Genesis 6:1–4

Context

These four verses stand between the genealogy of Adam in Genesis 5 and the account of Noah's flood in Genesis 6. As humanity multiplied on the earth, "the sons of God" saw that the daughters of men were beautiful and took as wives whomever they chose, and God set the days of man at 120 years (v. 3). Verse 4 reports that the Nephilim were on the earth in those days and that their offspring became "mighty men which were of old, men of renown." Beginning in verse 5, the narrative turns to the account of human wickedness filling the earth and the resulting judgment of the flood.

The term Nephilim is also used in Numbers 13:33 for the giants of Canaan. Some connect the word with the meaning "fallen ones," but its meaning is uncertain.

Interpretations

• The fall of angels: Because "the sons of God" refers to angels in passages such as Job 1:6, this view holds that fallen angels married human women. The Jewish apocryphal Book of Enoch developed this story in detail, and many of the early Church Fathers read the passage this way. Many scholars regard Jude 6–7 and 2 Peter 2:4 as drawing on this tradition.
• The descendants of Seth: This view holds that the godly descendants of Seth, who followed God, intermingled with women descended from Cain and lost their faith. Its proponents cite Jesus' statement that angels do not marry (Matthew 22:30). From Augustine onward, this interpretation was widely accepted in the Western church, and many commentaries in the Reformed tradition follow it.
• Kings or rulers: Drawing on the ancient Near Eastern practice of calling kings the sons of gods, this view holds that the passage describes the tyranny of powerful men who took women at will. It appears in some strands of Jewish interpretive tradition.

Debates and Issues

Weaknesses have been identified in all three views. The angelic view faces the question of whether spiritual beings can marry humans, while the Sethite view faces the problem that the text does not explicitly distinguish between the lines of Seth and Cain. Opinions also differ on whether the 120 years of verse 3 represent a limit on the human lifespan or a period of grace remaining before the flood.

Popular-media interpretations that portray the Nephilim as giants or extraterrestrial beings are not accepted in scholarship or by the major denominations. Nevertheless, there is broad agreement that, whatever the interpretation, this passage shows that human wickedness had reached its height just before the flood.

Related Passages

• Job 1:6
• Numbers 13:33
• Matthew 22:30
• 2 Peter 2:4–5
• Jude 6–7