Numbers 13:33

Summary

The spies report seeing the Nefilim ("Nephilim", H5303), specifically the benei 'Anak ("descendants of Anak", H1121G/H6061), whom they identify as originating from the Nefilim. They describe their own self-perception as being like chagavim ("grasshoppers", H2284), and state that this is also how they appeared to the inhabitants of the land.

Key words

• ha-Nefilim ("the Nephilim", H5303) — definite, masculine plural gentilic noun, appearing twice in the verse (once as direct object, once after the preposition min, "from").
• benei 'Anak ("sons/descendants of Anak", H1121G construct + H6061) — construct chain identifying a specific group as descendants of Anak, in apposition to ha-Nefilim.
• ka-chagavim ("like grasshoppers", H9004 + H2284) — preposition ka prefixed to a plural noun, forming a simile.
• va-nehi ("and we were", H1961) — narrative (vav-consecutive) verb form, marking sequential narration within the spies' report.
• be-'eynei-nu / be-'eynei-hem ("in our eyes" / "in their eyes", H5869I construct + suffixes H9025/H9028) — dual construct noun with pronominal suffixes, literally "eyes of us" and "eyes of them," used idiomatically for perception or viewpoint.

What the text says

The Hebrew sentence structure places the sighting first: ra'inu ("we saw", H7200G, qal perfect) governs the object marked by 'et (H0853), ha-Nefilim. The clause benei 'Anak min ha-Nefilim functions as an appositional explanation, clarifying that the "sons of Anak" are understood as originating "from" (min, H4480A) the Nephilim. The repetition of ha-Nefilim at the start and end of this identifying clause creates a framing structure around the naming of Anak's descendants.

The second half of the verse shifts to a narrative vav-consecutive verb, va-nehi ("and we were", H1961), followed by the perfect hayinu ("we were", H1961) in the final clause. Both verbs share the same root but differ in aspect: the vav-consecutive form continues the narrative sequence of the spies' account, while the final perfect closes it with a summarizing statement. The two dual-construct phrases be-'eynei-nu ("in our eyes") and be-'eynei-hem ("in their eyes") create a parallel structure — the spies describe their own self-perception and then extend that same judgment to how they assume the inhabitants perceived them, using ken ("thus", H3651C) as the connecting adverb between the two statements.

Differences between versions

The LXX text supplied here does not use terms corresponding to Nefilim or benei 'Anak; instead it speaks of "ἄνδρες ὑπερμήκεις" ("men of very great height") within a report about the land "devouring" its inhabitants. The Vulgate text supplied likewise reads "proceræ staturæ" ("of tall stature") without naming Nephilim or Anak, in a sentence about the land's inhabitants generally. Where the Hebrew explicitly names the Nefilim and the benei 'Anak as a specific identified group, the LXX and Vulgate texts given here render the report in terms of stature and land-devouring language rather than these proper names.