Executive summary

Biblical texts refer to unusually large people and peoples—Nephilim, Rephaim, Anakim, and individual figures like Goliath and Og. Careful textual analysis suggests the Bible depicts exceptional but human-scale tallness, not fantasy-scale beings. Modern science explains unusual height through (a) rare, high-impact medical conditions—especially childhood growth-hormone excess from pituitary tumors or syndromes such as AIP-FIPA and X-linked acrogigantism (X-LAG)—and (b) polygenic variation across populations, now mapped by the GIANT consortium. The overlap between the two domains is conceptual rather than evidentiary: the Bible’s “giants” plausibly refer to people at the far right tail of human height distributions or to individuals with pathological GH excess, set within ancient Near Eastern war narratives and polemics.

1) What the biblical text actually says

Key passages and measurements.

The Bible names giant groups (Nephilim, Rephaim, Anakim) and a few individuals. The most quantifiable data points are:

Og’s iron bed: “nine cubits by four cubits,” often taken as ~13.5 ft × 6 ft (assuming an 18-in cubit). This is a bed, not Og’s measured height, but signals exceptional size.  Goliath’s height: The Masoretic Text records “six cubits and a span” (~9’9”), while the Septuagint, Dead Sea Scrolls, and Josephus witness “four cubits and a span” (~6’9”). Most modern scholars treat the shorter reading as original, which still describes a notably tall warrior by ancient standards. 

Implications.

Even the larger Goliath reading keeps him within modern verified human extremes (e.g., Robert Wadlow at 8’11”), while the shorter reading places him around elite-athlete range. Either way, the text points to rare but humanly plausible tallness.

2) Tallness in human biology: two overlapping stories

2.1 Medical gigantism: rare, high-impact causes

Pituitary gigantism (childhood onset GH excess) is rare and usually due to GH-secreting pituitary adenomas or hyperplasia; clinical management parallels acromegaly (surgery, medical therapy, radiotherapy).  AIP-FIPA: Germline AIP mutations confer risk of early, aggressive GH-secreting pituitary tumors; updated GeneReviews (2025) summarizes tumor spectrum and inheritance.  X-linked acrogigantism (X-LAG): Xq26.3 microduplications including GPR101 cause infancy-onset GH hypersecretion with rapid early growth; foundational and follow-up studies detail the genetics and clinical phenotype, including 3D chromatin (“neo-TAD”) mechanisms.  Contemporary reviews and guidelines (2023–2024) synthesize diagnosis and management; pediatric cases are exceptionally uncommon but clinically significant. 

Historical extreme benchmark.

Robert Wadlow (1918–1940) remains the tallest verified human (8’11”), with GH excess from pituitary hypertrophy; this anchors the known physiological ceiling without invoking non-human categories. 

2.2 Polygenic height: the broad, population-level backdrop

Human height is highly polygenic. The GIANT consortium’s GWAS (~5.4 M people) identified >12,000 variants that together explain most common height variation, especially in European-ancestry cohorts; many sit near known growth-disorder genes.  Ancient DNA and osteological work show temporal and regional shifts in genetic height potential, with polygenic scores loosely tracking measured skeletal stature across 38,000 years in Europe (with caveats). 

Takeaway.

Most tall people reflect common polygenic architecture plus nutrition/health, while rare individuals exhibit pathological GH excess. Both phenomena can produce persons who would be perceived as “giants” in low-stature historical populations.

3) Reconciling the domains: plausible bridges—not proofs

Textual realism over hyperbole. The Goliath textual variants and Og’s bed measurement favor credible, exceptional stature rather than mythic colossi. This aligns with known human limits and with how ancient literature uses height to symbolize martial threat and divine deliverance.  Epidemiological context. Ancient Near Eastern average male stature (often ~5’3”–5’6” depending on time/place) would make a 6’7”–6’10” combatant visibly extraordinary, even without pathology. Polygenic diversity plus nutrition could yield such individuals in warlike lineages or elites. (See GIANT for the genetic tail and aDNA for temporal shifts.)  Pathology as a live hypothesis for individuals. A biblical figure like Goliath could reflect GH excess, especially given descriptions of massive size, heavy armor, and potentially limited agility—features sometimes noted in acromegalic habitus. We cannot diagnose from text, but AIP-FIPA or X-LAG–like mechanisms show that childhood-onset gigantism is biologically real, rare, and striking.  Population narratives vs. clinical rarity. The Bible’s people-group labels (Rephaim, Anakim) likely function as ethnographic/ideological markers rather than claims that entire tribes had GH tumors. More plausibly, taller-than-average clans (polygenic + environment) gained reputations amplified in warfare lore. The textual data fit “unusual but human” better than “non-human.”

4) Common misconceptions addressed

Photos of “giant skeletons.” These widely circulated images are hoaxes or misinterpretations; no credible osteological or archaeological program has verified non-human-scale skeletons. (Apologetics and skeptical literature regularly debunk these; the scientific literature is silent because there’s nothing to publish.) A careful biblical-text approach avoids dependence on such claims. (Background overview of Bible-giants hype and misinformation: Answers in Genesis.)  Assuming 9’–12’ norms. Even if one accepts the Masoretic 9’9” for Goliath, that describes an outlier individual, not a population mean. The DSS/LXX shorter reading (~6’9”) reminds us that textual transmission matters before we build biological models. 

5) Theological and hermeneutical reflections (biblicist perspective)

Human exceptionalism, not other-kind. The biblical storyline emphasizes that “giants” are humans—mortals whose size does not exempt them from God’s sovereignty. Their presence dramatizes divine deliverance (e.g., David vs. Goliath), not taxonomy. Hyperbole vs. history. Ancient war rhetoric elevates enemies as formidable; the Bible also preserves measurements and textual variants that keep claims tethered to plausible human biology. Providence through ordinary means. From a biblicist lens, God’s providence spans ordinary genetic variation (polygenic height) and rare pathologies (GH excess) without requiring non-human beings.

6) Research agenda linking scripture, history, and science

Text-critical baselines: Anchor any historical-biological inference in best-attested readings (DSS/LXX/MT) and units (royal vs common cubits).  Contextual stature: Integrate regional osteology and aDNA-inferred genetic height to model what would count as “giant” in a given period/place.  Case profiles: Build phenotype templates from pediatric gigantism cohorts (AIP-FIPA, X-LAG) to identify narrative features consistent with GH excess vs. simply tall stature.  Rhetorical criticism: Distinguish literary magnification from biological description; expect symbolic height language in royal/military texts across the ANE. Public education: Proactively debunk hoaxes and replace them with measured, biblically faithful, scientifically literate explanations. 

7) Conclusion

When read carefully, the Bible’s “giants” fit squarely within the known possibilities of human stature—from rare medical gigantism (GH excess due to AIP-related adenomas or X-LAG) to the extreme tail of polygenic height that the GIANT consortium has mapped. The text’s most specific numbers (Og’s bed; Goliath’s cubits) point to exceptional but human tallness. Rather than proving or disproving scripture, modern genetics and endocrinology contextualize it: they show how such figures and lineages could arise, how rare they would be, and why ancient observers would memorialize them.

Selected sources (access points & overviews)

Text & measurement: Og’s bed (basic measurement discussion); Goliath’s MT vs DSS/LXX variant and implications.  Human extremes: Robert Wadlow biomedical context.  Medical gigantism: Overviews and guidelines; AIP-FIPA; X-LAG genetics and chromatin mechanism.  Population height genetics: GIANT consortium GWAS; Broad Institute explainer; ancient-DNA height prediction.  Misinformation cautions: Overview of “giants” discourse and internet hoaxes. 

Appendix A — Glossary (brief)

Gigantism: Childhood-onset growth hormone (GH) excess → excessive linear growth; most often from GH-secreting pituitary adenoma/hyperplasia.  AIP-FIPA: Familial isolated pituitary adenoma syndrome linked to AIP mutations; increased risk of GH-secreting tumors.  X-LAG: X-linked acrogigantism from Xq26.3 duplication including GPR101; infancy-onset rapid overgrowth.  GIANT consortium: Multi-institution initiative mapping polygenic architecture of height (~5.4 M participants; >12k variants).