Anak was a well-known figure during the conquest of Canaan by
the Israelites who, according to the Book of Numbers, was a forefather of the
Anakites who have been considered "strong and tall," they were also
said to have been a mixed race of giant people, descendants of the Nephilim.
The use of the word "nephilim" in this verse describes a crossbreed
of God's sons and the daughters of man, as cited in and. The text states that
Anak was a Rephaite and a son of Arba. Etymologically, Anak means neck. The
sons of Anak are first mentioned in Numbers 13. The Israelite leader Moses
sends twelve spies representing the twelve tribes of Israel to scout out the land
of Canaan, and give a full report to the congregation.
The spies enter from the Negev desert and journey northward
through the Judaean hills until they arrive at the brook of Eshcol near Hebron,
where reside Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai, the sons of Anak. After the scouts
have explored the entire land, they bring back samples of the fruit of the
land; most notably a gigantic cluster of grapes which requires two men to carry
it on a pole between them. The scouts then report to Moses and the congregation,
that "the land indeed is a land flowing with milk and honey," but ten
of the twelve spies discourage the Israelites from even attempting to possess
the land, for they reported that the men were taller and stronger than the
Israelites, and moreover the sons of Anak dwell in the land, and that they felt
like grasshoppers in their presence.
