“The Emim used to live there, a great and numerous people as tall as the ‘Anakim. They are also considered Refa’im, as are the ‘Anakim, but the Mo’avim call them Emim.“-Deuteronomy 2:10-11
In my last post I talked about how Israel was NOT to attempt to take over any land currently being inhabited by the Moabites as it was not part of the Promised Land.
Connected to this, from verse 10 of Deuteronomy 2 we get a fascinating footnote that I want to dive into a little bit.
We’re told two things.
First, we’re told that a people group called the Emim used to live in Moab.
Second, we’re told these Emim “are also considered Rephaim“.
Hmmm…Rephaim?
Now where did we hear that word before?
Do you remember that race of evil giants who existed before the Great Flood?
They were called the Nephilim.
Well…the Rephaim are considered to be the post-flood version of the Nephilim.
In other words, over time, the word “Nephilim” evolved into the word “Rephaim“.
Unfortunately, the Bible doesn’t give us a lot of information about who exactly the Nephilim were.
The two main theories out there is that one, the Nephilim were the product of fallen angels mating with human females with the result being a group of supernaturally large and evil men.
The other theory is that the Nephilim were a mixed race who came from the wrongful mixing of the the seed of Seth with the seed of Cain.
Seth was from the good line tracing back to Adam and Eve…
…and Cain was of the evil line also tracing back to Adam and Eve.
Now we encounter an interesting mystery here.
If the Nephilim and the Rephaim are one and the same, how in the heck did they appear after the flood?
In other words, if every human being on earth save for Noah and his family were wiped out in the flood, how in the world did the Rephaim reappear?
Again, there are two interesting theories that attempt to answer this question.
The first one is that a group of fallen angels once again had sex with human females and recreated a group of fierce and evil beings.
The second theory is that the term “Rephaim” or “Nephilim” were simply used as nicknames to refer to unusually big dudes…
…kinda of how we might refer to sumo wrestlers as “giants“.
Obviously, we’re not talking about Fee-fi-fo-fum mythological type of giants.
We’re just pointing out that them dudes are…friggin’ HUGE!
Here’s another little interesting tidbit for you.
Did you know that Egyptian records from the time of Moses reveal the existence of burial chambers that housed human corpses who were OVER NINE FEET TALL?
I’m not kidding!
The remains of these skeletal corpses were found in the former Kingdom of Og…
…a kingdom which is believed to have come from the Rephaim.
I’m not sure what to make out of all of these scattered pieces of evidence nor where to draw the line between reality and fantasy, but gosh dang man, it sure is fascinating as heck.
Would you not agree?
One last point before I close.
I think a lot of us tend to overlook the fact that after only a few centuries after God scattered the human race at the Tower of Babel, the world was quite well populated.
Therefore, if a group of people decided to migrate into a new area, chances were very high that it actually was NOT a new area.
In other words, it was probably occupied by another people group.
Obviously, this was the case when Lot’s descendants moved into Moabite territory…
…as we’re told this territory was already inhabited by the Emim.
If one people group wanted to move into another area, they either took over the area or had to peacefully settle in with the already existing population and then possibly over time if they grew sufficiently large enough in numbers, they could become big enough to dominate the area…
…which incidentally was Pharaoh’s worry concerning the Hebrews in Moses’ time.
Richoka.. I thought angel’s were sexless??
My take: in Scripture, all angels are referred to as male, so they have the equipment to copulate but not the authority from Yehovah.
Remember the angels in the story of Sodom and Gomorrah? The men in the town wanted to have sex with them. (Genesis 19).
In the book of Jude, the following passage supports what happened and their judgement that awaits them (also recorded in Peter):
“And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day— JUST as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.”
Jude 1:6-7 ESV
They are sexless. They are spirits. Angels are spirits just as God is a Spirit. John 4:24
God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. Spirits have no reproductive ability.
Jesus said that there is no marriage or sex in heaven.
“Mathew 22: 23-30 The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked him, Saying, Master, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. Now there were with us seven brethren: and the first, when he had married a wife, deceased, and, having no issue, left his wife unto his brother: Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh. And last of all the woman died also. Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her.
Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.”
The bible always has the answer, we just have to seek it.
Were’nt the “Emim” or “Rephaim” eventually destroyed by the conquests of Joshua and King David?
Hmmm…not sure.
While I’m not entirely sure, I’m fairly confident that the answer is Yes.
King David succeeded in the task where Saul failed.
I have been told by a Messianic rabbi that the sons of God (benei Elohim) were a handful of angels who said that HaShem would regret his decision to create human beings. They asked to go down to the Earth, and HaShem let them. These angels had to be given human bodies in order to walk the face of the Earth and actually mate with the human women (the daughters of men). The product of these angels and the daughters of men were the Nephilim. Angels have much more polarized inclinations — they are either good or they are evil. Humans are much more complex; they can exhibit both good and bad qualities.
Now the Nephilim were of course gigantic beings. Their physical description brings to mind the “heroes of old” — The Titans of Greece, Gilgamesh, Daityas in Hinduism, and the giants of the Native Americans. These characters are possibly based on the records of the pre-flood Nephilim as passed down through Noah’s sons. With the multiplication of languages at the Tower of Babel, a character representing a certain attribute would be known by different names in different languages.
I have also been told that the souls of the Nephilim that perished in the Flood are now demons who go around and wreak havoc around the Earth. Those who worshipped pagan gods were very likely worshipping Nephilim-turned-demons. These pagan gods weren’t gods in the sense of being ALL-powerful. However, these gods had to represent beings of some supernatural state that could perform signs and wonders (see the Egyptian magicians who were able to copy signs that HaShem made). I also wouldn’t be surprised if the Nephilim had a hand in constructing several wonders of the world of which people wonder, “How did HUMANS build that?”
Honestly, doing just a little bit of study on the Nephilim can flesh out the understanding that there is an unseen realm and spiritual warfare occurs all the time. I haven’t read much of it, but the Book of Enoch delves into a lot of the spiritual elements that fly way over the heads of mainstream Christians.
The book of Jasher and One New Man Bible made it clear that the Nephilm ( Fallen ones) were the children of the Judges or Leaders of the people then.
Jasher also attest to the fact that Og was a giant, his son inclusive.
I was thinking a lot about it no perfect explanation is there regarding the Nephilim after the flood, but it says that all humankind was destroyed in the flood right. This angel Human mix was not Human right. so it could be that some survived for they had the knowledge and could build easily a boat, or not. If not they would be the possibility that our Babylonian King Nimrod who becomes a gebore a mighty one gets the knowledge of how to do it? how to reconstruct
The sons of God are believers Romans 8:19 & 8:14, John 1:12, 1 john 3:2, Galatians 4:6.
the sons of God and the angels witness creation Job 38:7
So who were the Giants?
Before the flood they are defined as giant
Or nphil {nef-eel’}; from naphal; properly, a feller, i.e. A bully or tyrant — giant. see HEBREW naphal
These giants were great men of power and influence.
After the flood Tall men existed as revealed in the battle between David and Goliath. Two different populations. Physical giants exist today, and powerful leaders exist today.
The Sons of God in Job38:7 are believers and the stars are Angels. Two populations.