Pastors and theologians tend to skip over the many references to giants in the Bible. However, Douglas Van Dorn tackles this subject head on in his book, Giants: Sons of the Gods.
According to modern critical scholars (in the academic sense) of a more liberal bent, the history of Israel as presented in the Old Testament is basically a fiction.
God explicitly forbade His people in the Old Testament from marrying Canaanites because they worshiped false gods, a practice that Yahweh knew would lead Israel astray.
In my experience of popular preaching and teaching, a vague impression is often conveyed, if not explicitly stated, that “son of man” is a way of emphasizing Jesus’ humanity, highlighting the fact that Jesus is a real flesh and blood human.
