Locals would often discover unusually large fossils and present them to visitors as the remains of famous or mythical giants. In their article “ Encounters with Fossil Giants” in the Fall 2021 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review, Steven Fine and Elisha Fine discuss examples from ancient history where individuals found what they thought were the bones of giants. In this rich world of stories and folklore, it was only natural for people to look for evidence of giants in the world around them. According to 1 Samuel 17, David defeats Goliath with a slingshot, then beheads him. According to 2 Samuel 21, more giant warriors fought for the Philistines.ĭavid holds aloft the head of his slain enemy, Goliath, in this drawing by Gustave Doré. The most famous biblical giant, however, was the Philistine warrior Goliath, who was slain by a young David in 1 Samuel 17. According to the Bible (Deuteronomy 3:11), Og’s legendary iron bed (which was roughly 14 feet long and 6 feet wide) could still be seen in the town of Rabbah. The famous King Og of Bashan, who was among those defeated by the Israelites, was considered to be the last of the Rephaim. In Genesis 14:7, these same giants are said to have lived in the land in the days of Abraham and Lot. Later, in the Book of Deuteronomy, even more giants are mentioned-the Rephaim and the Zamzummim-who once lived in the land of the Ammonites (Deuteronomy 2:20). In this engraving, by German engraver and printmaker Johann Balthasar Probst, onlookers marvel at the site of Og’s gigantic bed. This serves to illustrate how large Og-the last of the Rephaim-was thought to be. In Deuteronomy 3:11, King Og’s bed is described as 9 cubits long and 4 cubits wide.
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