Jesus Café Ministries - Scripture Squad - What are the Giants mentioned in Genesis 6?

From: Sheryl
In Genesis 6 it makes reference to Giants, in the KJV and celestial beings in other translations. Is this chapter speaking of literal celestial beings on the earth or figurative beings?

Sheryl, there are three major positions about what these verses refer to. I will list them and ask that you pray for guidance as to which view is correct.
The three views:

Mixed races view. (Angels and humans)
Religiously mixed races. (Godly Sethites and worldly Cainites)
Sociologically mixed races view. (Evil male aristocrats and beautiful female commoners)

No. 1 is the oldest recorded view from 1 Enoch (200 BC), a book listed in the Apocrypha which is not recognized by Protestants as being part of the Canon (Bible). This states that 200 angels in heaven noticed that humans had unusually beautiful daughters. These angels took an oath together and came to earth. Each took a wife and taught them magical medicine, incantations, the cutting of roots and the care of plants. When the women became pregnant they gave birth to giants. The giants consumed all of the food in the area which caused deep hatred of the earthlings. The giants turned to devouring people along with birds, wild beasts, reptiles and fish. These giants were called sons of God or angels of God. (Gen 6:2) For support of this theory some people reference 1 Peter 3:18-20; 2 Peter 2:4; and Jude 6-7.

No. 2 identifies the sons of God as the godly line of Seth while the "daughters of men" are equated with the ungodly line of Cain. The sin, then, would be the sin of being "unequally yoked"; that is, the marriage of believers to unbelievers. There is no reasonable explanation of why these unions would produce giants.

No. 3 believes the idea that some children of kings, nobles and aristocrats in the ancient Near East were called "sons of God". These rulers wanted to become "men of a name" or "men of renown" (Gen 6:4) They took control of the states that they governed and "married any of the women they chose." (Gen 6:2) There is no explanation of why these unions produced giants.

We observe from Genesis 6 that the sons of God saw the daughters of men were beautiful. They took wives for themselves. The came into the daughters of men and they bore children to them.

"Sons of God" in Hebrew is bene elohim. There are only 3 other times in Scripture when the phrase bene elohim (the sons of God) is used. After we looked them up, it helped to clarify. Job 1:6 and Job 2:1 and Job 38:7. All 3 times, the sons of God are angels. Does this cast doubt upon No. 2?

Contrast what you learn from Job with the term used by Moses (the author of Genesis according to Jesus) when he recorded Genesis 11:5...Moses said the sons of MEN (human). So if Moses meant men in Genesis 6, it seems he would have used the word men. Does this cast doubt upon No. 2 and No. 3?

If you read the context of Genesis 6, the sin is not being unequally yoked but note the repeated use of the words wickedness violence corrupt God is sorry He made man "...EVERY intent of the thoughts of his heart was ONLY evil CONTINUALLY" (6:5) So did God become sorry He made man because of the sons of God/daughters of men unequally yoked thing? We believe 6:5 points to the pervasiveness of sin on the part of everyone...except Noah. Kinda makes us think the big picture was the pervasiveness of sin and then, as if to say..."If that wasn't enough we have this sons of God and daughters of men thing going on and God just HAD it."

The only other time Nephilim are mentioned is in Numbers 13:33. The Nephilim were on the earth before the marriages of Genesis 6:2 and were not the offspring of those marriages from which came the mighty men (military men) and men of renown (of wealth and power).

We also learned that those who worked on the Septuagint, Josephus, and other early Christian writers along with some theologians today say that the sons of God were angelic beings; others who came later, Augustine, Luther, and Calvin, believe that the "sons of God" refers to Sethites. Thus, they believe problems arose as the 2 lines (godly Sethites and ungodly line of Cain) comingled and the streams of mankind blended, causing God to destroy man from the earth.

This is from Strong's:

1121 ben (bane);

from 1129; a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., [like 1, 251, etc.])

KJV-- + afflicted, age, [Ahoh-] [Ammon-] [Hachmon-] [Lev-] ite, [anointed-] one, appointed to, (+)arrow, [Assyr-] [Babylon-] [Egypt-] [Grec-] ian, one born, bough, branch, breed, + (young) bullock, + (young) calf, X came up in, child, colt, X common, X corn, daughter, X of first, + firstborn, foal, + very fruitful, + postage, X in, + kid, + lamb, (+)man, meet, + mighty, + nephew, old, (+)people, + rebel, + robber, X servant born, X soldier, son, + spark, + steward, + stranger, X surely, them of, + tumultuous one, + valiant [-est], whelp, worthy, young (one), youth.

430 'elohiym (el-o-heem');

plural of 433; gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative:

KJV-- angels, X exceeding, God (gods)- dess, -ly), X (very) great, judges, X mighty.

SONS OF GOD

(Old Testament) (bene ha-' selohim, "sons of God" <Gen 6:2,4; Job 1:6; 2:1; bene 'elohim, "sons of God" <Job 38:7; bene 'elim, "ye mighty," the King James Version; "ye sons of the mighty," King James Version margin, the Revised Version (British and American); "sons of God" or "sons of the gods," the Revised Version margin <Ps 29:1; "sons of the mighty," the King James Version and the Revised Version (British and American); "sons of God" or "sons of the gods," the Revised Version margin (<Ps 89:6(7 in Heb)); Septuagint huioi tou theou, hoi aggeloi tou theou <Gen 6:2; huioi tou theou <Gen 6:4; hoi aggeloi tou theou <Job 1:6; 2:1; aggeloi mou <Job 38:7; huioi theou (<Ps 29:1; 89:6; compare <Dan 3:25)): 1. Job and Psalms: This article will deal with this phrase as it is used in the above passages. In the passages from Job and Psalms it is applied to supernatural beings or angels. In Job the "sons of God" are represented as appearing before the throne of Yahweh in heaven, ready to do Him service, and as shouting for joy at the creation of the earth, In the Psalms they are summoned to celebrate the glory of Yahweh, for there is none among them to be compared to Him. The phrase in these passages has no physical or moral reference. These heavenly beings are called "sons of God" or "sons of the 'elohim" simply as belonging to the same class or guild as the 'elohim, just as "sons of the prophets" denotes those who belong to the prophetic order (see A.B. Davidson, Commentary on <Job 1:6). 2. <Gen 6:2,4: Different views, however, are taken of the passage in <Gen 6:2,4: "The sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all that they chose ..... The Nephilim were in the earth in those days, and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men." See GIANTS; NEPHILIM. (1) "Sons of God" is interpreted as referring to men, (a) to sons of the nobles, who married daughters of the common people. This is the view of many Jewish authorities, who hold that it is justified by the use of 'elohim in the sense of "judges" (<Exo 21:6; 22:8f, etc.). But this cannot be the meaning of 'elohim here, for when 'adham, "men," is used to denote the lower classes, it is contrasted with 'ish, as in <Ps 49:2(3 in Heb), not with 'elohim. When contrasted with 'elohim it signifies the human race. (b) Some commentators hold that by "sons of God" is to be understood the pious race descended from Seth, and by "daughters of men" the daughters of worldly men. These commentators connect the passage with <Gen 4:25f, where the race of Seth is characterized as the worshippers of Yahweh and is designated as a whole, a seed (compare <Deut 14:1; 32:5; Hos 1:10(<2:1in Heb)). They consider the restricted meaning they put upon "men" as warranted by the contrast (compare <Jer 32:20; Isa 43:4), and that as the term "daughters" expresses actual descent, it is natural to understand "sons" in a similar sense. The phrase "took wives," they contend also, supports the ethical view, being always used to signify real and lasting marriages, and cannot, therefore, be applied to the higher spirits in their unholy desire after flesh. On this view verses 1-4 are an introduction to the reason for the Flood, the great wickedness of man upon the earth (verse 5). It is held that nothing is said in verse 4 of a race of giants springing from the union of angels with human wives (see paragraph 2, below), and that the violence which is mentioned along with the corruption of the world (verse 11) refers to the sin of the giants. (2) Most scholars now reject this view and interpret "sons of God" as referring to supernatural beings in accordance with the meaning of the expression in the other passages. They hold that <Deut 14:1, etc., cannot be regarded as supporting the ethical interpretation of the phrase in a historical narrative. The reference to <Jer 32. 20, etc., too, is considered irrelevant, the contrast in these passages being between Israel and other nations, not, as here, between men and God. Nor can a narrower signification (daughters of worldly men) be attached to "men" in verse 2 than to "men" in verse 1, where the reference is to the human race in general. This passage <Gen 6:1-4, therefore, which is the only one of its kind, is considered to be out of its place and to have been inserted here by the compiler as an introduction to the story of the Flood (verses 5-8). The intention of the original writer, however, was to account for the rise of the giant race of antiquity by the union of demigods with human wives. This interpretation accords with Enoch chapters 6--7, etc., and with <Jude 1:6f, where the unnatural sin of the men of Sodom who went after "strange flesh" is compared with that of the angels (compare <2 Pet 2:4 ff). (See Havernick, Introduction to the Pentateuch; Hengstenberg on the Pentateuch, I, 325; Oehler, Old Testament Theology, I, 196 f; Schultz, Old Testament Theology, I, 114 ff; Commentary on Genesis by Delitzsch, Dillmann, and Driver.) But see ANTEDILUVIANS, 3; CHILDREN OF GOD; GIANTS; NEPHILIM; REPHAIM. JAMES CRICHTON (from International Standard Bible Encylopaedia, Electronic Database Copyright (C) 1996 by Biblesoft)

SONS OF GOD

A phrase with three different meanings in the Bible: 1. In the Book of Job the phrase is used for angelic or non-human beings <Job 1:6; 2:1. These sons of God presented themselves before God in what might be called a heavenly assembly. Satan appeared with them, although this does not necessarily mean he was one of the "sons of God." Thus the stage was set for the telling of the story of Job. 2. The phrase, sons of God, appears in the New Testament as a name for people who are in a covenant relationship with God. This exact phrase never appears with this meaning in the Old Testament, although the idea is implied. For example, God referred to the scattered children of Israel, whom He promised to gather together again, as His sons and daughters <Is. 43:6; 45:11. The classic New Testament passage where this phrase occurs is Romans 8:12-19. The apostle Paul encouraged the Christians at Rome to live not "according to the flesh," but "by the Spirit," because those who "are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God" <v. 14. The process is described as one of adoption, by which the believer becomes a child of God, and thus an heir of God, a joint-heir with Christ <Gal. 4:5; Heb. 2:10; 12:7. Other passages use the phrase children of God, with the same basic meaning <John 1:12; Phil. 2:15; 1 John 3:1-2. 3. The third usage of the phrase occurs in <Genesis 6:1-4. Certain "sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose" <v. 2. The offspring of these unions are described as "giants," "mighty men," and "men of renown" <v. 4. The question centers on the identity of these "sons of God" mentioned in this passage. There are two basic possibilities. The phrase could refer to non-human beings such as those mentioned in Job <1:6; 2:1. Or, the phrase may be an unusual way of referring to human beings. The context of the verse gives important clues that the "sons of God" in this case are not angelic beings. One clue is found in the total biblical context. Nowhere else in the Bible is there even a hint that non-human and human beings can mate. There are many parallels in pagan thought, but none in biblical thought. A second clue occurs right in the passage itself. The Hebrew verb in verse two translated as "took them wives" is the standard verb in the Old Testament for marriage. In the New Testament, Jesus stated that angels do not marry <Matt. 22:30. Thus, sons of God in this passage must refer to human beings. (from Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary) (Copyright (C) 1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers)

Sheryl, the Scripture Squad is sorry we cannot be certain which position is correct. This may be one of the questions that will not be answered until we get to Heaven.

- The Scripture Squad :
TCCaleb, TCCaff, RuthCCC & DawnCCC