Category Archives: Rephaim
I’m retiring to make wine in the Golan Heights: We do not seek to solve the mystery—we embrace it
It’s been a pleasure blogging on the reception of biblical giants these last 15 months. But I’ve decided to retire to the fertile wine-growing district which is the Golan Heights, where I will be the chief wine-taster for Gilgal Wines, a wine producer named after … Continue reading
Filed under Biblical Giants, Food and drink, Rephaim
The age of King Og at the time of his death
Tanzanian correspondent “chamshama” wrote in to Remnant of Giants with a query: I want to know the age of King Og At the time of his death. And I’m sure that many of our readers do too, chamshama! In Deut. … Continue reading
Filed under Ancient Jewish texts, Deuteronomy 3, Emim, Genesis 6.1-4, Joshua 14-15, King Og, Nephilim, Numbers 13-14, Rephaim, Zamzummim
Walk in the Emek Refaim Street – Angela Keller (2002)
The oil painting by Angela Keller, “Walk in the Emek Refaim Street”, portrays what is one of the main streets in Jerusalem. In modern Hebrew, “Emek Refaim” is usually understood as “Valley of the Giants”, which gives an amusing slant … Continue reading
Take a Stroll down Emek Refaim Street, Jerusalem
Jerusalem is truly a most wondrous city to visit, and Ben Yehuda is no longer the “place to be”. Try Emek Refaim Street for a wide selection of restaurants from “Aroma” coffee bar to some more up market fancy establishments. … Continue reading
The second death of the Rephaim: Job 13.4 not really a reference to Rephaim after all
The Rephaim are ancient hero-kings who are able to be summoned from the land of the dead, especially by offering them copious amounts of alcohol. But, alas, these curious persons are only mentioned in a few verses. Seeking to increase the number of biblical … Continue reading
Chuck Missler: Giants are the key to understanding the Old Testament
For many Evangelical Christians, if there is a new development in human technology, it must have been predicted or mentioned in the Bible. For Chuck Missler – Christian apologist and speaker, a “Dr” of a pseudo-academic institution, a Christian Zionist, … Continue reading
Filed under 1 Enoch, Ancient Jewish texts, Fallen angels, Genesis 6.1-4, Joshua 11, Nephilim, Rephaim
Six-fingered Giants
The book of 2 Samuel describes a Giant with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot: In still another battle, which took place at Gath, there was a huge man with six fingers on each hand and … Continue reading
Filed under 2 Samuel 21, 23, Rephaim
Hero in Epic, Hero in Cult: The Rephaim and the Narrative Sublimation of Heroic Dualities in the Hebrew Bible
Brian R. Doak, Gigantologist Here’s a very interesting paper on Giants presented recently at the New England and Eastern Canada Region of the SBL. And I think the authors are precisely right. The paper appears to demonstrate the benefit of the recent shift away … Continue reading
Filed under Ancient Jewish texts, Biblical Giants, Heroes / Gibborim, King Og, Nephilim, Rephaim
A Basic Introduction to Giants of the Bible… and Zondervan’s Sexism toward Children, and the Zondervan Gender-Prejudiced Bibles
People are always asking me, “Can you recommend a basic introduction to the Giants of the Bible?” Well, yes I can! One of the most basic introductions to biblical Giants is Big Bad Bible Giants, authored by Ed Strauss and … Continue reading
Filed under Anakim, Biblical Giants, Books on Giants, Children's lit, Emim, Goliath, King Og, Nephilim, Rephaim
A Kangaroo Called Goliath
As I was waiting for my Vietnamese takeaway at lunchtime, I picked up a copy of the October 2010 National Geographic. Inside the magazine was an article on Australia’s extinct megafauna: Giant kangaroos, rhino-size browsers, enormous flightless birds. And what is the … Continue reading
