Biblical Giants: Nephilim, Anakim and the Memory of Ancient Canaan

With Prof. Ron Hendel

January 30, 2026

Prof. Ron Hendel discusses the giants of the Bible and the ancient memories behind the stories of the Nephilim, Anakim, Rephaim, Goliath, King Og and Samson.

About This Episode

In this episode, Alex Tseitlin speaks with Prof. Ron Hendel about one of the most striking traditions in the Bible: the giants who once inhabited the land.

The conversation begins with the massive stone structures found across ancient Israel, Jordan and Syria. Prof. Hendel explains how such megalithic remains may have inspired ancient people to imagine that the land had once been inhabited by giants.

From there, the discussion follows several biblical traditions: the Amorites in Amos, the spies who encounter the Anakim in Hebron, the Nephilim of Genesis, the Rephaim, King Og of Bashan, Goliath of Gath and Samson as a possible Israelite giant figure.

The episode shows how stories about giants were not only explanations for ancient ruins. They also helped shape Israelite identity, presenting the conquest of the land as a struggle between order and chaos, civilization and monstrous forces from an earlier age.

Key Points

• Ancient megalithic structures may have inspired stories about giants in the biblical imagination.
• The Bible preserves several names for giants, including Nephilim, Anakim, Rephaim, Zamzummim and Emim.
• Amos presents an early memory of God defeating giant Amorites before Israel entered the land.
• The story of the spies describes the Israelites feeling like grasshoppers before the Anakim.
• Goliath and King Og appear as later memories of surviving giants.
• Samson may reflect an Israelite version of a giant hero, connected to border traditions around the Philistine cities.
• The giants function as a cultural memory that helps explain Israel's identity, the conquest of Canaan and the movement from chaos to order.