I've noticed some discussion on the following subjects so , if I may I would like to add my thoughts .
With regard to giants , I'm sure these were just very tall people . Goliath is referred to as one and he was about 6feet 6inches I believe . That might not seem very tall to us , however if we look at very old buildings , some of which in Europe are literally hundreds of years old , we can see how small the doors were . People were very surely , on average much shorter than we are now even just a couple of hundred years ago . We now , for the most part have a much better understanding of nutrition and most of us have much better access to nutritious food , which helps us to grow bigger and stronger . When the Greeks took over half the world , they were apparently a terrifying sight as they had been brought up on milk and meat and olive oil . So they were very much taller than many ancient peoples . Height can also be hireditary and as people tended to marry amongst their own , the height would be perpetuated potentially , through many generations .
As for angels eating and appearing to be humans , why not ? If God can make a donkey speak He can allow an angel to eat and appear in human form , no problem .
Lastly to the gender of angels . I believe angels to be created by God to fulfill His purposes and He can make them male or female as He wishes , Zechariah chapter 5 verse 9 for instance .
I think that maybe , when God gives visions or visitations to us humans , He is aware just how sensitive and potentially scared any of us might be by a celestial being and so takes into account our weak human nature and only allows us to see what our minds and understanding can cope with . When I think of the things that Ezekiel saw I know i should be terrified if I had seen those things . God helped Ezekiel to see and remember and record those things .
Just to give a little on the giants, Goliath was 6 cubits and a span tall that would put him close to 10 feet tall. There is Og king of Bashan his bed was nine cubits in length and four cubits wide, it would be about 14 feet long and about 6.5 feet wide. There are descriptions of the weapons, and they are by far larger than any human could handle. The descriptions of some whose height were like the height of the cedars and was strong as the oaks; Amos 2:9.
It is an interesting study, but it is just history that is hard to grasp because we take it as mythology, but they were real and here on earth.
Thank you for that Ronald , I have been mistaken then . I always thought that a cubit was a measurement from wrist to elbow of the average male of the time , and a span from the tip of the middle finger to the tip of the thumb of an extended male hand , therefore coming to about six feet ( six cubits ) six inches ( one span ) . Not sure where I got this information to be honest but I stand corrected .
I'm sure that God made Goliath as tall as he was on purpose , knowing that in the future a stripling of a boy would fell this giant and impress all of his peers , I have no doubt that giants existed but I'm sure they were just very tall humans , some sort of genetic mutation perhaps , and I do know that people were on average very much shorter than they are now .
If we think of Saul , part of the reason the Israelites wanted him as their king was because they were impressed by his height , we aren't told how tall he was just that he was head and shoulders above every other man in Israel . Goliath must have been even taller than Saul . I don't believe that giants were mythical , just tall people . Tall people are very common these days but I'm guessing not so much several thousand years ago and the opportunity to meet one would have been very limited in those days so I'm guessing they caused quite a stir by their appearance . At the end of the day , God created all flesh , as it is and as He wants it to be . There are no mythical creatures , just God's handiwork .
With regard to giants , I'm sure these were just very tall people . Goliath is referred to as one and he was about 6feet 6inches I believe . That might not seem very tall to us , however if we look at very old buildings , some of which in Europe are literally hundreds of years old , we can see how small the doors were . People were very surely , on average much shorter than we are now even just a couple of hundred years ago . We now , for the most part have a much better understanding of nutrition and most of us have much better access to nutritious food , which helps us to grow bigger and stronger . When the Greeks took over half the world , they were apparently a terrifying sight as they had been brought up on milk and meat and olive oil . So they were very much taller than many ancient peoples . Height can also be hireditary and as people tended to marry amongst their own , the height would be perpetuated potentially , through many generations .
As for angels eating and appearing to be humans , why not ? If God can make a donkey speak He can allow an angel to eat and appear in human form , no problem .
Lastly to the gender of angels . I believe angels to be created by God to fulfill His purposes and He can make them male or female as He wishes , Zechariah chapter 5 verse 9 for instance .
I think that maybe , when God gives visions or visitations to us humans , He is aware just how sensitive and potentially scared any of us might be by a celestial being and so takes into account our weak human nature and only allows us to see what our minds and understanding can cope with . When I think of the things that Ezekiel saw I know i should be terrified if I had seen those things . God helped Ezekiel to see and remember and record those things .
These are just my thoughts on those topics .
Just to give a little on the giants, Goliath was 6 cubits and a span tall that would put him close to 10 feet tall. There is Og king of Bashan his bed was nine cubits in length and four cubits wide, it would be about 14 feet long and about 6.5 feet wide. There are descriptions of the weapons, and they are by far larger than any human could handle. The descriptions of some whose height were like the height of the cedars and was strong as the oaks; Amos 2:9.
It is an interesting study, but it is just history that is hard to grasp because we take it as mythology, but they were real and here on earth.
God bless,
RLW
I'm sure that God made Goliath as tall as he was on purpose , knowing that in the future a stripling of a boy would fell this giant and impress all of his peers , I have no doubt that giants existed but I'm sure they were just very tall humans , some sort of genetic mutation perhaps , and I do know that people were on average very much shorter than they are now .
If we think of Saul , part of the reason the Israelites wanted him as their king was because they were impressed by his height , we aren't told how tall he was just that he was head and shoulders above every other man in Israel . Goliath must have been even taller than Saul . I don't believe that giants were mythical , just tall people . Tall people are very common these days but I'm guessing not so much several thousand years ago and the opportunity to meet one would have been very limited in those days so I'm guessing they caused quite a stir by their appearance . At the end of the day , God created all flesh , as it is and as He wants it to be . There are no mythical creatures , just God's handiwork .
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