Why Are There So Few Giants in the Book of Mormon?

2/17/2015

My last post about “Mound Builders” and mastodons made me curious what Mormons had to say about giants (more on the connection with mastodons later). The events described in the Book of Mormon (BOM) are generally thought to have taken place in North or Central America, after all, and the BOM was published in 1830 as the debate about the origin, identity, and fate of the “Mound Builders” was ongoing. Given the prominence of the Nephilim in the worldview of some at the edges of the Christian fundamentalist community, I wondered how giants and/or the Nephilim were portrayed in the BOM and how Mormons today interpret the relevance of those portrayals. How important were they?

As it turns out, not very important at all. Apparently the BOM does not contain a single mention of “giants” or use of the term “Nephilim” (please correct me if I'm wrong). The Book of Moses (see below) contains only two references to “giants” and no references to Nephilim.

As described by Mormons, the Book of Moses presents an “inspired translation” of Genesis that removes the ambiguities, contradictions, and confusion that had accumulated in the Old Testament through repeated mistranslations. “Giants” barely made the cut in the Book of Moses, appearing only twice, and the Nephilim don’t appear at all (remember that the term “Nephilim” was translated at “giants” in the King James Version). The following is a quote (taken from here) from Joseph Fielding Smith, one-time president of the LDS church and grandson of founder Joseph Smith's brother (emphasis added):

“There is a prevailing doctrine in the Christian world that these sons of God were heavenly beings who came down and married the daughters of men and thus came a superior race on the earth, the result bringing the displeasure of the Lord. This foolish notion is the result of lack of proper information, and because the correct information is not found in the Book of Genesis Christian peoples have been led astray. The correct information regarding these unions is revealed in the inspired interpretation given to the Prophet Joseph Smith in the Book of Moses. Without doubt when this scripture was first written, it was perfectly clear, but scribes and translators in the course of time, not having divine inspiration, changed the meaning to conform to their incorrect understanding. These verses in the Prophet's revision give us a correct meaning, and from them we learn why the Lord was angry with the people and decreed to shorten the span of life and to bring upon the world the flood of purification.”

In other words: Nephilim are nonsense. Here are the passages from Moses 8:13-18 that are the re-interpretation of Genesis 6:4:

    “13 And Noah and his sons hearkened unto the Lord, and gave heed, and they were called the sons of God.

     14 And when these men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, the sons of men saw that those daughters were fair, and they took them wives, even as they chose.

     15 And the Lord said unto Noah: The daughters of thy sons have sold themselves; for behold mine anger is kindled against the sons of men, for they will not hearken to my voice.

     16 And it came to pass that Noah prophesied, and taught the things of God, even as it was in the beginning.

    17 And the Lord said unto Noah: My Spirit shall not always strive with man, for he shall know that all flesh shall die; yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years; and if men do not repent, I will send in the floods upon them.

     18 And in those days there were giants on the earth, and they sought Noah to take away his life; but the Lord was with Noah, and the power of the Lord was upon him.”

Giants are only mentioned in the Book of Moses in one other place that showed up in my search:

“And the giants of the land, also, stood afar off; and there went forth a curse upon all people that fought against God;” (Moses 7:15)

That appears to be it for the giants.

The apparent unimportance of giants in the Book of Moses and the BOM contrasts starkly with the Nephilim-centric view of the world espoused by the Christian fringe, where matings between fallen angels and humans brought on the Flood, provided a rationale for genocide in Canaan, threatened the birth of the Messiah, and continue to endanger humanity today.   It is difficult to see how both of these accounts – one in which there is no such thing as a human-angel hybrid (BOM) and another in which there’s a Nephilim lurking behind every rock – could be reconciled. As you might guess, this discrepancy is not lost on the Nephilim enthusiasts.

As far as I can tell, the Nephilim enthusiasts have developed two explanations remedying the absence of the Nephilim in the BOM and the Book of Moses. These may not be mutually exclusive:

The Nephites (one of the groups of settlers of ancient America) of the BOM actually are the Nephilim. This claim (here is one example) seems to rest on the similarity between the words “Nephite” and “Nephilim.” Here is Fritz Zimmerman’s take on it. This idea seems favorable to those who want to attribute a biblical origin to the existence of "giant" skeletons in the New World.

The angel that appeared to Joseph Smith to reveal the plates containing the text of the BOM was actually a Nephilim. In other words, the BOM was indeed inspired, but it was inspired by a fallen angel rather than an angel of the Lord. This position is articulated in this video by someone named Penny:

“There is a direct connection between the Nephilim, the fallen angels, and Joseph Smith. I believe that it was a fallen angel that appeared as an angel of light to Joseph Smith and this whole Mormonism thing and the beliefs that they have . . . Mormonism basically suggests that you can be a god, which is the lie, I mean that’s the lie that the serpent told Eve in the Garden of Eden. . . . So, um, if you’re Mormon and you’re watching this, please do not be offended, um, but please wake up and recognize what’s really going on here – that all of your beliefs are based on a lie.”

Here is an account that seems to blend the two.

Tally of number of "giant" reports by decade in my database as it currently stands (n = 449). Some of the counts will decrease when I add a provision for not counting multiple stories associated with the same primary account.

Both of these ideas about the real role of the Nephilim in Mormonism appear to attribute some supernatural origin or historical validity to the BOM, rather than arguing it is simply a recent fabrication. In other words, Christian Nephilim enthusiasts do not dismiss the BOM but rather try to fit it into their construction of the world. That deftly serves the dual purpose of getting more Nephilim into the world and demonizing (literally) another religion.

Finally, it is interesting to note that the BOM publication date of 1830 falls just before the 100-year time period when discoveries of “giant” skeletons were most frequently reported from eastern North America (~1840-1940). If you believe that those BOM texts are inspired, time period perhaps makes no difference. If you believe they are not inspired, however, the cultural context of their production becomes relevant.

Greg Little

2/17/2015 10:28:39 pm

Good article, lots of things I didn't know, despite having many Mormon contacts and writing about some LDS archaeological beliefs over the years.

There are a few other views in LDS literature, including this one: https://www.lds.org/ensign/1976/12/a-strange-thing-in-the-land-the-return-of-the-book-of-enoch-part-8?lang=eng

See the "wicked world of Enoch" about half way down the page. It too says that the "giants" are a misidentification.

Another very interesting LDS commentary is based on a translated fragment of the Dead Sea Scrolls where "Mahijah" is mentioned: "So what? A coincidence—a giant or a Watcher called Mahujah or Mahijah. But far more than a coincidence when taken in its context. The only thing the Mahijah in the Book of Moses is remarkable for is his putting of bold direct questions to Enoch, thus giving the patriarch an opening for calling upon the people to repent, referring them to the book of remembrance, and telling them of the plan of salvation. And this is exactly the role, and the only role, that the Aramaic Mahujah plays in the story. The name is found in none of the other Enoch texts and neither is the story: it is peculiar to the version Joseph Smith gave us and the oldest known Enoch manuscripts."

See: https://www.lds.org/ensign/1977/08/a-strange-thing-in-the-land-the-return-of-the-book-of-enoch-part-13?lang=eng

Andy White

2/17/2015 11:38:57 pm

Hi Greg,

Wow - that first page you linked to contains a lot of information. It looks fascinating. I'll look forward to having a close look at it when I get an opportunity. Thanks for making me aware of it.

hal jordan

3/12/2015 10:51:56 pm

OK ,i have been researching Enoch,& the scriptures clearly say that angels sinned with the daughters of men, creating giants and all manner of hybrids, thus the flood,the Indians spoke of giants six fingers six toes,double rows of teeth ! that's why they greeted strangers hands out,so they could count their fingers, they hated these evil cannibals. tons of giants skeletons have been found and taken by government officials in America.
so a fallen angel visits Joseph, tells the story of how a family of giants leave across the ocean,after escaping the destruction of cainnon by the Israelites.
so ya makes sence, and in the end the indians did actually exterminate these nephites or nephilem,
this fallen angel gets Joseph to tell the story of his hybrid children the nephilites, and starts a religion that teaches you can be god,the bible is crap and decieved millions, all in one fell swoop,
listen ,joseph was a mason and so was his father,the free masons teach that man can be god also, this is a Lucifer teaching,.
the masons worship these fallen angels, and they are back as the so called aliens ,that will be the great deception, people are being abducted and yes they are rapeing the daughters of men and stealing the fetus, JESUS says it will be like the days of noah.
how do you think we got all of this technology, wake up the fallen ones are back, they will decieve many, JESUS SAVES not religion.!

justin

8/9/2015 03:30:40 pm

I've thought this is interesting
Nephilim equated with giants
Nephi comments he's exceedingly young but large in stature, share the same root word.
During an excursion with early pioneers The prophet Joseph and his group came upon the remains of what he declared to be an ancient Nephi Warrior King. The remains were recorded as being very large upwards of 7 ft or so. The members of the group were astonished at the size of the Nephite. But the prophet did not remark on it. I below eve he was aware the Nephites were inherently larger than the lamanites by virtue of their father nephi.

Ted R McDow

4/12/2020 10:16:39 am

I am a card carrying LDS and I found this to be faith building. I was watching a PBS special on giants and was reminded that there were giants on this continent. If people would read and study the Book Of Mormon they would gain insights as well as come closer to Jesus Christ than with any other book.

Gail M Skowronski

4/9/2022 10:52:54 am

hello TRM your comment appeared within a search discussion on BOM and giants (i am wachung a show re Mound builders etc) I never made the connection before of the similarity of names Nephi and nephilim (sp). Doesnt make me wobble at all. Thanks for writing your reply. while some artifacts and potential links to America prehistory are intriguing, every time i read and study the Book of Mormon, i testify it is divinely written in ancient times, divinely translated, and speaks to us alive today. I am in awe. Also wondering to mysellf what might the unopened part of plates say and will i be alive on earth to learn? God always wins, and Christ will return as prophesied. thanks to God for the Restoration. Best wishes to you, Sr GS

Kristen

4/6/2017 10:19:03 am

THANK YOU FOR THIS. This is exactly what I have been pondering. The devil will clothe himself and disguise himself as anything - even the "sweet mormon" family is following his lies.

John

8/17/2017 10:29:05 am

The BOM does not mention giants or Nephilim specifically but it does regard people "great and small". Also, they describe Nephi as, "a man of great stature and strength", and having white/fare skin(like the giants!). Furthermore, the stone boxes described by Joseph Smith(the founder) with the metal plates inside are VERY similar to what other artifacts have been found in tombs found with these fair skinned giants remains. Joseph F. Smith (the next President of the church with that name) outright denied the existence of giants and contributed claims of giants as further proof of the corruption of the true Word(mistranslated Bible).

I believe the LDS church has full knowledge of the existence of these giant remains and artifacts as they have built a temple in UT almost directly above an underground tomb that they keep in secret. Brigham Young(convert to Mormonism met Smith in the Freemasons) dedicated the temple mound and declared that Moroni(an ancient "Mormon" prophet) had previously dedicated the very same valley in ancient passed.. As well, they have examined remains of several private discoveries only to deny their authenticity or, any involvement in the archaeological study. In the famous case of John Brewer they discredit him and defame his character to preserve the narrative that giants don't exist.

Was it inspired by evil angels? Probably. But it's also possible is that Smith fabricated what he could with what he had, simply for his own glory and influence. The Luciferian principals of the LDS church were adopted after Smith joined the Freemasons and learned the handshakes and rituals that fit nicely into a corrupt religion that is completely incompatible with Christianity and found similarly in other occult practices.
The scriptural book of Enoch teaches that the evil spirits of this world that tempt and deceive us are the spirit remains of the dead Nephilim from the ancient world. That fits well with the burning bosom method of discernment that is used by Mormons to validate their false gospel as truth. But, that is not how scripture tells us to verify. Its exactly the wrong way. "The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked who can know it?"Jeremiah 17:9

I am happy to see that many others are aware of and looking to free the truth from its bondage and bring it to light. May the lost see the light and find freedom in truth. God bless you all in Jesus name.

Enoch Theos

12/6/2017 03:14:26 pm

Why there was no mention of Giants in the Book of Mormon, perhaps because it was in your face obvious that the Nephites themselves were the giants. Nephi being interpreted "of great stature."

If the Nephites were large / giant stature, as well as the Jaredites, then if the Nephites existed, there would definitely be some bones left behind, as well as Native American legends of the white race that previously existed here.

So lets go over the evidence that has been found by non LDS archaelogists. Both the Hopewell tribes of the Missipi Valley (600bc to 450 AD) and the Adena (much earlier tribe same time frame as Jaredites)

The skeletons found in the Hopewell mounds of men most of which have been hidden by the Smithsonian yet there are some museums which still display these skeletons. They ranged from 7-10 feet tall, average height of 9 feet. Compared to modern day humans that would be giant - would Nephites mention Giants if they were the giants? No, although Nephi right off the bat said he was a man of great stature (compared to what?)

Now since we have archaelogical evidence of an extinct large race, found to have existed in the same time frame of the Nephites. What legends do the Native Americans have?

Horatio Bardwell Cushman wrote in his 1899 book “History of the Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Natchez Indians”: “The tradition of the Choctaws . . . told of a race of giants that once inhabited the now State of Tennessee, and with whom their ancestors fought when they arrived in Mississippi in their migration from the west. … Their tradition states the Nahullo (race of giants) was of wonderful stature.”

Cushman said “Nahullo” came to be used to describe all white people, but it originally referred specifically to a giant white race with whom the Choctaw came into contact when they first crossed the Mississippi River. The Nahullo were said to be cannibals whom the Choctaw killed whenever the opportunity arose.

Chief Rolling Thunder of the Comanches, a tribe from the Great Plains, gave the following account of an ancient race of white giants in 1857: “Innumerable moons ago, a race of white men, 10 feet high, and far more rich and powerful than any white people now living, here inhabited a large range of country, extending from the rising to the setting sun. Their fortifications crowned the summits of the mountains, protecting their populous cities situated in the intervening valleys.

The chief explained that when this race forgot justice and mercy and became too proud, the Great Spirit wiped it out and all that was left of their society were the mounds still visible on the tablelands.

Navajo legend, describes them as: “A regal race of white giants endowed with mining technology who dominated the West, enslaved lesser tribes, and had strongholds all through the Americas. They were either extinguished or ‘went back to the heavens.'”

Andy White

12/6/2017 03:29:31 pm

"average height of 9 feet." Ridiculous. Show me the remains or a credible account of a single person from pre-Columbian North America that was 9' tall.

Effren

5/18/2018 03:03:50 pm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gj5vXUa9wfg

D joyce

5/13/2020 04:44:39 pm

In the 1800s and early 1900s the Smithsonian magazines and state archaeological journals regularly published findings of large skeletons, as were there many in newspapers as farmers plowed up their lands and found them. Also,very few ancient skeletons survived and usually are located very deep below the surface as they both sink and more soil deposits on top of them over time.

Arlie Taylor link

12/27/2020 03:48:35 pm

Why Are There So Few Giants in the Book of Mormon?
Don't let the Book of Mormon be your only source of information and you will discover the answer. You also need not the Bible be your only source of information either. The books that were removed from the bible contained to much information that someone didn't want the average person knowing about. Start reading the Book of Enoch and start at Chapter 6 verse 1 and read at least to the end of chapter 7 and you will see, it says the same thing as the Bible except it has way more information. All the removed books of the bible have important information in them and they answer a multitude of questions that the bible doesn't and that's because they've been taken out and therefore the bible is incomplete but the book of Mormon is even less. This website is The Book of Enoch and uses the Bible for reference. No one can deny what's in the book of Enoch, it is written in the Bible and the Bible points to it for reference. https://bookofenochreferences.wordpress.com/category/the-book-of-enoch-with-biblical-references-chapters-1-to-9/chapter-1/

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Why Are There So Few Giants in the Book of Mormon?

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