How Tall Were the Nephilim?

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How Tall Were the Nephilim? What Does the Bible Say?

For those unfamiliar with the Nephilim, hearing the word may result in a response like, “What is a Nephilim?” or “Nephi-what?” But, to those familiar with the Bible this word has spawned endless debate with little resolution. It all started with one Bible verse that could easily be overlooked by what comes after it. Just before the Bible focuses on the events of Noah and the Flood, we read, “The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown (Genesis 6:4 NIV).” Who or what are the Nephilim?

Speculating about the Nephilim’s identity

People have speculated about the identity of the Nephilim. The problem stems from the meaning of the word. We do not know exactly what Nephilim means. It is said to mean “Sons of God.” However, “Sons of God” could mean angels, respected individuals, or those who believe in God. Some say that the Nephilim were the children of the union between fallen angels and human women. Accepting this idea is to introduce a variety of problems into the Bible. For one, if angels can have sexual relations with human women, you could say that the angel that announced Mary was pregnant with Jesus Christ was the "father" of the Lord. That is heresy and a rabbit trail that should be avoided.

Things to consider

However, there are two things to consider regarding the Nephilim.  The first is that one meaning of Nephilim is "giant." The definition of a giant is "of very great size or force; gigantic." The Bible contains many references to giants; human beings of "gigantic" proportions. Among the giants mentioned in the Bible are the Amorites, the Anakim, the Zamzummim, the Rephaim, and the Emim. Secondly, in Genesis 6:4, the Nephilim are referred to as "men of renown." The Nephilim are men and nothing more. Accepting that the Nephilim are giant men we must remain within the Bible to determine what their height may have been. 

Giants in the Bible

The heights for the tribes of giants mentioned in the Bible, the Amorites, the Anakim, the Zamzummim, the Rephaim, and the Emim, are not given. Only hyperbolic language is used. The Amorites are described as being as "tall as cedars (Amos 2:9)." The Emim were said to be as "tall as the Anakim (Deuteronomy 2:10)." It is impossible to determine the actual size of giants using hyperbole and comparison. The best way of determining the height of the Nephilim is using individual examples given in scripture.

Goliath 

When David fought Goliath, the Bible records the height of Goliath. "Then Goliath, a Philistine champion from Gath, came out of the Philistine ranks to face the forces of Israel. He was over nine feet tall (1 Samuel 17:4)! NLT." According to the footnotes in the New Living Translation, "Hebrew 6 cubits and 1 span [which totals about 9.75 feet or 3 meters]; Dead Sea Scrolls and Greek version read 4 cubits and 1 span [which totals about 6.75 feet or 2 meters]." Therefore, Goliath was anywhere from 6'9" to 9'9" tall depending on which text is used. 

The Egyptian Warrior

In 1 Chronicles 11, one of David's men, Benaiah, killed a tall Egyptian warrior. "And he struck down an Egyptian who was five cubits tall. Although the Egyptian had a spear like a weaver’s rod in his hand, Benaiah went against him with a club. He snatched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear (1 Chronicles 11:23)." Five cubits is equivalent to 7'6" tall. 

Conclusion

How tall were the Nephilim? We do not know for sure. A good rule of thumb is that if the Bible is silent on a subject, we should be silent as well.  However, if we must speculate, what can we piece together from what the Bible says about the giants who walked the earth? The Nephilim were gigantic people somewhere between six and ten feet in height. No wonder they were called "men of renown."