Titans
The Term in Biblical Literature
The word "Titans" appears in Judith 16:7, where Judith celebrates her victory over Holofernes with the declaration that "neither did the sons of the Titans strike him down." The Greek Septuagint translation also uses "Titans" to render "Rephaim" in 2 Samuel 5:18 and 22, calling the Valley of Rephaim "the valley of the Titans." This translation choice reveals how Greek-speaking Jewish translators connected the biblical race of giants with figures from Greek mythology familiar to their audience.
The Rephaim: Biblical Giants
The Rephaim were an ancient people described in the Old Testament as a race of unusually large and powerful inhabitants of Canaan. They appear first in Genesis 14:5, where they are mentioned alongside other groups defeated by the coalition of eastern kings. Deuteronomy 2:10-11 notes that the Emim, a people "as tall as the Anakim," were also considered Rephaim. King Og of Bashan, described as the last of the Rephaim, had an iron bedstead nine cubits long (Deuteronomy 3:11), roughly thirteen feet.
The Valley of Rephaim, located southwest of Jerusalem, was named after these ancient inhabitants. It was a strategically important location where David fought two significant battles against the Philistines after becoming king (2 Samuel 5:18-25). When the Septuagint translated this valley name as "the valley of the Titans," it communicated to Greek readers that this was a place associated with legendary giants of the distant past.
Greek Titans and Biblical Giants
In Greek mythology, the Titans were a race of powerful beings who existed before the Olympian gods. They were eventually overthrown by Zeus and the Olympians in a cosmic war called the Titanomachy. By using this term for the Rephaim, the Septuagint translators drew a parallel that their Hellenistic audience would immediately understand: just as the Greek Titans were primordial beings of enormous power, so the Rephaim were ancient, mighty inhabitants of the land who had been displaced by later peoples.
This translation strategy reflects the broader practice of the Septuagint translators who often adapted cultural references to make the biblical text accessible to Greek-speaking readers, while acknowledging the limits of exact equivalence between Hebrew and Greek concepts.
Giants in the Biblical Narrative
The presence of giant peoples in Canaan played a significant role in Israel's story. The spies sent to scout the promised land reported seeing the descendants of Anak, before whom they felt "like grasshoppers" (Numbers 13:33). This report led to Israel's failure of nerve and the resulting forty years of wilderness wandering. Later, individual giants like Goliath continued to challenge Israel (1 Samuel 17:4). The defeat of these giant peoples by Israel — often by unlikely heroes — demonstrated that God's power was greater than any human strength.
Significance of the Septuagint Translation
The use of "Titans" in the Septuagint and related literature like Judith is more than a translation curiosity. It reveals how Jewish communities in the Hellenistic world understood and communicated their scriptures to a broader cultural audience. By connecting the Rephaim to the Titans, they affirmed that the biblical accounts of ancient giants were as credible as — and indeed surpassed — the stories found in Greek tradition.
Biblical Context
The term Titans appears in Judith 16:7 and in the Septuagint rendering of 2 Samuel 5:18, 22, translating the Hebrew 'Rephaim.' The Rephaim appear throughout the Old Testament in Genesis 14:5, 15:20, Deuteronomy 2:11, 2:20, 3:11, and Joshua 12:4. The Valley of Rephaim near Jerusalem was a significant military site in David's reign.
Theological Significance
The identification of the Rephaim as Titans underscores the biblical theme that God's people overcome seemingly insurmountable opponents through divine power. Whether called Rephaim, Anakim, or Titans, these giant races represented the greatest human obstacles to God's promises, and their defeat testified to God's faithfulness in giving His people the land He had promised.
Historical Background
The Septuagint was translated primarily in Alexandria, Egypt, beginning in the 3rd century BC, for Greek-speaking Jewish communities. The translators frequently adapted cultural references for their audience. The Rephaim may have historical connections to groups known from Ugaritic and other ancient Near Eastern texts, where 'rpum' appears as a term for legendary ancient warriors or departed spirits. The Valley of Rephaim southwest of Jerusalem has been identified with the modern el-Baqa valley.