Mysterious giants mentioned in the pre-flood and post-flood eras.
The Nephilim were a race of giants mentioned in the context of the sons of God marrying human women before the flood and later encountered by the Israelite spies in Canaan.
The Nephilim are mysterious figures mentioned in two distinct contexts in the Old Testament. They are first introduced in Gen 6:4, just before the account of the great flood. The passage states that the Nephilim were on the earth when the "sons of God" married the "daughters of men" and had children by them. It also mentions that the Nephilim were mighty men of old, men of renown.
The exact identity of the "sons of God" and the nature of the Nephilim have been the subject of much debate among scholars. Some interpret the "sons of God" as fallen angels who married human women, while others believe they were powerful human rulers or descendants of Seth who intermarried with the descendants of Cain. The Nephilim are often understood as giants or heroic figures who were the offspring of these unions.
The second mention of the Nephilim occurs in Num 13:33, where the Israelite spies report seeing them in Canaan during their reconnaissance mission. The spies describe the Nephilim as descendants of Anak and compare their own size to that of grasshoppers in the sight of these giants.
Sources: STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0, Nephilim@Gen.6.4-Num)