ENACIM (Hebrew 'Anāqîn). — A Canaanite autochthonous people driven from the land by Josue (Ios. 11, 21). The expulsion of the sons of Enac from Hebron, Dabi (Cariath Sepher) and Anab was accomplished by Caleb, son of Jephone (Ios. 15, 13 ff.). The E. are regarded as ‘giants’ (Num. 13, 22, 28, 33; Deut. 1, 28; 2, 10 ff.; 9, 2).
They are mentioned in an Egyptian list of Palestinian tribes of the 20th century B.C. in conflict with Egypt. One of the three princes bears the name ‘b-r-m’ (a similar name appears in Num. 1, 13; the etymology is uncertain, as is that of E., ‘b-r-m’).
At times E. seems to have been used to denote the Canaanite autochthonous populations collectively (Deut. 9, 2).
BIBL.: J. Gutmann, ‘Anáqin’, in Enc. Ind., II, col. 730; A. Schulz, Das Buch Javne, Bonn 1924, pp. 47, 55; M. Noth, Das Buch Javne, Tübingen 1938, p. 63.