In view is the article Who were the Zamzummim? – GB Times – The Spirit Magazine
Since English is my second language and I’m dyslexic, I’m not one to pick on grammur or mispillengs.
Still, I got a giant kick out of that Miller’s bio reads, and I quote, “Emma Miller has enjoyed working as a writer for over 18 years and holds a Master’s Degree in Linguistics and Education, but has also studied Ancient History and Engish Literature. She is fascinated by the science of dreams and is a long-time member of the International Association for the Study of Dreams” indeed, “Engish” lit ;o)
GB Times–The Spirit Magazine “is a website dedicated to symbolism and mythology from ancient times right up until the present day.”
Emma Miller informs us “Zamzummim…were also known as the Zuzim or the Zumim. According to Deuteronomy 2:20, they were a ‘great and numerous people, tall as the Anakim’. The Anakim were a race of giants…Zamzummim…were well-known for their strength and size. Some scholars believe that the Zamzummim were descendants of the Nephilim, who were the offspring of the sons of God and the daughters of men. The Nephilim were believed to be giants and were mentioned in both the Old and New Testaments.”
Let us review:
Indeed, Zamzummim were aka Zuzim aka Zumim.
Her dual usage of the term “giants” begs the questions:
What’s the usage of the vague, generic, subjective, multi-usage and modern English word “giants” in English Bibles?
What’s Miller’s usage of the vague, generic, subjective, multi-usage and modern English word “giants”?
Do those usages agree?
We’ll have to attempt to discern an answer as to her view since, in typical manner, people who write about “giants” tend to not bother defining terms. Now, they were “tall”—which is just as vague, generic, subjective, multi-usage as “giants”—which is subjective to the average Israelite male who was 5.0-5.3 ft. in those days.
But since that’s all we know about their height then to state that they were like “a race of giants” is a meaningless statement and they were only “well-known for their…size” due to having been “tall” (I’m unaware whence she got the “strength” part).
Now, she is missing a key point which is that, contextually, the usage of “giants” is that Zamzummim were “tall as the Anakim” but Miller doesn’t seem to be aware that what she wrote as, “Anakim were a race of giants” biblically contextually would read as “Anakim were a race of Rephaim” since that’s all the word “giants” is doing in this case: merely rendering “Rephaim” (as it does in 98% of all cases in the English Bibles which employ it).
Moreover, Rephaim were aka Zamzummim aka Zuzim aka Zumim and Anakim were a clan on the Rephaim/Zamzummim/Zuzim/Zumim tribe—and they were “tall” on average ergo, taller than 5.0-5.3 ft.
As for that “Zamzummim were descendants of the Nephilim”: that is simply impossible since Nephilim only lived pre-flood but Rephaim/Zamzummim/Zuzim/Zumim only lived post-flood—centuries post-flood.
As for “Nephilim were believed to be giants” that biblically contextually reads as “Nephilim were believed to be Nephilim” since that’s all that word is doing in that case (and one other, adding up to the 2% of the times that “giants” isn’t rendering “Rephaim).
And as for that Nephilim “were mentioned in both the Old and New Testaments”: that’s simply false. They are mentioned two times in the Old and never once in the New.
That is a lot to have to iron out and correct in the very first paragraph of the article.
For some reason, Emma Miller continues by repeating the vague assertion, “The Zamzummim…were known for their strength and size” and gets into the question “Were the Zamzummim really giants?” which she really can’t or shouldn’t answer until she defines that term but, alas.
Well, based on vagaries, she assures us that “Yes…Zamzummim were…tall” but actually reiterated “tall as the Anakim, who were also considered to be giants. However, there is no physical evidence to support this claim.” But why “also”? And no physical evidence for what, being taller than 5.0-5.3 ft.?
Emma Miller continues noting “Israelites…were impressed by their size and strength” for which the only indication is the word “tall.”
She reiterates the assertion “Zamzummim…were known for their strength and size.”
She reiterates “Zamzummim were of the same race as the Anakim, who were also considered to be giants.”
She reiterates “Some scholars believe that the Zamzummim were descendants of the Nephilim, who were the offspring of the sons of God and the daughters of men. However, this theory is not widely accepted by scholars.”
She reiterates “Zamzummim…were a great and numerous people who were known for their size and strength.”
She then decides to take on the topic she’s been reiterating (and re-re-reiterating), “What do we know about the physical appearance of the Zamzummim?” and reiterates, “tall as the Anakim…were known for their size and strength.”
And well, that’s about it. I don’t even understand how hers was an article but then again, it appears to not be since the website is so utterly saturated by embedded videos and adds that it’s difficult to even discern that there’s an article peppered through it all.
Yet, it still serves as typically incoherent Gigorexia Nervosa which is my coined term for people who are obsessed with seeing “giants” and making them up where they are nowhere to be found.
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