Nephilim

The Nephilim (; ''Nəfīlīm'') are mysterious beings or humans in the Bible traditionally understood as being of great size and strength, or alternatively beings of great power and authority. The origins of the Nephilim are disputed. Some, including the author of the Book of Enoch, view them as the offspring of rebellious angels and humans. Others view them as descendants of Seth and Cain.

This reference to them is in Genesis 6:1–4, but the passage is ambiguous and the identity of the Nephilim is disputed. According to Numbers 13:33, ten of the Twelve Spies report the existence of Nephilim in Canaan prior to its conquest by the Israelites. A similar or identical Biblical Hebrew term, read as "Nephilim" by some scholars, or as the word "fallen" by others, appears in Ezekiel 32:27 and is also mentioned in the deuterocanonical books Judith 16:6, Sirach 16:7, Baruch 3:26–28, and Wisdom 14:6. presents the view that the word used in Ezekiel 32 is explicitly the word "Nephilim", the same word used in other Bible books. : proposes an alternate view, that the actual term used in Ezekiel 32:27 is a related, but different word, that is deliberately used to refer back to the traditional ideas about the Nephilim, but that it is ''not'' itself the explicit term "Nephilim". }}

The term Nephilim is often translated as “giants,” though its exact meaning remains debated. The Brown-Driver-Briggs Lexicon defines it as “giants” but warns that all proposed etymologies are uncertain. Many scholars connect the word to the Hebrew root n-p-l (“to fall”), interpreting Nephilim as either “fallen ones” or “those who cause others to fall.” Ancient translations differ: the Septuagint, Vulgate, and several Targums rendered it as “giants,” while others interpreted it as “violent ones” or “those who attack.”

Interpretations vary widely across traditions. Second Temple texts like 1 Enoch and Jubilees depict the Nephilim as offspring of fallen angels (Watchers) and human women, portraying them as evil giants whose corruption led to the Flood. Early Christian and Jewish sources split between angelic, human, and hybrid explanations: some viewed them as descendants of Seth intermarrying with Cain’s line, while others upheld the fallen angel theory, later supported by the Dead Sea Scrolls. Islamic tradition links them to the giant tribe of ʿĀd, while other theories associate them with Sumerian Apkallu myths or elite Canaanite warriors. Over time, the Nephilim have been reimagined in popular culture, appearing in novels, films, video games, and conspiracy theories, where they are often depicted as powerful hybrids, ancient gods, or remnants of a lost superhuman race. Provided by Wikipedia