Among the more thought-provoking and controversial passages in the Bible is Genesis 6, which contains not only the story of the Great Flood, but also mysterious references to the "sons of God" and the "giants" (King James Version) or "Nephilim." Here is the passage:
"Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose. And the LORD said, 'My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.' There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown." (Genesis 6:1-4, NKJV)
Understandably, many questions arise from this passage, including the identity of "the sons of God" and the nature of the "giants" to whom the passage refers.
While it's fairly easy to figure out that "daughters of men" is a reference to natural-born women, the term "sons of God" raises some curiosity. The three leading explanations are:
These "sons of God" refer to the genealogical line of Seth (from whom Jesus would come).The "sons of God" is merely a reference to great men of renown.The "sons of God" are demons.While there is some scholarly support for all three explanations, the idea that the "sons of God" is just a literary reference to impressive men is the weakest theory. The most likely explanations are that the sons of God refer to the line of Seth or to angels (or, more specifically, fallen angels).
The main textual clue (that the marriages and sexual unions between the "sons of God" and the "daughters of men" produced "giants" and "mighty men") seems to support the theory of demons uniting with human women. After all, the text indicates there's something unusual and extraordinary about the children produced by these unions.
Additional support for the theory of fallen angels uniting with human women is the fact that the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures) actually uses the term "angels of God" instead of "sons of God." What's more, in most of the modern English translations, the term "sons of God" is used to refer to angels three times in the book of Job (Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7).
The main objection to this view is along two lines. First, saying that angels cast out of heaven united in marriage with human women seems rather strange in the twenty-first century. It sounds very much like some of the ancient Babylonian or Greek legends about gods having sexual relations with mortals. For this reason alone, many people are simply unable to accept this possibility.
There's also a serious biblical problem to the theory of demons marrying women. In the New Testament, Jesus teaches that angels "neither marry nor are given in marriage" (Matthew 22:30), strongly implying that angels are sexless beings. Even if the angels in Genesis 6 are fallen angels, it's certainly reasonable to conclude that demons would still retain their basic nature, and thus would not be able (and probably not even inclined) to mate with human women. Plus, would a demon (a sworn enemy with God) bother with the institution of marriage?
Jesus' teaching on marriage, of course, referred specifically to angels in heaven. What's more, there's an interesting statement in the book of Jude that speaks of angels "who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode" (Jude 1:6). This is most likely a reference to those angels who, with Lucifer, turned against God and were exiled from heaven. Such an interpretation was embraced by the early church. It may also refer to angels who gave up their angelic nature and became human.
Unfortunately, there just isn't enough information in Genesis 6 to come to a conclusion on this question. Theologian Millard Erickson, writing on the two leading theories, clearly prefers the "line of Seth" theory (thus downplaying the idea of demons marrying women), but he acknowledges that "neither view can be held dogmatically."
Unfortunately, there isn't enough information in Genesis 6 to conclude the identity of the "giants" definitively. If the "sons of God" in Genesis 6 refers to demons, then it seems likely that the giants (or Nephilim) are the genetically enhanced offspring of those unions. If "sons of God" refers to the line of Seth, then the "giants" are more likely men of renown in the same sense that Alexander the Great is a "giant" in history.
Though certainty over the exact meaning of the text may elude readers, the overall thrust of the story in Genesis 6 is that the human race became increasingly distant from God and evil in their thoughts and deeds. As a result, God felt the need to destroy them, with the exception of Noah and his family, and essentially restart the human race.
Those who enjoyed this article may also want to check out "How Did God Create the Earth and The Universe?" and "Is Biblical History Knowable?"
The following texts also helped in the writing of this article (and are recommended for your reading):
Erickson, Millard. Christian Theology. 2nd Edition. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 1998Grudem, Wayne. Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994.Towns, Elmer. Theology For Today. Belmont: Wadsworth, 2002Copyright Brian Tubbs. Contact the author to obtain permission for republication.
Brian Tubbs - Brian Tubbs is a minister, writer, and former educator living in Northern Virginia. He writes on personal development, faith, and ...
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