Over the course of our study of Genesis, we will bump into some weird or odd stuff. And because of the pace with which we’re covering Genesis (so we’re not in it for 8 years), there will be times when we can’t cover all the perspectives on particular things. Sunday was one of those days, and Genesis 6:2 and 4 are two of those verses:
- vs. 2: “the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose.”
- vs. 4: “The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man, and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown.”
So, as promised, in this space, I’ll write several different thoughts or ideas for these verses. And here’s my hope: this will help you in your study of the Bible, and it will help you see how different perspectives can be received, yet not called “heretical.”
The Sons of God
Let’s do the most challenging one first: the sons of God. The Hebrew word for this group of beings is ‘Elohim,’ In virtually every place; it’s used in the Bible; it has to do with angels or some council in the court of heaven. And there are several different ideas of what these beings were in Genesis 6:
- Fallen angels: this was the early Jewish view and early Christian view. This view is because of the ancient pagan view of celestial beings cohabiting with humans and because Jude 6 seems to point to a time when angels seemed to get “out of bounds.” Now, there are concerns with this view which include the fact that 1) it seems weird that angels would cohabitate with humans and 2) Jesus indicated that angels in heaven aren’t given to marriage (Mt. 22:30). I used this view on Sunday as one plausible view mainly to show how “out of bounds” the universe had become because of human sin.
- Fallen angels-part 2: another thought on fallen angels is that angels were not the ones doing these “dirty deeds” but rather possessed humans. I can see some value in this due to the Biblical data for demon possession.
- Council of gods: this one will require you to stretch your brain a bit. Some see “Elohim” as a council of gods (I put lowercase ‘g’ there on purpose) as a group of heavenly beings that Yahweh (God) oversees. And they would see this group in Genesis 6 as members of that group. To take it even further, all the “false gods” of mythology are actual members of this council (don’t freak out by that). The concerns about this view are apparent: false gods are little ‘g’ gods that God oversees or rules, which seems weird. Another problem is that this is not how “Elohim” is generally used, and God regularly calls out “false gods.”
- Human rulers: this view holds that because the ancient East described kings as “sons of God,” Genesis 6 refers to human rulers who took any woman they wanted. Potentially this is where harems started. One concern with this view is that while individual rulers were called “the son of God,” there doesn’t seem to be any indication that the plural use of “sons” was used to describe an entire group. Interestingly, this interpretation began to come to the forefront when the “divine right of Kings” came into people’s thinking.
- Sethites or the line of Seth: Because Seth is viewed as the line of the Promised One, it’s thought that his sons were godly. And some believe that “Elohim” can be translated as “godly sons.” This is the view that came on the scene in the Reformation and one that the theologians I respect the most believe. In this view, the Sethites, the godly ones, began to pursue Cainite women or ungodly women, whomever they chose. The concern over this view is that it is “too natural,” and that’s how Moses’ readers would’ve read the “sons of God.” Further, there doesn’t seem to be any direct prohibition of marrying Cainite women in the early part of Genesis, even though it could be implied. But I do see a lot of value in this perspective.
Now, what I will say about these 4-5 views is that every commentator disagrees😬🤣…which I find fascinating. This tells me that there is some “freedom” of interpretation. It really is up to the expositor to determine what fits, which is why I chose the 1st one. As I read Genesis 5:1-6:8, there’s a sense of “out of bounds” and chaos that seems to reign. And for me, nothing seems more “out of bounds” than fallen angels (even if they possess humans) taking human women. The whole universe is out of bounds at that point. However, I hold this view with “open hands.”
Nephilim and the Mighty Men of Old
You can see this talked about in Genesis 6:4 above. So basically, what is debated about these folks is, 1) are the Nephilim offspring of the angelic/human relationships and are the mighty men of old, or 2) they’re not, but they are the mighty men of old.
So, on close examination of 6:4, you’ll notice that we’re told that the Nephilim were on the earth in those days and also afterward…then we’re told that when the sons of God came into the daughters of man, they bore children to them. These were the mighty men of old, the men of renown. So, it doesn’t seem clear from the text that the Nephilim are the offspring of these immoral relations, and quite honestly, the way the text flows, it looks like a detour or a tangent that Moses took, which is one reason why I didn’t cover it in the sermon.
I am persuaded that Moses is saying something to his people about the Nephilim, which has nothing to do with the “out of bounds” motif. Nephilim means “fallen ones,” and we find the Nephilim again in Numbers 13:33 (sons of Anak) who were in the Promised Land. We read about them from the report of the spies. What I think Moses was doing in Genesis 6 is looking ahead to Numbers 13. Moses wanted his people not to be afraid of the giants in the land. Therefore, he showed them they were pre-flood people whom God would destroy in the flood. They were just large humans; they weren’t demigods or supernatural. Therefore, since God was on their side, they could defeat the Nephilim when the time came for them to do so. This is why Caleb said in Numbers 13, “Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.” He believed Moses’ word about the Nephilim.
One thing that can get lost when we’re reading Old Testament books is the author’s intent. First, we must remember that Moses or any author was trying to say something to their people. In Genesis, Moses seems to be telling his people that the one true God, their God, is the Creator, sustainer, and ruler over all things. No god, giant, or group can stand in His way to care for His people. This is why I think the Nephilim idea I’ve given fits with the authorial intent.
From the Cheap Seats
- I don’t remember leaving a Super Bowl so satisfied in recent years. A great game, and the team I wanted to win won. Yes! Now I won’t have to listen to my friends who are Eagle fans gloat. So sweet.
- Yes, I can hear the crack of the bat. Can you? Pitchers/catchers report this week. There are many new rules: defensive shifts, a pitch clock, and bigger bases. I like 2 of those 3. Not a fan of the bigger bases. What’s next…the two-sided bases??
- A huge Premier League game this Wednesday with Man City at Arsenal. Things are about to get very interesting.
To watch or listen to the sermon described in this post, please click here.
Have a great week!
In Christ,
Dave York
