Yes—giants existed—and it wasn’t just Goliath. Developing a well-rounded view about giants from the Bible requires studying the entire set (and not just a few) of the following Biblical passages: Genesis 6:4, 14:5; Numbers 13:28–33; Deuteronomy 1:28–3:11, 9:2; Joshua 11:21, 13:12, 14:12–15, 15:8–14, 17:15, 18:16; 1 Samuel 17:4, 49–50; 2 Samuel 5:18–25, 21:15–22; Amos 2:9; 1 Chronicles 11:23, 20:4–8; Numbers 13:22; Judges 1:20; Isaiah 17:5; Psalm 82, and Job 4:13–18. Scripture also includes passages that appear to highlight distinct characteristics about the giants/Nephilim, such as in Numbers 13:23-25 where two men are required to carry a “cluster of grapes” (why does the writer need to point this out?) and certain unique characters and family lines that were pursued, engaged in battle, and conquered (such as Joshua 15:13-14: “Now to Caleb the son of Jephunneh he gave a share among the children of Judah, according to the commandment of the LORD to Joshua, namely, Kirjath Arba, which is Hebron (Arba was the father of Anak). Caleb drove out the three sons of Anak from there: Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai, the children of Anak”). The angels that “broke their domain” were punished and judged (Jude 1:6–8 and 2 Peter 2:4–11). The giants/Nephilim and their descendants that were pursued and annihilated after the Flood (e.g., by David and Joshua) were present on earth either by a re-incursion or through the line of Ham’s wife (see Genesis 9:18 and others).
Due to the crowded and controversial content so widely available online and in print on this subject, we advise being careful to stay within biblical boundaries. So many have taken this topic too far. We therefore only recommend two well-done sources for this topic; one short, and one lengthy. The short article can be found here, titled, “Giants in the Land: A Biblical Theology of the Nephilim, Anakim, Rephaim, and Goliath.” The complete treatment on the topic by Tim Chaffey from Answers in Genesis is: “Fallen: The Sons of God and the Nephilim” available here on Amazon. Because of the New Testament connection (Jude 1:6–8 and 2 Peter 2:4–11) with the verses above, we agree with the conclusion in these two sources.
