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This means that he stood a little over 10 feet tall!
This corresponded to a mighty armour: indeed he wore a bronze helmet and an
armour plate weighing five thousand bronze shekels (about 120 pounds). He
had his legs protected by shin guards and was armed with a spear of bronze:
its blade weighed six hundred iron shekels (about 15 pounds) (cf. Sam 1 17:4-
7).
A real giant?
We certainly know that these people lived in the area; they were the Rephaìms',
Emìms', Anaqitis', and the Nephilìms' descendants. So, we have biblical
evidence telling us about the physical characteristics of exceptional
individuals whose presence provoked astonishment and terror. But what does
the official science know about these peoples?
Archaeology in Israel
Excavations on the banks of the Jordan River and generally throughout the
area, have uncovered that, at least since the fourth millennium BC, they were
ruled by strong races that produced a megalithic civilization capable of
building huge, cyclopean buildings. Think of the incredible site of Baalbek (in
the Valley of Bekaa, Lebanon), where monoliths were moved weighing
hundreds of tons each!
The same archaeological records show that these people were gradually
supplanted by the new occupants. The Anaqitis (“long-necked” men)
occupied the land of Hebron and the region that would later be later conquered
by the tribe of Judah.
Three leaders worth mentioning are Ahiman, Sesay and Talmay. They had
Aramaic origins, and were defeated by Caleb, to whom the city of Hebron
surrendered. They were then destroyed by Joshua, leaving their traces in Gaza,
Ashdod and Gath. (Gath is giant Goliath's city! Maybe it is not just a
coincidence …)
Rephaìms (the race to which Og belonged) occupied Amman (Transjordan)
from Mount Hermon down to Ammon; along with the Anaqitis. They were
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