Hebrew Heritage Learning Center

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1 December 2010, Issue #007 Hebrew Heritage Learning Center Online Monthly Magazine In this month s issue we will be discussing the widely popular subject of the giants or Nephilim. Who were the sons of God that took the daughters of men as wives? Were they supernatural angelic beings, flesh and blood aliens, or mere humans? And what significance does it have in the biblical account? Also, the patriarch Jared (Yared) will be briefly covered, and this time we will continue with the Hebrew lessons by introducing the basic one-letter prefixes. David D. Mahoney Contents of this Issue 1. Monthly Topic: The Antediluvian Giants pg Patriarch Biography: Jared (Yared) pg Short Hebrew Lesson: Basic Hebrew Prefixes pg Products pg Bibliography pg. 8 Copyright 2010 David D. Mahoney, Hebrew Heritage Learning Center You are encouraged to use and distribute any information in this magazine, but only for non-profit purposes. This copyright statement must accompany the material. Thank You! 1

2 1. Monthly Topic: The Antediluvian Giants The subject of the giants mentioned in Genesis chapter 6 has been a magnetic part of the Genesis account for researchers from many disciplines. For secular scholars, the account is nothing more than a tale such as the myths of ancient Greece about the exploits of gods and demi-gods. However, even many who do not take the Bible as a religious document see real historical events in this account. The special Ancient Aliens series the History Channel has been lately airing has interviewed many of these people. Ancient alien theorists point to ancient structures, such as the pyramids of Egypt, as evidence that ancient man must have had help. This reasoning leads them to look also at ancient religious documents, including the Bible, as eye witness evidence that extraterrestrials visited and influenced the human race in the not so distant past. Nevertheless, the theories come in many forms, shapes, and sizes. So it seems that this passage has received much attention, especially in modern times. The subject could be given an entire work; and indeed many have written entire works setting forth their opinions regarding the mysteries of the biblical giants. Given the limited space in this article, however, only the main points can be covered. Besides, most of what is written regarding the giants is based on speculation rather than what the text actually says. Everything that has to do with the subject revolves around five basic parties: the sons of God, the giants, the daughters of men, the offspring of the union between the sons of God and the daughters of men, and the mighty men of renown. Most interpretations are based on the view that the giants, the offspring, and the mighty men of renown are one and the same, but this is not necessarily obvious from the text. Read the passage from the NKJV translation carefully: Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose. And the LORD said, My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years. There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown. Genesis 6:1-4, NKJV The Hebrew word נ פ ל ים Nephilim is here translated as giants and only occurs in this form two other places in the Bible, in Numbers 13:33, when the spies sent into the Promised Land brought back an evil report. The root word is נ פ ל naphal, and literally means to fall. The English word fall is derived from this Hebrew cognate. Therefore, Nephilim means fallen ones. Yet in most translations it is rendered as giants. The reason for this is simple. There is obviously an ancient tradition that these fallen ones were physical giants. This is evident from how the inhabitants of the Promised Land are described in Numbers 13:33. Ten of the twelve spies who returned said that they were like grasshoppers in the sight of the inhabitants, whom they called Nephilim. Obviously there was a tradition that is at least as old as Moses day that the Nephilim, fallen ones, were giants. Also because of this reference in Numbers many have thought that some of these giants survived the Flood, but this is not necessarily true. It only indicates that what the spies saw was reminiscent of the accounts of the pre-flood Nephilim they were probably told about as children. Controversy over the Nephilim is usually hinged upon who the sons of God were, who consorted with the daughters of men. This is where religious mystics and ancient astronaut theorists have a heyday. Many religious scholars will say, with perfect resolve, that the sons of God were fallen angelic beings who procreated with human 2

3 women producing half-breed offspring called the Nephilim. Some of the ancient astronaut theorists just replace angelic beings in this position with flesh and blood extraterrestrials. All of that sounds great for a Hollywood movie, but the text isn t relating anything that dramatic. Anyone who has even a basic understanding of Hebrew and carefully reads the passage can demonstrate this. Some of the confusion on this topic was brought in through the work of scholars like E. W. Bullinger who taught that the sons of God came down before and after the Flood. Genesis 6:4 reads, There were giants [nephilim] on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown (NKJV). It is obvious from this passage that the Nephilim were already on the earth before and also after the sons of God procreated with the daughters of men. Therefore, if the sons of God were fallen angels, the Nephilim were NOT their half-breed offspring, because they were already on the earth; the text is going out of its way to be clear on this. The other point of confusion has to do with the sons of God: who were they? Most interpreters will say that this must be the angels (or aliens) being perceived as the sons of God or the sons of the gods (because of the plural usage of God in Hebrew). The Hebrew word is א לה ים Elohiym, which means God or gods, depending on the grammar. It does NOT always mean gods. Actually, this word is applied in the Bible to the Creator, angelic beings, and also human beings. Elohiym denotes rulership, so the biblical student must take care in how this word is understood in any given context. A mere couple of examples will demonstrate the spectrum of meaning this word carries. In Exodus 7:1 God sets Moses to be Elohiym to Pharaoh. This shows that it can refer to a person and also be used to denote singularity. Also, in Deuteronomy 14:1 the Israelites are called the sons of the LORD Elohiym. Thus, the biblical text calls a specially selected group of human beings the sons of Elohiym. Because of this, there is no reason to believe that the sons of God were anything other than prominent members of the righteous family of Seth who corrupted themselves. In fact, the book of Jasher openly states that it was the judges and rulers who forcefully took other men s wives and brides, abusing their authority. According to tradition they also did many other wicked deeds. Since the word Nephilim means fallen ones it seems quite reasonable that it was the righteous descendants of Seth who eventually corrupted themselves in the days of Noah. They were there before the sons of God took the daughters of men because they were probably a different group of the Seth family. Sons of God denotes the men in Seth s family that were given great positions of authority. The Nephilim could have simply been another part of the Seth family that apostatized and became men of renown for devastation and violence. Their inordinate size is explained in Jewish tradition in that humans were bigger in those days (or at least the Seth family was). The size of humans slowly declined after the Flood as did their ages. It could be assumed that the righteous giants of Seth s family were eclipsed in recognition by the wicked apostates who used their strength for destruction and coercion. As the human species got smaller, the giants were only remembered for their wantonness. (This is basically my own understanding of what probably happened, but it is not far from what is recorded in Jewish rabbinical writings. However, there are varying traditions within Judaism, some of which do allow for possible angelic involvement.) Later in the biblical narrative, God will prohibit the Israelites from marrying outside their nation. The account with the sons of God is a prelude to this principle. The main sin cited is that they took any woman that they desired, even if she was married or about to be. The daughters of men imply that they were not of the 3

4 righteous family of Seth. So this is the first lesson in the Bible on inter-marriage. Ostensibly, it was what set in motion the countdown to the Flood. Another result of this passage is that it goes a long way in supporting the antiquity and authenticity of the biblical record. Evidence cited by ancient astronaut theorists for extraterrestrial visits can just as easily (and probably more reasonably) go to support the interpretation that has been set forth here. Josephus, in his work The Antiquities of the Jews, which he wrote about 1,920 years ago, relates that the tales of the Greek myths resembled what the Jewish tradition held concerning the Nephilim, or the men of renown. 4

5 2. Patriarch Biography: Jared (Yared) Very little is known about Jared, except that he is recorded as noteworthy in the genealogy of Genesis chapter 5. He was the son of Mahalalel and the father of the famous Enoch whom God took. Being born 460 years after creation made him 962 years old at his death. When Jared died, Noah was 366 years old. Jared is the last of the great patriarchs to die before God gives the 120 year countdown to the Flood. The Book of Jasher relates that the death of Jared marked the beginning of the death of all the righteous men left on the earth so that they would not have to see the catastrophic devastation of the deluge to come. Therefore, Jared obviously remained faithful to the Creator throughout his life. He died 114 years prior to God speaking to Noah concerning the Flood; a mere 120 years later, the deluge came. In light of this, it is understandable that in Hebrew Jared s name, י ר ד Yared, means to descend, as in descending from high to low. Mahalalel, it would seem, prophetically named his son for what would happen at the end of his life. Jared s death marked the steady decline of the inhabitants of the earth into wickedness. 5

6 3. Short Hebrew Lesson: Basic Hebrew Prefixes As with Western languages that employ the Latin alphabet, biblical Hebrew uses prefixes and suffixes to add meaning to the sentence structure. Hebrew works on a 2 or 3 letter root word system. By attaching a prefix, suffix, or a prefix-suffix combination to the root word, tense, gender, number, person, and even conjunctions, prepositions and the definite article are indicated. Tense, gender, number, and person prefixes and suffixes can be daunting for the beginner, so in this lesson we will look only at the basic one letter prefixes that dictate conjunctions, prepositions, and the definite article. There are six Hebrew letters used as basic prefixes for indicating the definite article, conjunctions, and prepositions; and one more, the ש Shin, which is almost never used. When it is, it is used to indicate which. The most commonly occurring prefixes in Hebrew are the ו Vav, and the ה Hey. The Vav prefix indicates a conjunctive relationship between thoughts and words; it is usually translated in English as and, but could just as well be translated as but, even, or also in certain places. As for the Hey, it is used to indicate our English definite article the. There is no indefinite article such as a or an in Hebrew. If there is no Hey before a word, an indefinite article is merely implied. The remaining four letters are used as prepositions. Although some Hebrew words themselves are prepositions, the letters ב Beyt, כ Kaf, ל Lamed, and מ Mem are most commonly placed at the beginning of a word to indicate a preposition. All of these prepositional prefixes are distinct, yet their meanings do cross over each other many times through translation. The Beyt means with or in, and the Lamed means to or for. Sometimes these prefixes, however, get translated with the same English word. Mem means from or out of, and sometimes more than. Finally, the Kaf means like, as in similar. Basic Hebrew Prefixes Hebrew Letter Hebrew Prefix Meaning Function Vav ו and, but, even, also Conjunction Hey ה the Definite Article Beyt ב with, in, at, among Preposition Lamed ל to, for, against Preposition Mem מ from, out of Preposition Kaf כ similar Preposition Shin ש which Adjective, Pronoun Theoretical Example Example with Prefix Pronunciation Meaning אד ם Adam Mankind, the first Man ו אד ם VaAdam And Adam ה אד ם HaAdam The Adam ב אד ם BaAdam In Adam ל אד ם LaAdam For Adam מ אד ם MaAdam From Adam כ אד ם KaAdam Similar to Adam 6

7 4. Products The New Testament Reference Guide of Requirements, Parables & Renowned Persons carefully documents the essential teachings of the New Testament and the major players and books of the earliest centuries of Church history. ISBN: The Torah Concordance: A Reference Guide for Biblical Law is indispensable for studying the commandments of the Old Testament. It contains a catalog of all commands put upon the people of Israel in the first five books of the Bible. For ease of use, the laws have been arranged under relevant categories and subheadings, complete with biblical references. ISBN: The Chronology of the Hebrew Bible Charts, gloss printed on 17x11 inch poster stock, detail each successive period of the Old Testament in chronological order, with dates indicating the year from creation. They can be purchased as a set or individually. For more information on these products or to purchase, please visit the Hebrew Heritage Learning Center website: 7

8 5. Bibliography BIBLE VERSIONS AND COMENTARY The Holy Bible. New King James Version. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, The Holy Bible. King James Version. The New American Bible. New York: Catholic Book Publishing Co., The Stone Edition Tanach. Brooklyn, NY: Mesorah Publications, 1996, Bullinger, E.W. The Companion Bible. Hertz, Dr. J.H. The Pentateuch and Haftorahs. London: Soncino Press, The Stone Edition Chumash. Brooklyn, NY: Mesorah Publications, 1998, REFERENCE MATERIAL Strong, James. The New Strong s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, Wigram, George V. The Englishman s Hebrew Concordance of the Old Testament. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, (1843) Green, Jay P. Sr. The Interlinear Bible, 4 volumes. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, The BDB Hebrew and English Lexicon. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, Holladay, William L. A Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans, Benner, Jeff A. Ancient Hebrew Lexicon of the Bible. College Station TX: Virtualbookworm.com Publishing, The Oxford Pocket Dictionary and Thesaurus. New York: Oxford University Press, The Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, Price, Simon; and Kearns, Emily (Editors). The Oxford Dictionary of Classical Myth & Religion. New York: Oxford University Press, SOURCES FOR HEBREW LANGUAGE EDUCATION Dobson, John H. Learn Biblical Hebrew. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 1999, Fuller, Russell T. Invitation to Biblical Hebrew: A Beginning Grammar. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, Kelley, Page H. Biblical Hebrew: An Introductory Grammar. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, Simon, Ethelyn; Resnikoff, Irene; and Motzkin, Linda. The First Hebrew Primer (Third Edition). Oakland, CA: EKS Publishing Co., Arnold, Bill T. & Choi, John H. A Guide to Biblical Hebrew Syntax. New York: Cambridge University Press, BIBLICAL TRANSMISSION AND TRANSLATION Lightfoot, Neil R. How We Got the Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, Comfort, Philip W. Essential Guide to Bible Versions. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale, Dewey, David. A User s Guide to Bible Translations. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, Vance, Laurence M. A Brief History of English Bible Translations. Pensacola, FL: Sysling, Harry (Executive Editor). MIKRA: Text, Translation, Reading & Interpretation of the Hebrew Bible in Ancient Judaism & Early Christianity. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1988, RESEARCH AND SOURCE MATERIAL The Book of Jasher. Muskogee, OK: Artisan, (A reprint of the J.H. Parry publication, Originally translated from the Hebrew, 1840.) Guggenheimer, Heinrich W. Seder Olam: The Rabbinic View of Biblical Chronology. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, Midrash Seder Olam. A Photostatic Reproduction of Ber Ratner s edition of the text, notes and introduction. Brooklyn, NY: Moznaim Publishing Corporation. Gardiner, Alan. The Egyptians. London: The Folio Society (Oxford University Press 1961), Translated by William Whiston. The Works of Josephus. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers,