Meaning
Anakim the descendants of Anak (Josh 11:21; Num 13:33; Deut 9:2). They dwelt in the south of Palestine, in the neighbourhood of Hebron (Gen 23:2; Josh 15:13). In the days of Abraham (Gen 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 See m to have identified them with the Nephilim, the "giants" (Gen 6:4; Num 13:33) of the antediluvian age. There were various tribes of Anakim (Josh 15:14). Joshua finally expelled them from the land, except a remnant that found a refuge in the cities of Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod (Josh 11:22). The Philistine giants whom David encountered (2Sam 21:15-22) were descendants of the Anakim. (See GIANTS)
