(October 27, 2010 at 5:12 pm)Jonah Wrote:(October 27, 2010 at 4:06 pm)Minimalist Wrote: There is a great deal of dispute about the word which is (apparently poorly) translated as "Giants."
Quote:The word nephilim is from the root nun-peh-lamed, which means to fall. The meaning of the word nephilim, at its simplest interpretation, is the fallen ones or the fallible ones.
Most translations admit that they do not know what the word means and simply use the term "nephilim" without translation. However, there is always the abysmal KJV which fundies swear by and that notoriously lousy translation persists in using the incorrect term "giants." Figures. Garbage in - garbage out.
http://bible.cc/genesis/6-4.htm
Now that you mention it, I thought it was strange how all of the translations except the KJV used the term "nephilim" instead of "giants." Hmm...is it possible that the KJV translators made up the story of David and Goliath to go along with their translation in Genesis 6:4?
I suggest you read, in this order, Israel Finkelstein's "The Bible Unearthed" and then "David and Solomon."
In the last 30 years, archaeology has trashed the OT. It's plain bullshit.