earliest traditions. Explore Mesopotamian creation myths, Joseph’s relationship with Egyptian temple practices and three different takes on the location of Ur of the Chaldees, the birthplace of Abraham.
Genesis 6, Ezekiel 32, and Numbers 13 are the only passages that mention the Nephilim by that term. So where do the names Rephaim and “the dead ones” originate? The first thing to recognize is that these are not two separate titles, but rather a name, Rephaim, and a meaning, “dead ones.” The Bible refers to two groups as the Rephaim. The first are dead people who have achieved an almost divine status, similar to the concept of Saints. The second is a term that is applied to races of Biblical giants. It is this second usage that is often conflated with the Nephilim.

The Rephaim appear in Deuteronomy 2:11; 3:11; 2 Samuel 21:19 and Joshua 11:22 and almost always take the form of one member of the Rephaim (Anaqim, Og, Goliath) being in opposition with Israel or its representative. In this sense, the Rephaim live up to their name, as their purpose in each narrative is to die. The juxtaposition of the mighty Biblical giants defeated by the underdog, God’s chosen, is foreshadowed in the very name attributed to these characters.

Ellen White, Ph.D. (Hebrew Bible, University of St. Michael’s College), is the senior editor at the Biblical Archaeology Society. She has taught at five universities across the U.S. and Canada and spent research leaves in Germany and Romania. She has also been actively involved in digs at various sites in Israel.

Ohio Counties Where Giant Human Skeletons Were Discovered: 125 Historical Accounts
These are historical reports listed in “The Encyclopedia of Ancient Giants in North America” In many cases there were numerous giant human skeletons found at each site.

Williams County, Ohio – 2 giant human skeletons
Fulton County, Ohio – 1 giant human skeleton
Lucas County, Ohio – 2 giant human skeletons
Defiance County, Ohio – 1 giant human skeleton
Paulding County, Ohio – 1 giant human skeletons
Wood County, Ohio – 1 giant human skeleton
Erie County, Ohio – 7 giant human skeletons
Seneca County, Ohio – 1 giant human skeleton
Huron County, Ohio – 1 giant human skeleton
Lorain County, Ohio – 1 giant human skeleton
Ashtabula County, Ohio – 3 giant human skeleton
Portage County, Ohio – 1 giant human skeleton
Medina County, Ohio – 1 giant human skeleton
Huron County, Ohio – 3 giant human skeletons
Hardin County, Ohio – 2 giant human skeletons
Mahoning County, Ohio – 1 giant human skeleton
Wayne County, Ohio – 2 giant human skeletons
Ashland County, Ohio – 2 giant human skeletons
Richland County, Ohio – 2 giant human skeletons
Auglaize County, Ohio – 3 giant human skeletons
Marion County, Ohio – 2 giant human skeletons
Morrow County, Ohio – 1 giant human skeleton
Knox County, Ohio – 1 giant human skeleton
Coshocton County, Ohio – 4 giant human skeletons
Delaware County, Ohio – 3 giant human skeletons
Miami County, Ohio – 2 giant human skeletons
Montgomery County, Ohio – 4 giant human skeletons
Preble County, Ohio – 1 giant human skeleton
Butler County, Ohio – 4 giant human skeletons
Warren County, Ohio – 1 giant human skeleton
Clermont County, Ohio – 2 giant human skeletons
Brown County, Ohio – 1 giant human skeleton
Highland County, Ohio – 3 giant human skeletons
Clinton County, Ohio – 1 giant human skeleton
Greene County, Ohio – 2 giant human skeletons
Clark County, Ohio – 5 giant human skeletons
Franklin County, Ohio – 2 giant human skeletons
Madison County, Ohio – 1 giant human skeleton
Ross County, Ohio – 12 giant human skeletons
Pike County, Ohio – 2 giant human skeletons
Adams County, Ohio – 2 giant human skeletons
Licking County, Ohio – 5 giant human skeletons
Fairfield County, Ohio – 1 giant human skeleton
Hocking County, Ohio – 1 giant human skeleton
Vinton County, Ohio – 1 giant human skeleton
Jackson County, Ohio – 3 giant human skeletons
Muskingum County, Ohio 4 giant human skeletons
Morgan County, Ohio – 3 giant human skeletons
Athens County, Ohio – 6 giant human skeletons
Meigs County, Ohio – 1 giant human skeleton
Monroe County, Ohio – 1 giant human skeleton
Belmont County, Ohio – 1 giant human skeleton
Washington County, Ohio – 2 giant human skeletons
Lawrence County, Ohio – 1 giant human skeleton
Noble County, Ohio – 1 giant human skeleton