Why the Nephilim Are Called the Fallen and Saw Spies as Grasshoppers

Midrash Aggadah, Numbers 13:33

Curated by Arthur·Translated by Maggid (Beta)·

"And there we saw the Nephilim." And why were they called Nephilim? Because they were from the angels who fell (nafelu) from their place of holiness, from heaven. "And so we were in their eyes." And from where do we know that they were like grasshoppers in the eyes of the Anakim? Because those were exceedingly tall, and the spies were short like grasshoppers in their eyes because of their height. And there was an incident: for once the spies were among the trees and saw those Nephilim, and the spies heard the Nephilim saying, "We see at the tops of the trees grasshoppers that have the form of human beings."

Themes

Fallen AngelsNephilimAngelsWisdomTribes

Biblical References

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The Midrash of PhiloA Medieval Collection That Claims Philo's WisdomThese are the kinds of questions that the ancient interpreters of the Bible loved to wrestle with! And in a fascinating, though fragmented, text known as The MiSefer HaBahirLight and Vessels of LevitasThe Sefer HaBahir, one of the earliest and most influential texts of Kabbalah, invites us to see more than just symbols. It urges us to see pathways, flows of dApocalypse of AbrahamAbraham Silences Azazel with Words of PowerThe angel turned back to Abraham. "Know from this moment that the Eternal One has chosen you. Be of good courage and use this authority, as far as I bid you, ag2 EnochGod Creates Angels from Fire and One RebelsGod continued speaking to Enoch, and the story of creation grew stranger and more terrible. He had made the heavenly circle firm. He commanded the waters below Book of Giants (4Q530-532)The Nephilim Who Fought Each OtherWhile the dream sequence in the Book of Giants gets most of the attention, the scroll also describes something the Watchers tradition in 1 Enoch only mentions iTargum Pseudo-Jonathan on GenesisShamchazai and Uzziel the Watchers on EarthThe enigmatic "Nephilim" of (Genesis 6:4) get names in Targum Pseudo-Jonathan. "Schamchazai and Uzziel, who fell from heaven, were on the earth in those days."