The Bible speaks plainly about giants walking the earth, and these weren’t just tall men with good genetics. These were beings who towered over ordinary people, warriors who struck fear into entire armies, and descendants of mysterious bloodlines that Scripture treats as both historical and significant. If you’ve ever wondered exactly how tall these giants stood or why God wanted His people to know about them, you’re asking the right question.
The biblical record doesn’t give us these details for shock value. It reveals them because the presence of giants in the land tested Israel’s faith, demonstrated God’s power, and pointed to spiritual realities that still matter today.
How Big Were the Giants in the Bible?
The giants in the Bible ranged from approximately 9 to 13 feet tall based on specific measurements Scripture provides. Goliath stood over 9 feet tall according to most manuscripts, while Og king of Bashan had a bed that measured 13 feet long, suggesting he was between 11 and 13 feet in height. These weren’t mythological exaggerations but real physical dimensions that made these warriors formidable opponents.
Goliath’s Recorded Height
First Samuel 17:4 states that Goliath’s height was “six cubits and a span” in the Masoretic Text. Using the standard Hebrew cubit of roughly 18 inches, this puts Goliath at approximately 9 feet 9 inches tall.
Some ancient manuscripts, including the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Septuagint, record Goliath as “four cubits and a span,” which would make him closer to 6 feet 9 inches. Scholars debate which measurement represents the original text, but even the shorter height would have made him a giant by ancient standards.
The taller measurement aligns better with the terror Goliath inspired in Saul’s army. A man just under 7 feet wouldn’t have caused seasoned soldiers to flee in fear, but a warrior approaching 10 feet tall wearing armor no ordinary man could carry would explain their reaction perfectly.
Og King of Bashan
Deuteronomy 3:11 describes Og’s bed as nine cubits long and four cubits wide, roughly 13 feet by 6 feet. This detail matters because ancient peoples typically made beds proportional to their body size, often adding a cubit or two for comfort.
Og likely stood between 11 and 13 feet tall. The text specifically mentions his bed because it was made of iron and still existed as physical evidence when Moses wrote Deuteronomy, preserved in Rabbah of the Ammonites.
God didn’t include this detail as a curiosity. He wanted Israel to remember that He had delivered them from a king whose physical size would have made him seem invincible by human standards.
The Anakim
Numbers 13:33 records that the Israelite spies saw the Anakim and felt “like grasshoppers” in comparison. This language suggests men significantly taller than average, likely ranging from 9 to 12 feet based on how the comparison would have worked visually.
The spies specifically mentioned seeing “the descendants of Anak” who “come from the Nephilim.” This genealogical connection matters because it traces these giants back to the mysterious Nephilim mentioned before the flood.
Who Were These Giants?
Scripture identifies several distinct groups of giants, each with their own territories and tribal names. Understanding who they were helps us see why their presence in Canaan created such a significant obstacle to Israel’s faith.
The Nephilim
Genesis 6:4 introduces the Nephilim as beings on the earth “when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them.” The text describes them as “the heroes of old, men of renown,” indicating both their physical stature and their legendary status.
The term Nephilim appears again in Numbers 13:33, suggesting either that some Nephilim survived the flood or that similar beings appeared afterward through related means. Scripture doesn’t fully explain how this happened, but it treats their existence as historical fact.
These weren’t cartoon villains or fairy tale monsters. They were real beings whose presence corrupted the earth and later occupied the land God promised to His people.
The Rephaim
The Rephaim were a race of giants who lived east of the Jordan River before Israel’s conquest. Og king of Bashan was the last of the Rephaim according to Deuteronomy 3:11, which means Israel’s victory over him marked the end of an entire giant bloodline in that region.
Genesis 14:5 mentions the Rephaim living in Ashteroth Karnaim during Abraham’s time. This places them in the land centuries before Israel arrived, establishing them as longstanding inhabitants with deep territorial roots.
The Anakim
The Anakim lived primarily in the hill country of Canaan, with concentrations in Hebron, Debir, and Anab according to Joshua 11:21-22. Their reputation spread so widely that facing them became the ultimate test of Israel’s trust in God’s promises.
Joshua 14:12 records Caleb asking for the hill country “where the Anakim lived” specifically because he wanted to prove God’s faithfulness. At 85 years old, Caleb chose the hardest territory on purpose, demonstrating the kind of faith the other spies should have shown 45 years earlier.
Why Did God Allow Giants in the Promised Land?
God didn’t accidentally overlook these giants when He promised Canaan to Abraham’s descendants. He placed Israel in a situation where human strength would fail completely so that His power would shine unmistakably clear.
To Test Israel’s Faith
The presence of giants forced Israel to choose between trusting what they saw and trusting what God said. Ten spies looked at the Anakim and concluded the conquest was impossible; two spies looked at the same giants and declared God was bigger.
Deuteronomy 9:1-2 addresses this test directly: “You are now about to cross the Jordan to go in and dispossess nations greater and stronger than you, with large cities that have walls up to the sky. The people are strong and tall, Anakim! You know about them and have heard it said: ‘Who can stand up against the Anakites?'” God structured the challenge so Israel couldn’t miss the point.
Faith always looks foolish when measured against visible obstacles. God designed it that way so His people would learn to walk by faith, not by sight.
To Display His Power
When Israel finally defeated the giants under Joshua’s leadership, nobody could credit military strategy or superior weapons. Only God could have given them victory over enemies who stood twice their height and wore armor they couldn’t lift.
First Samuel 17:47 captures this truth perfectly when David tells Goliath, “All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s.” David understood what the earlier generation missed: the giant’s size was irrelevant once God entered the fight.
To Prepare Them for Spiritual Warfare
The physical giants Israel faced foreshadowed the spiritual giants every believer confronts. Fear, doubt, shame, and sin often tower over us like Goliath taunting an army, making God’s promises seem impossible and our faith seem foolish.
Learning to face literal giants trained Israel to face figurative ones. The same faith that brought down Jericho’s walls and defeated Og king of Bashan would sustain them through exile, persecution, and the long wait for Messiah.
What Happened to the Giants?
Scripture tracks the systematic elimination of the giant clans through Israel’s conquest and the early monarchy. God didn’t leave this task unfinished or allow these bloodlines to continue indefinitely.
Joshua’s Campaign
Joshua 11:21-22 records that Joshua “totally destroyed the Anakim” from the hill country, leaving survivors only in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod. This was intentional, thorough warfare commanded by God as part of the conquest.
The text emphasizes that Joshua carried out Moses’ instructions completely. Where the previous generation had failed through unbelief, this generation succeeded through obedience, no matter how intimidating the enemy appeared.
David’s Era
The giants who survived in Philistine territory produced descendants who continued to oppose Israel into David’s reign. Second Samuel 21:15-22 lists four giant warriors from Gath who fought against David and his men.
These giants included Ishbi-Benob, Saph, another unnamed giant with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, and most famously, Goliath. David and his mighty men killed all of them, finishing what Joshua had started generations earlier.
The statement “these four were descendants of Rapha in Gath, and they fell at the hands of David and his men” marks the end of the giant bloodlines in Scripture’s narrative. After David’s time, the Bible mentions no more giants walking the earth.
What Can We Learn From the Biblical Giants?
God preserved these accounts for our instruction, not just our information. The giants teach us truths about faith, obedience, and God’s character that apply directly to the obstacles we face today.
Giants Reveal What We Really Believe About God
The ten fearful spies and the two faithful spies saw identical giants but reached opposite conclusions. What you believe about God determines whether giants make you retreat or advance.
Numbers 13:31-33 contrasts the reports perfectly: “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are… We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes.” But Numbers 13:30 records Caleb saying, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.”
The difference wasn’t intelligence, courage, or military analysis. Caleb and Joshua believed God was bigger than the giants; the others believed the giants were bigger than God.
God Commands Us to Face Giants, Not Avoid Them
Israel’s greatest defeat came not from fighting giants but from refusing to fight them. The generation that turned back at Kadesh Barnea died in the wilderness without entering the promise, while the generation that engaged the giants inherited the land.
Obedience often requires stepping toward what terrifies us most. God doesn’t typically remove the giant before calling us to fight; He strengthens us in the battle and proves His faithfulness through our victory.
Giants Fall When God Fights for Us
David didn’t defeat Goliath through superior size, strength, or equipment. He won because he ran toward the giant in the name of the Lord Almighty, trusting that God’s reputation was on the line, not just his own.
Every giant you face exists either to demonstrate God’s power or reveal your unbelief. The outcome depends entirely on whether you approach the fight trusting in your own resources or in the God who has already promised you victory.
Practical Steps for Facing Your Giants
The biblical pattern for defeating giants applies directly to whatever towers over your faith right now. Here’s how Scripture teaches us to respond when the obstacle seems impossible:
- Remember what God has already done. David recounted killing lions and bears before facing Goliath. Rehearse God’s past faithfulness before confronting present fears.
- Refuse to wear someone else’s armor. Saul’s armor didn’t fit David, and other people’s methods won’t fit your situation. Trust God to show you how He wants you to fight this specific battle.
- Run toward the giant, not away from it. First Samuel 17:48 says David “ran quickly toward the battle line to meet” Goliath. Hesitation feeds fear; obedience starves it.
- Fight for God’s glory, not your own reputation. David fought because Goliath had defied the armies of the living God. When God’s name is at stake, the battle becomes His responsibility.
- Expect God to show up in the fight. You won’t see His deliverance from the safety of the camp. Step into the battle, and watch Him prove faithful.
The Ultimate Giant-Killer
Every giant Israel faced pointed forward to the ultimate battle between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent promised in Genesis 3:15. Jesus Christ defeated the greatest giants—sin, death, and Satan—through His death and resurrection.
Colossians 2:15 declares that Jesus “disarmed the powers and authorities” and “made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” What looked like defeat was actually the decisive victory over every enemy that has ever stood against God’s people.
Because Christ has already won, the giants you face today are already defeated enemies. They may still roar and threaten, but their power is broken, and their doom is certain.
Standing on the Shoulders of Giant-Killers
You stand in a long line of believers who faced impossible odds and watched God prove faithful. The same God who brought down Goliath with a stone and conquered Og despite his size fights for you today.
Your giants aren’t too big for God; they’re exactly the right size to showcase His glory when He brings them down. The question isn’t whether you’ll face giants—you will. The question is whether you’ll face them believing God is bigger.
Stop measuring the giant and start measuring your God. Stop rehearsing the enemy’s strength and start declaring God’s promises. Stop waiting for the giant to shrink and start walking forward in the authority Christ has already given you.
The giants in your life exist to fall. Let them fall to the glory of the God who has never lost a battle and never will.
If this exploration of biblical giants has deepened your understanding of Scripture’s historical accounts, you’ll find even more insight in related topics. The article on how tall Goliath was examines the textual evidence and manuscript variations in greater detail. For a comprehensive look at all the giant clans mentioned in Scripture, see our full study on how big the giants were and their role in redemptive history. These resources will equip you to read the Old Testament conquest narratives with fresh eyes and deeper faith.