Anakim: The descendants of Anak
(Joshua 11:21; Numbers 13:33; Deuteronomy 9:2) They dwelt in the
south of Palestine, in the neighbourhood of Hebron
(Genesis 23:2; Joshua 15:13)
In the days of Abraham
(Genesis 14:5,6) they inhabited the region
afterwards known as Edom and Moab, east of the Jordan. They were
probably a remnant of the original inhabitants of Palestine before
the Canaanites, a Cushite tribe from Babel, and of the same race as
the Phoenicians and the Egyptian shepherd kings. Their formidable
warlike appearance, as described by the spies sent to search the
land, filled the Israelites with terror. They seem to have identified
them with the Nephilim, the "giants"
(Genesis 6:4; Numbers 13:33) of the
antediluvian age. There were various tribes of Anakim
(Joshua 15:14)
Joshua finally expelled them from the land, except a remnant that
found a refuge in the cities of Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod
(Joshua 11:22) The
Philistine giants whom David encountered
(2 Samuel 21:15-22) were
descendants of the Anakim.
