We really look forward to receiving your magazine that we love so much. I have always wondered why there are still giants after the flood. I have heard explanations, but they seem improbable to me. I hope that you can answer my question.
Dear Ronald Rich:
Firstly, we will mention some of the places where giants were found after the flood:
- When the 12 Israelites went to spy out the land of Canaan, they discovered “sons of Anak,” very powerful “giants” in the southern desert near Hebron (Numbers 13:21-33; Deuteronomy 1:28).
- The sons of Anak continued tobe a problem to the Israelites for much of their history (Deuteronomy 2:10, 19-21; 9:2; Joshua 11:21; 14:12-15; 21:11; Judges 1:20).
- Other giants (Hebrew – rephaim) are mentioned: Og had a bed that was 13 feet long and 6 feet wide (Deuteronomy 3:10-13; Joshua 12:4-5; 13:12); the Ephraimites had to drive out giants from among the Perizzites (Joshua 17:15).
- David and his armies slew various giants: David became commander of the army by slaying Goliath of Gath (1 Samuel 17), but later was rescued by Abishai the son of Zeruiah from another giant, Ishbi-Benob (2 Samuel 21:15). Elhanan the son of Jair killed Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite (1 Chronicles 20:5). Sibbechai the Hushathite killed Saph and Jonathan the son of Shimea killed a giant who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot (2 Samuel 21:18-22).
Secondly, we acknowledge the existence of hundreds of reports of evidence of ancient giants: skeletons, weapons, furniture—along with ancient written accounts and drawings—and modern photographs of same. Some of these things have certainly proven to be fakes. The prevailing primarily scholarly opinion of today relegates ancient able giants to myth. (The very few people today who are eight feet or taller suffer from “giantism” and generally have motor coordination difficulties.) Some discoveries are ignored because they were found by non-archeologists, so there is no scholarly “chain of evidence”. Nevertheless, this writer has seen enough evidence to be personally convinced of the reality of ancient giants. Much more work would be necessary to write an article or book that would convince others.
So how could there be giants descended from Noah, Shem, Ham, Japheth and their wives—the eight people who survived the flood? (1 Peter 3:20). I believe the simple answer is found in reproduction biology. Women are born with 400,000 to 1,000,000 immature ova (egg cells)—see any human biology textbook. Women do not make any more ova when they are living. During their reproductive years, one of these normally matures every month—ovulation—and if fertilized, develops into a human being. This makes no sense if evolution were true: It does not give any chance for a woman to pass on acquired beneficial characteristics to her offspring, but demands that a woman pass on inheritance already given to her.
Being born with a million different potential human beings makes all kinds of sense when we realize Eve was a special creation of God, created with the diversity of genes that make up the vast diversity we see in the human race today. Eve is described as “the mother of all living” (Genesis 3:20). Her ova could contain genes that Eve did not possess in her main cellular DNA, but different humans God designed, waiting to be born. I have not researched this part, but I think this diversity was somehow passed on to future generations of women. People lived hundreds of years before the flood, so this initial pre-load of ova cells only needed to be passed on for a few generations to reach Noah’s family.
Somewhere in that mega-gene pool were genes to make giant humans— some with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot. I believe this is where the sons of Anak and the other giants came from. Some people will suggest ancient deliberately altered genes to make the giants, but I know of no way to prove or disprove that. Just as livestock breeders know how to breed to retain desirable characteristics, it is likely the giant peoples were careful to interbreed with other giants to solidify the genes in the family. This made them superior warriors, but also made them a target for their enemies and they were eventually all killed.
We can have confidence that God will someday restore all of his creation as he intended it to be.
“and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.” (Acts 3:20–21 NKJV).
