Nephilim and Sons of God

Read Genesis 6:1-8

We now come to one of the most interesting and hard to understand passages in all Scripture. For here we encounter Nephilim, also known as giants, and as well as Sons of God marrying the daughters of men.

It is easy to get lost in this passage with endless speculation, but let us first survey the two most widely held interpretations and then we will talk about that which is most important. What we actually do know.

There is little debate about the Nephilim, most accept there were giants though not the ridiculously sized ones that are hundreds of metres tall, more an invention of extrabiblical sources than scripture itself. But rather men like that of Goliath.

The Sons of God are the true epicentre of speculation with most holding one of these two views. The Sons of God are fallen angels that came down and mated with human wives, this was the majority opinion held by Jews during Jesus’ time, and also appears to be alluded to Jude 6-7 and 1 Peter 3:18-20.

The other view, is that the Sons of God are the line of Seth and the daughters of men are the line of Cain. This more easily deals with the hard reality of accepting angels coming down and mating with humans, as well as fits more squarely with the general animosity that is built up between Cain and Seth’s lines throughout the earlier chapters of Genesis.  

Either view is acceptable, we simply do not have enough to come to a conclusive answer as with many things in these opening chapters of Genesis, but yet somethings about this passage.

It speaks against the dangers of sin, particularly in who we marry and what we value. The language of the sons of God taking the daughters of men, mirrors the language of Eve taking the fruit from the tree. For what did these men truly value, godliness or beauty.

Sin is always about external, temporary things; beauty, romance, fun, pleasure, but the truth. But that which is truly valuable is internal and eternal. As Proverbs 31:30 tells us “Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”

Question

For those who are married, how might you show your spouse you value the internal about the external? For those who are not, how might you show those you around, your friends and family, that you value the internal over the external?

Do you have a view on this passage? Does it matter if others disagree with you?