Numbers 13 · Verse 33

Numbers 13:33

And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.
Numbers 13:33, King James Version

Numbers 13:33 in other translations

BSBWe even saw the Nephilim there—the descendants of Anak that come from the Nephilim! We seemed like grasshoppers in our own sight, and we must have seemed the same to them!”
WEBThere we saw the Nephilim, the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim. We were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.”
ASVAnd there we saw the Nephilim, the sons of Anak, who come of the Nephilim: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.
YLTand there we saw the Nephilim, sons of Anak, of the Nephilim; and we are in our own eyes as grasshoppers; and so we were in their eyes.'
DARBYand there have we seen giants — the sons of Anak are of the giants — and we were in our sight as grasshoppers, and so we were also in their sight.
BBEThere we saw those great men, the sons of Anak, offspring of the Nephilim: and we seemed to ourselves no more than insects, and so we seemed to them.
WebsterAnd there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, who come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.

What does Numbers 13:33 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
33. there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak--The name is derived from the son of Arba, a great man among the Arabians (Jos 15:14), who probably obtained his appellation from wearing a splendid collar or chain round his neck, as the word imports. The epithet "giant" evidently refers here to stature. (See on Ge 6:4). And it is probable the Anakims were a distinguished family, or perhaps a select body of warriors, chosen for their extraordinary size. we were in our own sight as grasshoppers--a strong Orientalism, by which the treacherous spies gave an exaggerated report of the physical strength of the people of Canaan.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 33 There we saw the giants - נפלים nephilim. It is evident that they had seen a robust, sturdy, warlike race of men, and of great stature; for the asserted fact is not denied by Joshua or Caleb. Tales of gigantic men are frequent in all countries, but they are generally of such as have lived in times very remote from those in which such tales are told. That there have been giants at different times, in various parts of the earth, there can be no doubt; but that there ever was a nation of men twelve and fourteen feet high, we cannot, should not believe. Goliath appears to have been at least nine feet high: this was very extraordinary. I knew three young men in my own neighborhood, two of them brothers, each of whom was upwards of seven feet, the third was eight feet six inches, and these men were very well proportioned. Others I have seen of extraordinary stature, but they were generally disproportioned, especially in their limbs. These instances serve to prove the possibility of cases of this nature. The Anakim might appear to the Israelites as a very tall, robust nation; and in comparison of the latter it is very probable that they were so, as it is very likely that the growth of the Israelites had been greatly cramped with their long and severe servitude in Egypt. And this may in some measure account for their alarm. On this subject the reader is desired to turn back to the note on Gen 6:4 (note). Canaan was a type of the kingdom of God; the wilderness through which the Israelites passed, of the difficulties and trials to be met with in the present world. The promise of the kingdom of God is given to every believer; but how many are discouraged by the difficulties in the way! A slothful heart sees dangers, lions, and giants, every where; and therefore refuses to proceed in the heavenly path. Many of the spies contribute to this by the bad reports they bring of the heavenly country. Certain preachers allow "that the land is good, that it flows with milk and honey," and go so far as to show some of its fruits; but they discourage the people by stating the impossibility of overcoming their enemies. "Sin," say they, "cannot be destroyed in this life - it will always dwell in you - the Anakim cannot be conquered - we are but as grasshoppers against the Anakim," etc., etc. Here and there a Joshua and a Caleb, trusting alone in the power of God, armed with faith in the infinite efficacy of that blood which cleanses from all unrighteousness, boldly stand forth and say: "Their defense is departed from them, and the Lord is with us; let us go up at once and possess the land, for we are well able to overcome." We can do all things through Christ strengthening us: he will purify us unto himself, and give us that rest from sin here which his death has procured and his word has promised. Reader, canst thou not take God at his word? He has never yet failed thee. Surely then thou hast no reason to doubt. Thou hast never yet tried him to the uttermost. Thou knowest not how far and how fully he can save. Do not be dispirited: the sons of Anak shall fall before thee, if thou meet them in the name of the Lord of Hosts.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Numbers 13:26-33

We may wonder that the people of Israel staid forty days for the return of their spies, when they were ready to enter Canaan, under all the assurances of success they could have from the Divine power, and the miracles that had hitherto attended them. But they distrusted God's power and promise. How much we stand in our own light by our unbelief! At length the messengers returned; but the greater part discouraged the…

Read the full comment on Numbers 13:26-33 →

Numbers 13:33 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וְשָׁ֣םve.Shamand thereH8033
רָאִ֗ינוּra.'I.nuwe sawH7200
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
הַנְּפִילִ֛יםha.ne.fi.Limthe NephilimH5303
בְּנֵ֥יbe.Nei[the] descendants ofH1121
עֲנָ֖ק'a.NakAnakH6061
מִן\־min-[were] fromH4480
הַנְּפִלִ֑יםha.ne.fi.Limthe NephilimH5303
וַנְּהִ֤יva.ne.Hiand we wereH1961
בְעֵינֵ֙ינוּ֙ve.'ei.Nei.nuin own eyes ourH5869
כַּֽחֲגָבִ֔יםka.cha.ga.Vimlike grasshoppersH2284
וְכֵ֥ןve.Khenand thusH3651
הָיִ֖ינוּha.Yi.nuwe wereH1961
בְּעֵינֵיהֶֽם\׃be.'ei.nei.Hemin view theirH5869

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Numbers 13:33

  • Deuteronomy 1:28

    Whither shall we go up? our brethren have discouraged our heart, saying, The people is greater and taller than we; the cities are great and walled up to heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakims there.

  • Genesis 6:4

    There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.

  • Isaiah 40:22

    It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:

  • 1 Samuel 17:42

    And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him: for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance.

  • Deuteronomy 9:2

    A people great and tall, the children of the Anakims, whom thou knowest, and of whom thou hast heard say, Who can stand before the children of Anak!

  • Deuteronomy 3:11

    For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of giants; behold, his bedstead was a bedstead of iron; is it not in Rabbath of the children of Ammon? nine cubits was the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it, after the cubit of a man.

  • 1 Chronicles 11:23

    And he slew an Egyptian, a man of great stature, five cubits high; and in the Egyptian’s hand was a spear like a weaver’s beam; and he went down to him with a staff, and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and slew him with his own spear.

  • Numbers 13:22

    And they ascended by the south, and came unto Hebron; where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of Anak, were. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)

  • 1 Samuel 17:4-7

    And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. And he had an helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass. And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a target of brass between his shoulders. And the staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam; and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron: and one bearing a shield went before him.

  • Deuteronomy 2:10

    The Emims dwelt therein in times past, a people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakims;

  • 2 Samuel 21:20-22

    And there was yet a battle in Gath, where was a man of great stature, that had on every hand six fingers, and on every foot six toes, four and twenty in number; and he also was born to the giant. And when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea the brother of David slew him. These four were born to the giant in Gath, and fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
saw the giants.
22; De 1:28; 2:10; 3:11; 9:2; 1Sa 17:4-7; 2Sa 21:20-22; 1Ch 11:23
and we were.
1Sa 17:42; Isa 40:22

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Numbers 13:32

    And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature.

  • Numbers 13:33

    And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.

Read all of Numbers 13

Numbers 13:33 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Y vituperaron entre los hijos de Israel la tierra que habían reconocido, diciendo: La tierra por donde pasamos para reconocerla, es tierra que traga á sus moradores; y todo el pueblo que vimos en medio de ella, son hombres de grande estatura. También vimos allí gigantes, hijos de Anac, raza de los gigantes: y éramos nosotros, á nuestro parecer, como langostas; y así les parecíamos á ellos.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Et nous y avons vu les géants, fils d’Anak, qui est de la race des géants; et nous étions à nos yeux comme des sauterelles, et nous étions de même à leurs yeux.
German
Elberfelder 1871
auch haben wir dort die Riesen gesehen, die Kinder Enaks, von den Riesen; und wir waren in unseren Augen wie Heuschrecken, und also waren wir auch in ihren Augen.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
Detraxeruntque terræ, quam inspexerant, apud filios Israël, dicentes: Terra, quam lustravimus, devorat habitatores suos: populus, quem aspeximus, proceræ staturæ est.