Credible Theories
Hebrew Bible · Numbers 13:32–33

Giants in Canaan: 'we were as grasshoppers'

ReferenceNumbers 13:32–33
Writtenc. 700–400 BCE
SetThe Exodus
And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.

Translation: KJV

Read it literally

The spies call it 'a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof' (13:32).

What scholars say

The only other use of 'Nephilim' in the Bible. Scholars read it as spies exaggerating.

Giants and hybrids

Quick answers about Numbers 13:32–33

Where is Numbers 13:32–33 found?

Numbers 13:32–33 (Hebrew Bible). Translation quoted: King James Version (1611; standard 1769 text), with Apocrypha.

When was Numbers 13:32–33 written?

c. 700–400 BCE.

What do scholars say about Numbers 13:32–33?

The only other use of 'Nephilim' in the Bible. Scholars read it as spies exaggerating.

Rabbit holes in this passage

BeingAnakimThe giant clan of Hebron who made Israel's spies feel like grasshoppers, and whose survivors lived on in Goliath's city.BeingNephilimThe mysterious offspring of the sons of God and the daughters of men, named twice in the Bible and never fully explained.

Sources

  1. King James Version (1611; standard 1769 text), with ApocryphaPrimary text
  2. Numbers 13:22–33, King James VersionPrimary text
  3. Genesis 6:1–4, King James VersionPrimary text

Scholarly dates are rounded. The wording follows the named public-domain translation.

Updated