ANAKIM, famous giants in Palestine. Anak, father of the Anakim, was son of Arba, who gave his name to Kirjath-Arba, or Hebron. Anak had three sons, Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai, whose descendants were terrible for their fierceness and stature. The Hebrew spies reported that in comparison of those monstrous men, they themselves were but grasshoppers. Some have thought that the name Phoenician, given to the Canaanites, and particularly to the Sidonians, was originally from Bene- Anak, sons of Anak. Caleb, assisted by the tribe of Judah, took Kirjath- Arba, and destroyed the Anakim, A.M. 2559. Jos 15:14; Jdg 1:20.
Anak was a Canaanite whose descendants (called Anakim, plural of Anak) were giants. They lived in the south of Canaan in the hill country around Hebron. Because of the great size and fearsome appearance of the Anakim, the Israelites saw them as an obstacle to the conquest of Canaan. Only Joshua and Caleb believed Israel could conquer them (Num 13:22-33; Deu 9:2).
Joshua and Caleb were, in fact, the ones who eventually led the attack on the Anakim. Most of the Anakim were slaughtered, the only ones who managed to escape being those who found refuge in the Philistine towns of Gaza, Gath and Ashdod (Jos 11:21-22; Jos 14:6-15). Gath remained the home of giants for several centuries (1Sa 17:4; 2Sa 21:18-22).