According to the
Book of NumbersThe Book of Numbers or Bəmidbar is the fourth book of the Hebrew Bible/Christian Old Testament, and the fourth of five books of the Jewish Torah or Pentateuch.This book may be divided into three parts:#The numbering of the people at Sinai, and preparations for resuming their march...
, during the conquest of
CanaanCanaan is an ancient term for a region encompassing modern-day Israel and Lebanon, the Palestinian Territories, plus adjoining coastal lands and parts of Jordan, Syria and northeastern Egypt...
by the
IsraeliteIn the Bible, the Israelites were the descendants of the Biblical patriarch Jacob. They were divided into twelve tribes, each descended from one of twelve sons or grandsons of Jacob....
s,
Anak (spelt as both ענק and as הענק depending upon the reference) was a well known figure, and a forefather of the
Anakites (Heb. Anakim) who have been considered
strong and tall descendants of the
NephilimNephilim are beings who appear in the Hebrew Bible; specifically mentioned in the Book of Genesis and the Book of Numbers; they are also mentioned in other Biblical texts and in some non-canonical Jewish writings.- Etymology :...
. The use of the word "nephilim" in this verse is possibly used to describe the height of the inhabitants as gigantic. The text states that Anak was a
RephaiteIn the Hebrew Bible the term "Rephaim" has two primary meanings:-Race of giants:"Rephaim" can describe an ancient "race" of giants in Iron Age Israel, or the places where these...
and a son of
ArbaArba was an Anakite mentioned in as the "greatest man among the Anakites" and the father of Anak.The Bible also mentions that the city of Hebron used to be called Kirjath-arba after Arba, although a modern day settlement exists east of Hebron named Kiryat Arba....
.
According to the
Book of NumbersThe Book of Numbers or Bəmidbar is the fourth book of the Hebrew Bible/Christian Old Testament, and the fourth of five books of the Jewish Torah or Pentateuch.This book may be divided into three parts:#The numbering of the people at Sinai, and preparations for resuming their march...
, during the conquest of
CanaanCanaan is an ancient term for a region encompassing modern-day Israel and Lebanon, the Palestinian Territories, plus adjoining coastal lands and parts of Jordan, Syria and northeastern Egypt...
by the
IsraeliteIn the Bible, the Israelites were the descendants of the Biblical patriarch Jacob. They were divided into twelve tribes, each descended from one of twelve sons or grandsons of Jacob....
s,
Anak (spelt as both ענק and as הענק depending upon the reference) was a well known figure, and a forefather of the
Anakites (Heb. Anakim) who have been considered
strong and tall descendants of the
NephilimNephilim are beings who appear in the Hebrew Bible; specifically mentioned in the Book of Genesis and the Book of Numbers; they are also mentioned in other Biblical texts and in some non-canonical Jewish writings.- Etymology :...
. The use of the word "nephilim" in this verse is possibly used to describe the height of the inhabitants as gigantic. The text states that Anak was a
RephaiteIn the Hebrew Bible the term "Rephaim" has two primary meanings:-Race of giants:"Rephaim" can describe an ancient "race" of giants in Iron Age Israel, or the places where these...
and a son of
ArbaArba was an Anakite mentioned in as the "greatest man among the Anakites" and the father of Anak.The Bible also mentions that the city of Hebron used to be called Kirjath-arba after Arba, although a modern day settlement exists east of Hebron named Kiryat Arba....
.
EtymologicallyEtymology is the study of the history of words and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages, and texts about the languages, to gather knowledge about how words were used at earlier stages, and...
,
Anak means
[long] neck.
The sons of Anak are first mentioned in . The
IsraeliteIn the Bible, the Israelites were the descendants of the Biblical patriarch Jacob. They were divided into twelve tribes, each descended from one of twelve sons or grandsons of Jacob....
leader
MosesMoses was, according to biblical texts, a religious leader, lawgiver, and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed. Also called Moshe Rabbeinu in Hebrew Moses was, according to biblical texts, a...
sends twelve spies representing the twelve tribes of Israel to scout out the land of
CanaanCanaan is an ancient term for a region encompassing modern-day Israel and Lebanon, the Palestinian Territories, plus adjoining coastal lands and parts of Jordan, Syria and northeastern Egypt...
, and give a full report to the congregation. The spies enter from the
NegevThe Negev is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The indigenous Bedouin inhabitants of the region refer to the desert as al-Naqab . The origin of the word Negev is from the Hebrew root denoting 'dry'...
desert and journey northward through the Judaean hills until they arrive at the brook of Eshcol near
HebronHebron is the largest city in the West Bank, located in the south, 30 kilometers south of Jerusalem. It is home to some 166,000 Palestinians, and over 500 Israelis living in and around the historic Jewish Quarter. Hebron lies 930 meters above sea level...
, where reside
SheshaiSheshai was a clan of Anakim living in Hebron named for a son of Anak in the Holy Bible . The clans were driven out of the city by Caleb and the Tribe of Judah ....
,
AhimanAhiman is the name of two persons in the Bible:* One of the three giant sons of Anak whom Caleb and the spies saw in Mount Hebron when they went in to explore the land...
, and
TalmaiTalmai - a name in the Bible referring to a number of minor characters. Its Aramaic version was connected to the Greek Ptolemy , and, later, to the Italian Bartolomeo, English Bartholomew etc....
, the sons of Anak. After the scouts have explored the entire land, they bring back samples of the fruit of the land; most notably a gigantic cluster of grapes which requires two men to carry it on a pole between them. The scouts then report to Moses and the congregation, that "the land indeed is a land flowing with milk and honey," but ten of the twelve spies discourage the Israelites from even attempting to possess the land, for they reported that the men were taller and stronger than the Israelites, and moreover the sons of Anak dwell in the land, and that they felt like grasshoppers in their presence.
The Anakites are later mentioned briefly in the books of
DeuteronomyDeuteronomy or Devarim is the fifth book of the Hebrew Bible and of the Old Testament, and the fifth of five books of the Jewish Torah or Pentateuch....
,
JoshuaJoshua , according to the Hebrew Bible, was an Israelite leader who succeeded Moses. His story is told chiefly in the books Exodus, Numbers and Joshua. He was one of the twelve spies sent by Moses to explore the land of Canaan...
, and
JudgesThe Book of Judges is a book of the Bible originally written in Hebrew. It appears in the Tanakh and in the Christian Old Testament...
. In Joshua, Caleb, one of the twelve spies sent by Moses into Canaan, later drove out the descendants of Anak — his three sons — from
HebronHebron is the largest city in the West Bank, located in the south, 30 kilometers south of Jerusalem. It is home to some 166,000 Palestinians, and over 500 Israelis living in and around the historic Jewish Quarter. Hebron lies 930 meters above sea level...
, also called Kirjath Arba.
Anak could be related to the Sumerian god
EnkiEnki was a god in Sumerian mythology, later known as Ea in Akkadian and Babylonian mythology. He was originally patron god of the city of Eridu, but later the influence of his cult spread throughout Mesopotamia and to the Hittites and Hurrians...
.
Robert GravesGraves considered himself a poet first and foremost. His poems, together with his translations and innovative interpretations of the Greek Myths, his memoir of the First World war, Good-bye to All That, and his historical study of poetic inspiration, The White Goddess, have never been out of...
, considering the relationship between the Anakites and Philistia , identifies the Anakim with
Anax' is an ancient Greek word for "king". It is one of the two Greek titles traditionally translated this way, the other being basileus, which also translates as sovereign. Anax can be interpreted more accurately as "high king".-Etymology:...
, the giant ruler of the Anactorians in
Greek mythologyGreek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
.