Anak, from whom the Anakim were descendants of, was the son of Arba. The city Kirjath-arba, which means
‘the city of Arba’ was built by Arba, and the city ultimately became Hebron. Before the Conquest, the Anakim
resided in the south near Hebron. It is believed that the Philistines intermingled with the race of Anakim from
which Goliath of Gath, who fought David, came from.
Extrabiblical accounts confirm the biblical existence of Anakim. Egyptian manuscripts, the Execration
Texts dated between 1900 and 1700 BC, records curses on Anakim chieftains who lived in Canaan.
The Emim lived there formerly, a people as great, numerous, and tall as the Anakim. Like the
Anakim, they are also regarded as Rephaim, but the Moabites call them Emim.
It is also regarded as the land of the Rephaim, for Rephaim formerly lived in it, but the
Ammonites call them Zamzummin, a people as great, numerous, and tall as the Anakim, but the LORD destroyed
them before them. And they dispossessed them and settled in their place,
Then Joshua came at that time and cut off the Anakim from the hill country, from Hebron, from
Debir, from Anab and from all the hill country of Judah and from all the hill country of Israel. Joshua utterly
destroyed them with their cities. There were no Anakim left in the land of the sons of Israel; only in Gaza, in
Gath, and in Ashdod some remained. (Josh 11:21-22)
"Now then, give me this hill country about which the LORD spoke on that day, for you heard on
that day that Anakim were there, with great fortified cities; perhaps the LORD will be with me, and I will drive
them out as the LORD has spoken." So Joshua blessed him and gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for an
inheritance. Therefore, Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite until this day,
because he followed the LORD God of Israel fully. Now the name of Hebron was formerly Kiriath-arba; for Arba was
the greatest man among the Anakim. Then the land had rest from war.
But the men who had gone up with him said, "We are not able to go up against the people, for
they are too strong for us." So they gave out to the sons of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied
out, saying, "The land through which we have gone, in spying it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants; and
all the people whom we saw in it are men of great size. There also we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak are
part of the Nephilim); and we became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight."
Then a champion came out from the armies of the Philistines named Goliath, from Gath, whose
height was six cubits and a span. He had a bronze helmet on his head, and he was clothed with scale-armor which
weighed five thousand shekels of bronze. He also had bronze greaves on his legs and a bronze javelin slung between
his shoulders. The shaft of his spear was like a weaver's beam, and the head of his spear weighed six hundred
shekels of iron; his shield-carrier also walked before him.
(1 Sam 17:4-7)
Now when the Philistines were at war again with Israel, David went down and his servants with
him; and as they fought against the Philistines, David became weary. Then Ishbi-benob, who was among the
descendants of the giant, the weight of whose spear was three hundred shekels of bronze in weight, was girded
with a new sword, and he intended to kill David. But Abishai the son of Zeruiah helped him, and struck the
Philistine and killed him. Then the men of David swore to him, saying, "You shall not go out again with
us to battle, so that you do not extinguish the lamp of Israel." Now it came about after this that there
was war again with the Philistines at Gob; then Sibbecai the Hushathite struck down Saph, who was among
the descendants of the giant. There was war with the Philistines again at Gob, and Elhanan the son of
Jaare-oregim the Bethlehemite killed Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver's
beam. There was war at Gath again, where there was a man of great stature who had six fingers on each hand
and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in number; and he also had been born to the giant. When he defied
Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimei, David's brother, struck him down. These four were born to the giant in
Gath, and they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.
(2 Sam 21:15-22)