Anak

Biblical Record

The passages in which the name Anak refers directly to an individual are Joshua 15:13 and 21:11. Both verses explain Kirjath-arba, the ancient name of Hebron, and identify Arba as "the father of Anak." Joshua 14:15 describes Arba as "a great man among the Anakims." Three sons of Anak are named: Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai (Joshua 15:14; Judges 1:20). The Bible records nothing about Anak's own life or deeds.

Most of the remaining passages concern his descendants, the "children of Anak" (the Anakim).

• Numbers 13:22, 28, 33: The twelve spies report that they saw Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of Anak, at Hebron, and say of themselves, "we were in our own sight as grasshoppers."
• Deuteronomy 1:28; 9:2: The children of Anak are described as a great and tall people, and the saying "Who can stand before the children of Anak!" is quoted. Deuteronomy 2:10–11, 21 compares the Emims and other tall peoples to the Anakims and notes that they were accounted giants (Rephaim).
• Joshua 11:21–22: Joshua is recorded as having cut off the Anakims from the hill country, with a remnant left only in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod.
• Joshua 14:12; 15:14: Caleb asks for the hill country where the Anakims dwell and then drives out the three sons of Anak. Judges 1:10 states that the children of Judah slew these three men.

Significance in the Bible

In the Bible, Anak functions as the eponymous ancestor from whom a people took its name. His descendants represent a great and powerful enemy in the narrative of the conquest of Canaan. They form a central backdrop to the scenes that contrast the fear of the spies with the trust of Caleb. The New Testament makes no mention of Anak or the Anakim.

Interpretations and Debates

• Individual or ethnic name: The Hebrew ʿanaq is identical to a word meaning "neck" or "necklace," and some interpret it as an ethnic designation meaning "long-necked people." Others, following the genealogical language of the text, read it as the name of an actual person. Likewise, some understand the names of the three sons as personal names, while others take them as clan names.
• Relationship to the Nephilim: Numbers 13:33 is the only passage that calls the children of Anak descendants of the Nephilim (KJV "the giants"). This statement occurs within the spies' report, which the Bible calls "an evil report" (Numbers 13:32). Opinions are therefore divided between those who take it as a statement of actual lineage and those who regard it as an exaggeration born of fear.
• Connection to Goliath: On the basis of the record that some Anakim remained in Gath (Joshua 11:22), it is commonly said that Goliath of Gath was one of their descendants. The biblical text, however, does not directly state any relationship between them. Nor does any passage give a specific height for Anak.

In the Korean Church

In Korean church preaching, the "grasshoppers" report of Numbers 13 and the words "give me this mountain" in Joshua 14:12 are frequently treated together. In this context the children of Anak serve as a symbol of obstacles to be overcome by faith. In Sunday schools as well, they appear as a race of giants when the story of the twelve spies is taught.