From the get-go we have problems in Ellen Lloyd’s article Mystery Of Pre-Adamic Didanum Race: Giants Who Were Ancestors Of The Nephilim and Rephaim since Lloyd opens with, “In the Bible, there are many references to the giants Nephilim who were offspring of the ‘sons of God’ and the ‘daughters of men’ before the Great Flood.” Well, if “many” means two verses total then, sure—since that’s all there is and about “giants Nephilim” well, that’s another issue.
Lloyd continues, “There are also a number of stories dealing with the Rephaim, another group of giants described as ‘a mighty people with tall stature who lived in Canaan.’”
I’m unsure what Lloyd is quoting—it seems to be a paraphrase from an “evil report,” that no one should believe.
Asserting it’s about “Rephaim” is tricky since one would have to take a verse and parse it. Typically, Num 13:33 is translated as that the ten unfaithful, disloyal, contradictory, embellishing spies whom God rebuked for what they said claimed to have seen “Nephilim (the sons of Anak come from the Nephilim) and we were as grasshoppers in their site…”
First one has to massage it to be referring to the Anakim’s height, then one has to disregard the specific reference to Anakim (which, as per the LXX, may just be a gloss in the Masoretic) and vaguely turn it into one about Rephaim (since Anakim were a subgroups of Rephaim).
Thus, there are various reasons to consider Lloyd’s comment as multitudinously confused.
The next assertion (especially since we’ve not seen a single citation yet) is that “Another mysterious race that is mentioned in the Bible is the little-known Didanum…ancestors of the Nephilim and Rephaim” for which there’s zero evidence and zero such statements.
Lloyd wants to “unravel the mystery of the enigmatic Didanum” but first wants to elucidate, “the story behind the Nephilim and Rephaim. How far back in the distant past can we trace the giants?” and note that Lloyd doesn’t bother telling us what is meant by giants—nor that there’s literally zero relation between Nephilim and Rephaim and only one single utterly unreliable verse about Nephilim relation to Anakim.
We finally get a citation with a quote from Gen 6:1-4 which is about when “the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives…Nephilim were in the earth in those days…the same were the mighty men that were of old, the men of renown…”
The comment is, “We are informed that giants, the Nephilim, the ‘fallen ones’, existed in the antediluvian world as well as after the Great Flood. The earliest accounts of giants occur in times before Adam.”
Now, nowhere in 1-4 did we get a reference to “giants”: and since Lloyd is implying unusual height then we don’t even get that in English versions that have “giants” rendering, not even translating, “Nephilim” since such is not the usage of the word “giants” in English Bibles.
Also, nowhere in 1-4 did we get a reference to “after the Great Flood” since the flood isn’t even mentioned for the very first time until a full 13 vss. later: v. 17—and v 4 tells us to what days it’s referring and it’s not the flood, it’s before and after the sons of God and daughters of men first mated.
And, nowhere did we get “giants…in times before Adam.”
Continuing along the lines of the “times before Adam,” we’re told, “Some,” unenumerated, unnamed, and uncited, “alternative ancient researchers think these divine scientists,” “celestial beings,” “manipulated the genes of various kinds of animal life and as a result, they genetically engineered a race of humanoids of gigantic stature.” And, well, anyone can think anything.
Based on some someones thinking something, “These were the first giants, the pre-Adamites.”
Next, we’re told, “According to the Bible, those who descended to Earth and mated with the women of Earth were the ‘fallen angels’, (the Watchers), a group of 200 high-ranked divine beings.”
I’d imaging that no quotations or citations are provided because, technically, no such statements exist in the Bible.
I’d argue that “According to the Bible, those who descended to Earth and mated with the women of Earth were the ‘fallen angels’” but based on correlations with Job 38:7, Jude, 2 Peter 2, etc.
The term “Watchers” contextually comes from 1 Enoch/Ethiopic Enoch as does the specific number “200.” But neither the Bible nor Enoch have any such a thing as pre-Adamic Nephilim.
Lloyd wrote, “The offspring of the Nephilim were giants known as the ‘Gibborim’, ‘heroes of old, men of renown’, which are mentioned in Genesis 6. The Gibborim were not as tall and powerful as the Nephilim, but they were nevertheless a dangerous warrior race.”
This is simply 100% made up stuff.
The offspring of the Nephilim were giants known as the ‘Gibborim’, ‘heroes of old, men of renown’, which are mentioned in Genesis 6. The Gibborim were not as tall and powerful as the Nephilim, but they were nevertheless a dangerous warrior race.”
Lloyd quoted 6:4 as, “The Nephilim were in the earth in those days, and also after that, when the sons of God came unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them: the same were the mighty men that were of old, the men of renown…” wherein “mighty” is translating gibborim.
Thus, there’s no reference whatsoever of any offspring of Nephilim (even if they did have some offspring) and the statement is that “the same” Nephilim “were the” gibborim: meaning that they became mighty at some point.
And, we most certainly have zero reference to the mere male plural term for might meaning “not as tall and powerful…but they were nevertheless a dangerous warrior race.”
Thus far, the grade for the article is only F- since there’s nothing lower than that.
I have little hope for the next section having Lloyd telling us about “Pre-Adamic Didanum Race.”
We’re told, “The Hebrew word Rephaim has two different meanings. Sometimes it is a reference to departed spirits whose dwelling place was Sheol and on other occasions, the meaning of Rephaim is ‘a mighty people with tall stature who lived in Canaan.’”
I included a whole chapter about Rephaim in my book What Does the Bible Say About Giants and Nephilim? A Styled Giantology and Nephilology and can tell you that it, or it’s root repha, varies in meaning and usage to also include healing.
Lloyd notes, “The first reference to the Rephaim is Genesis 14:5” which, BTW, is centuries post-flood.
We’re then taken to Num 13 without a citation and only a paraphrase, “When the Israelites first approached the Promised Land…they were afraid to enter the land because it was filled with ‘giants’, the sons of Anak.”
Technically, “they were afraid to enter the land because” they were deceived when utterly unreliable guys told them that, “it was filled with” Nephilim—saying, “‘giants’, the sons of Anak” is just a translational/rendering issue.
Lloyd continues using (misusing) the vague, subjective, generic, multi-usage and undefined English terms “Giants” and doesn’t seem to realize that it’s rendering two words, Nephilim and Rephaim, which don’t even hint at anything to do with height at all.
Ellen Lloyd asserts, “Giants were widely scattered through Canaan but were known by different local names, including Rephaim, Zuzim, Emim, and Anakim. In Deuteronomy 2:20-21 it is written that the Rephaim were strong and tall, like the Anakites. Og, king of Bashan, was described as the last of the Rephaim in his land (Deuteronomy 3:11), and his bed was thirteen feet long and six feet
wide.”
Since her article is nowhere even near close to having been well researchers (much less sourced) then I need to re-write is as that the Bible would have us understand it, Rephaim were widely scattered through Canaan but were known by different local names, including Zuzim, Emim, and Anakim—Rephaim subgroups.
Deut 2 tell us that some Rephaim, such as Anakim, were “tall” which is as subjective a term as “giants” and, in this case, subjective to the average Israelite male who was 5.0-5.3 in those days.
We’ve no physical description of Og whatsoever and so much ado about nothing must be made of his bed which raises a lot of issues in terms of the incoherence of imaging we can guestimate his height that way.
Lloyd asserts, “The Didanum people were a pre-Adamic race and these beings were closely related to both the Nephilim and Rephaim” even though we’ve no reason at all to even imagine any such thing—at least not as of yet, let’s see if this is established.
She notes that the Legend of Keret aka Epic of King Keret (KTU 1.161, 1-34) the Didanum summed to the council:
The written record of the sacred celebration in honor of the Shades (zlm). You are summoned, O Rephaim (rp’m) of the netherworld, you are summoned, O council of the Didanites (ddn)! Invoked is Ulkan, the Rapha. Invoked is Taruman, the Rapha. Invoked is Sidan and Radan, invoked is Thar, the eternal one. You are invoked, most ancient Rephaim! You are all summoned, O council of the Didanites. Invoked is Ammithtamru, the king, and invoked as well is Niqmad the king. O throne of Niqmad, may you be mourned! And lamented be his footstool. Let the table of the king be mourned in his presence.
But let their tears be swallowed, and their dreadful lamentations. Go down, O Shapsh, go down, O great luminary. May Shapsh shine upon him. After your lord from the throne, after your lord to the netherworld descend! To the netherworld descend and go down low into the earth.
Down to Sidan-and-Radan, down to the eternal one Thar, down to the ancient Rephaim, down to Ammithtamru the king, and also down to Niqmad the king. One, make an offering, two, and make an offering, three, and make an offering, four, and make an offering….Hail, Ammurapi! And hail to his household! Hail, Tharyelli! Hail to her household! Hail, Ugarit! Hail to her gates!
I didn’t notice anything about relation to Nephilim nor being unusually tall nor consisting of “the genes of various kinds of animal life” nor anything that has been asserted thus far except.
In short, in Ugaritic material, to which this text pertains, recently deceased kings and heroes are referred to as kings and heroes but after kings and heroes have been dead a certain amount of time, they were then called Repha(im).
Ellen Lloyd told us that Didanites were pre-Adamites but comments, “This text is of crucial importance in shedding light on the historical memory behind the Rephaim viewed by the Canaanite kings as their ancestors” or, rather, viewed by them as being their long deceased kings (and heroes). And, “King Keret, who is a descendent of the Didanite” who “were highly significant as their presence was required during the accession of the Kings…in Sumerian texts…were enemies of the goddess Inanna” none of which even hints at the tall tale she spun about them.
She tells us “The Canaanite text equates them with the Rephaim” but was “Rephaim (rp’m) of the netherworld, you are summoned, O council of the Didanites (ddn)!” equating them or naming two groups (one specified to be int eh netherworld and one not)?
In any case, Lloyd refers to “these giant beings” but we’ve yet to see even a hint anywhere describing them physically. She assures us that they are “a separate race not in any way related to other giants” well, but she has Rephaim as “giants” and Didanum/Didanites being equated.
She tells us, “Based on what we know so far, we can conclude that the Didanum people were very important, pre-Adamic giants” but that has strictly merely been asserted, not established—not even close.
And well, that’s the end of it so that all we got is a tall tale based on nearly 100% fallacious pseudo-data points. The article was titled “…Pre-Adamic Didanum Race: Giants Who Were Ancestors of the Nephilim and Rephaim” but we’ve no indication that they were Pre-Adamic, not Giants, nor Ancestors of the Nephilim.
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