Giants

Earth-born. It is supposed by many that the first men were of a size and strength superior to those of mankind at present, since a long life is usually associated with a well-developed and vigorous frame. We know also that there were giants and families of giants, even after the average length of human life was greatly abridged. These, however, appear to have been exceptions; and if we judge from the mummies of Egypt, and from the armor and implements of the earliest antiquity, found in ancient tombs, in bogs, and in buried cities, we should conclude that mankind never exceeded, in the average, their present stature. There were, however, giants before the flood, Ge 6:4; fruits of the union of different families, and extraordinary in stature, power, and crime. After the flood, mention is made of a race called Rephaim, Ge 14:5Jos 17:15; kindred with whom were the Emim, early occupants of the land of Moab, and the Zamzummim in Ammon, De 2:10,20. Og was one of the last of this race, De 3:11,13. West of the Dead Sea, around Hebron and Philistia, lived the Anakim, whose aspect so terrified the Hebrew spies, Nu 13:33Jos 11:21,22. Of this race were Goliath and his kindred, 1Sa 17:41Ch 20:4-8. SeeANAKIM,GOLIATH, andREPHAIM.