Anakim


Anakim were described as a race of giants, descended from Anak, according to the Old Testament. They were said to have lived in the southern part of the land of Canaan, near Hebron. According to they inhabited the region later known as Edom and Moab in the days of Abraham. Their name may come from a Hebrew root meaning "necklace" or "neck-chain".
Their formidable appearance, as described by the Twelve Spies sent to search the land, filled the Israelites with terror. The Israelites seem to have identified them with the Nephilim, the giants of the antediluvian age. Joshua finally expelled them from the land, except for some who found a refuge in the Philistine cities of Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod, thus the Philistine giants whom David encountered were descendants of the Anakim.
The Septuagint translation of Jeremiah 47:5 refers to the descendants of the Anakim mourning after the destruction of Gaza.