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pelim
פלימ
Literally meaning “the Fallen Ones”, this word is popularly (but rather incorrectly) pronounced “Nephilim”, but should more correctly be read 'pelim'. The 'pelim' are a group of people who are described in Genesis 6:4 as being the offspring of the sons of the alehim and human women. It is commonly believed that the 'pelim' were giants, but there is no indication of this in the text.
Based on the root word 'pel', the etymology clearly indicates the name of people as “the Fallen Ones”. This phrase can be interpreted in a variety of ways. Luckily, aside from the Genesis 6 reference, there are 21 other direct references to the 'pelim', which are typically overlooked. In most of these instances, 'pelim' is translated as “the fallen” or “the slain” and based on context within stories and statistics of battles, the interpretation does seem supported. Based on this common usage, the 'pelim' are literally the dead bodies of those slain in battle.
There is zero evidence within the textual corpus for a cosmological theory of “fallen angels”. Rather, the fallen ones are ordinary mortals who fell in battle.
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LexID 95307