Sleeping Giants

Post Reply
Tom Tighe
Posts: 198
Joined: Wed Dec 29, 2021 8:27 pm

Sleeping Giants

Post by Tom Tighe »

So far we have read several times about giants like the sons of Anak, maybe the Rephaim and Nephilim. Giant is kind of a vague term because we use it for lots of things that are just bigger than normal. We don't really know how tall the average Israelite was or what they would consider bigger than normal. Our first quantitative glimpse into this is in Deuteronomy 3 when Moses describes the bed of King Og. First it was made of iron. The implication is that was not for comfort or ornate decorations, but so it wouldn't collapse under Og's weight. The size of the bed was 9 cubits long and 4 cubits wide. A cubit was the length of one's forearm and is generally accepted as about 18 inches. That makes Og's bed about 14 feet long and 6 feet wide or 168 inches long and 72 inches wide. By comparison today's queen size mattress is 80 long and 60 wide and today's king size is 80 inches long and 76 inches wide. That makes Og's bed almost as wide as a king size, but twice as long. My mattress is much bigger than me, but Og's bed size certainly implies he was bigger than me, too.
Tom Tighe
Posts: 198
Joined: Wed Dec 29, 2021 8:27 pm

Anakim survive the conquest

Post by Tom Tighe »

Joshua and the Israelites fought giants during the conquest. Joshua 11:22 tells that the surviving Anakim evacuated to Gaza. I don’t think we hear from them again until David fights Goliath
Tom Tighe
Posts: 198
Joined: Wed Dec 29, 2021 8:27 pm

Goliath

Post by Tom Tighe »

Goliath is over 9 feet tall. His armor weighs about 125 pounds. Hie spear point weighs 15 pounds.

Goliath is the only giant in the Bible of whom many people have heard. Out of context, Goliath sounds mythological and many people today scoff at the idea of a giant. We, however, have read about many from the race of giants up to this point, including Og. If you read closely through the time of David, you will see that Goliath's father and brother are also with the Philistines and are eventually killed, but without the fanfare.
Tom Tighe
Posts: 198
Joined: Wed Dec 29, 2021 8:27 pm

More giants?

Post by Tom Tighe »

Today we read in 2 Samuel 15 and 1 Chronicles 20 that David’s army killed 4 other giants in 4 separate battles. One giant, Lahmi, was identified as Goliath’s brother. The reason this is important is that “David and Goliath” is viewed by many to by a myth or parable and that idea is extended to the belief that scripture is fiction. The record of these other giants and names of Goliath’s family add historic validity to an ancient event that seems inconceivable in today’s world and hence to the entire Bible.
Post Reply