Sheshai
Summary
One of the three giant sons of Anak who lived in Hebron and was driven out and killed by Caleb when the Israelites conquered the promised land.
☩The Giant of Hebron
Sheshai was the second named of the three sons of Anak—the giant race that terrified the Israelite spies when they explored Canaan. He and his brothers Ahiman and Talmai dwelt in Hebron, the ancient and important city in the hill country of Judah. When the twelve spies reported seeing these giants, the fearful majority concluded Israel could not conquer the land, leading to the forty years of wilderness wandering.
☩Defeat by Caleb
Forty-five years later, Caleb—who had been one of the two faithful spies—claimed Hebron as his inheritance and personally led the conquest against the Anakim. Despite being eighty-five years old, Caleb drove out Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai, fulfilling the promise God had made to him for his faithfulness. The account appears in both Joshua and Judges, emphasizing this victory as the triumph of faith over fear.
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Sheshai," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. IX (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Sheshai," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. IV (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Sheshai," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).