When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also 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. [Genesis 6:1-4 (ESV)]
Those four verses are some of the most confusing ones in Scripture. Who are the sons of God, the daughters of men, the Nephilim, and how did they come to be mighty men (or as some translations say giants)? The Nephilim appear to be a race of formidable beings associated with extraordinary physical stature and fearful reputation. Mentioned briefly twice in Scripture, we find them in Genesis, just before the flood, and again in Numbers (post flood). Nephilim comes from naphal, meaning to fall. One school of thought holds that the “sons of God” were fallen angels who mated with human women (the daughters of man) and produced a hybrid race of giants called Nephilim. The apocryphal book of Enoch claims these offspring were giants standing thee hundred cubits (450 feet) tall. They had such insatiable hunger that they ate humans as well as one another. Having taught humans medicinal magic, astrology, divination, and other sinful practices, it was their evil ways that caused the flood! Written around 300-100 BC, the book of Enoch never was accepted as part the Hebrew Scriptures and never has been in the Christian canon.
Let’s look at the context of these confusing verses. The previous chapters are about man’s fall into sin and the genealogy of Adam’s line rather than fallen angels and their giant offspring. Moreover, describing the Nephilim as “the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown” hardly seems an apt description of evil beings. When Genesis 6:5 says, “The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually,” there’s no mention of fallen angels or giant angel/men. Moreover, while they can take on human form, angels are spirit and Matthew 22:30 tells us they “neither marry nor are given in marriage.” Finally, Nephilim are mentioned again in Numbers. If this race of angel/humans existed post-flood, we must ask how they survived the great deluge. God vowed to “destroy every living thing” not on the ark with the flood and they weren’t on it!
Who were “the sons of God”? While angels are called the “sons of God” in the book of Job, Moses calls the men of Israel the “sons of the Lord your God” in Deuteronomy [14:1,32:8]. In Isaiah 43:6, God calls for the return of both His sons and daughters (meaning Israel). Indeed, Adam (meaning man) is the “son” of the one who formed him and gave him breath: God. On the other hand, woman is the “daughter” of man since she came from Adam!
While some posit that the “sons of God” descend from the godly line of Seth and the “daughters of men” come from the godless line of Cain, there really is no indication that Seth’s descendants were more godly or Cain’s more evil than anyone else. Nowhere else in Scripture are the terms “sons of God” or “daughters of man” used to indicate someone’s spiritual state. While there’s no evidence of them elsewhere, others believe the “sons of God” were early rulers who established royal dynasties. More likely, they were men of large stature and prowess who took women as their wives. Like their fathers, their sons (known as Nephilim) were people of considerable size who became “mighty men” because of their size and power. The Nephilim reappear in Numbers 13:33, when the scouts reported back to Moses. Seeing men of remarkable physical stature in the Promised Land, they called these descendants of Anak “Nephilim.” Elsewhere in Scripture, these descendants of Anak are called “a people great and tall.”
We don’t know the exact identity of the Nephilim and never will on this side of heaven. While I believe they were mortal men of extraordinary physical stature and military skill, you may disagree. Fortunately, our different interpretations do not impact our faith in Christ. Non-believers, however, love to take isolated verses like these as evidence that Scripture is filled with errors and ancient myths. The Bible, however, is inerrant which means it’s free from all falsehood, fraud, or deceit. But, that doesn’t mean the Bible is without difficulties and the Nephilim are just one of many. It’s our job to defend our faith. We can’t do that, however, without digging into those challenging verses and finding a rational and articulate defense of God’s voice as heard in Scripture.
Devotions of the Heart 