Saturday, January 2, 2021

Deuteronomy 2:8-23 comments: giants

 



Deuteronomy 2:8 ¶  And when we passed by from our brethren the children of Esau, which dwelt in Seir, through the way of the plain from Elath, and from Eziongaber, we turned and passed by the way of the wilderness of Moab. 9  And the LORD said unto me, Distress not the Moabites, neither contend with them in battle: for I will not give thee of their land for a possession; because I have given Ar unto the children of Lot for a possession. 10  The Emims dwelt therein in times past, a people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakims; 11  Which also were accounted giants, as the Anakims; but the Moabites call them Emims. 12  The Horims also dwelt in Seir beforetime; but the children of Esau succeeded them, when they had destroyed them from before them, and dwelt in their stead; as Israel did unto the land of his possession, which the LORD gave unto them. 13  Now rise up, said I, and get you over the brook Zered. And we went over the brook Zered. 14  And the space in which we came from Kadeshbarnea, until we were come over the brook Zered, was thirty and eight years; until all the generation of the men of war were wasted out from among the host, as the LORD sware unto them. 15  For indeed the hand of the LORD was against them, to destroy them from among the host, until they were consumed. 16  So it came to pass, when all the men of war were consumed and dead from among the people, 17  That the LORD spake unto me, saying, 18  Thou art to pass over through Ar, the coast of Moab, this day: 19  And when thou comest nigh over against the children of Ammon, distress them not, nor meddle with them: for I will not give thee of the land of the children of Ammon any possession; because I have given it unto the children of Lot for a possession. 20  (That also was accounted a land of giants: giants dwelt therein in old time; and the Ammonites call them Zamzummims; 21  A people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakims; but the LORD destroyed them before them; and they succeeded them, and dwelt in their stead: 22  As he did to the children of Esau, which dwelt in Seir, when he destroyed the Horims from before them; and they succeeded them, and dwelt in their stead even unto this day: 23  And the Avims which dwelt in Hazerim, even unto Azzah, the Caphtorims, which came forth out of Caphtor, destroyed them, and dwelt in their stead.)

Let’s look again at my comments on giants in Genesis 6:4 and context;

“Genesis 6:4 ¶  There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.

The resultant offspring of these sons of God and human women were giants, famous as heroes in myth and legend. The mythologies of the world have brought us stories of these great men of renown with various names and in various forms. The phrase and also after that shows that this was an ongoing problem even after the Flood. I will not go into the many websites about and books written on findings of giant remains in graves and tombs as it is difficult to distinguish fact from fancy and outright fraud. Sticking with the Bible account, though, we have many references that would render some of the modern stories about archaeological finds understandable and believable. Here are a few examples of the many references to giants with the measurement given so that we see these were not just National Basketball Association (NBA) style large men.

Deuteronomy 3:11  For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of giants; behold, his bedstead was a bedstead of iron; is it not in Rabbath of the children of Ammon? nine cubits was the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it, after the cubit of a man. [that is between

13 ½ to 18 feet long depending on the actual length of a cubit]

1Samuel 17:4  And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. [Goliath was between around 9 feet plus and 12 feet tall]

Other references to show that there were places where such giants were common are;

Numbers 13:33  And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.

Deuteronomy 3:13  And the rest of Gilead, and all Bashan, being the kingdom of Og, gave I unto the half tribe of Manasseh; all the region of Argob, with all Bashan, which was called the land of giants.

Joshua 15:8  And the border went up by the valley of the son of Hinnom unto the south side of the Jebusite; the same is Jerusalem: and the border went up to the top of the mountain that lieth before the valley of Hinnom westward, which is at the end of the valley of the giants northward:

Regarding the command to leave Moab alone, remember that they did their best to destroy Israel by asking Balaam to curse them who could not, of course, because God prevented Balaam’s curses but permitted the depravity he introduced into the children of Israel.

Later, David would conquer Moab.

2Samuel 8:2  And he smote Moab, and measured them with a line, casting them down to the ground; even with two lines measured he to put to death, and with one full line to keep alive. And so the Moabites became David’s servants, and brought gifts.

Ar was the great city of Moab.

Note the following in the above passage from Deuteronomy, chapter 2;

14  And the space in which we came from Kadeshbarnea, until we were come over the brook Zered, was thirty and eight years; until all the generation of the men of war were wasted out from among the host, as the LORD sware unto them. 15  For indeed the hand of the LORD was against them, to destroy them from among the host, until they were consumed. 16  So it came to pass, when all the men of war were consumed and dead from among the people,

Regarding the judgment against the men of age for war passed by God remember Numbers 14.

Numbers 14:26  And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, 27  How long shall I bear with this evil  congregation, which murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me. 28  Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the LORD, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you: 29  Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me, 30  Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun. 31  But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised. 32  But as for you, your carcases, they shall fall in this wilderness. 33  And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness. 34  After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise. 35  I the LORD have said, I will surely do it unto all this evil congregation, that are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.

 

Now back to Deuteronomy;

No comments: