When human beings began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose…
Genesis 6: 1-4
There were Nephilim (giants) in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.
Just exactly who were the Nephilim? And what’s behind the renewed interest in these ‘giants’ (or ‘fallen angels’) that once walked the Earth? This fascination isn’t confined to online discussions alone; it’s also seen in popular culture through books, TV shows, and video games (often adding their own imaginative twists). Christians have found themselves in the middle of the melee, but the answers from the pulpit often lack clarity. To spice things up, the non-canonical ‘Book of Enoch’ frequently enters the conversation whenever Nephilim are mentioned.
Who Were The Nephilim? (World’s Definition)
Brittanica defines them as a group of enigmatic beings known for their large size and strength, and appear both before and after the Flood. While citing Genesis 6, Numbers 13 from the Old Testament and “Sethian” view of Biblical Scholars, they also throw a wrench in the works by alluding to the fictional “Book of Enoch.” This book posits that fallen angels intermingled with human women, giving rise to the Nephilim, though the notion is scientifically laughable that angels could physically reproduce with humans.
Wikipedia is no different – it defines Nephilim as the hybrid progeny of fallen angels, essentially demigods or giants that were hundreds of feet tall. Here too the “Book of Enoch” is referenced linking Nephilim to the angelic “watchers” and human females.
While I do not intend to delve into the Book of Enoch in this article ( that’s reserved for a future piece on why Christians should reject it), I must mention it due to its contribution surrounding the Nephilim. The mythological, angelic, demigod interpretation of Nephilim finds its origin in the Book of Enoch (and not the Bible). All medieval Bible scholars and commentators regarded Nephilim as fully human. Hence, it is justifiable to dismiss the fake Book of Enoch and its interpretation as mere fabrications.
The vast majority of scholars (even those at Britanica and Wikipedia) admit and acknowledge the Book of Enoch as pseudepigraphical (pseudo = false or deceptive; epigraphic = writing) – falsely attributes itself to a famous person to gain credibility.
Some erroneously point to Jude’s epistle, specially verses 14-15, to validate this book. But they are WRONG. Jude was quoting Enoch, the seventh from Adam and NOT THIS FAKE, FABRICATED BOOK which was clearly not authored by Enoch but rather by someone living millennia later. This is evident through its mentions of to Moses, the Red Sea, and New Testament figures. (This made-up “Enoch” must have lived 5000+ years , and his life spanning through the flood, Abraham’s era, Moses’ time, and even the New Testament’s completion.)
Another compelling indicator that this text lacks scriptural authenticity is the fact that certain “angels” in the book are named after Canaanite gods that postdate Enoch.
Faced with these incontestable facts, many have conceded that the biblical Enoch is not the author of this book. Yet, there remains a persistent effort to date it to the 5th Century A.D., possibly in a bid for credibility. Interestingly, all available evidence strongly suggests that these writings originated in the 1900s. Distinguished scholar Michael Langlois, who transcribed, translated, and annotated over 100 fragments of parchment scrolls related to the Book of Enoch, has labeled the Book of Enoch a modern forgery. It’s worth noting from his work that the parchments used for the ‘Book of Enoch’ were not as old as those used in the other scrolls discovered in Qumran.
📎 TAKEAWAY
The Book of Enoch is NOT part of Scripture. Do not let this fabricated book, or the world (including Wikipedia, Britannica, etc., no matter however scholarly they may appear) influence or distort your understanding of God’s Word
What Does The Bible Say About Nephilim?
Genesis 6:1-4 has been at the center of much debate, even within Christian circles. Many prominent pastors have allowed the world’s definition of Nephilim to permeate their sermons and writings. They disconnect Genesis 6 from chapters 1-5. When this passage is taken out of context, it’s only natural for them to go off on a tangent and give it a meaning that was never intended in the biblical text.
Were The Nephilim Fallen Angels?
Some argue that the Nephilim are the ‘Fallen Angels’ due to their assumption that the term “sons of God” (Bene-ha Elohim) always refers to angels in the Old Testament. However, this isn’t accurate. For example, in Hosea1:10 the Israelites are referred to as the “sons of the living God,” Psalms 87:2 wasn’t talking about angels either and in Luke 3, Adam is referred to as the “son of God” as well.
The term ‘Nephilim’ seems to have stumped them because it is derived from the Hebrew word “nephal” (meaning: fall). Hastily, they deduced it to mean “fallen angels,” completely ignoring the fact that Adam also fell (and took the whole human race down with him).
Reasons To Believe Nephilim Were 100% Human.
- There is another minor detail that we tend to overlook. The Bible says, ‘There were Nephilim (giants) on the earth in those days; and also after that.’
God destroyed every living thing on the earth except for Noah + 7. So, the giants we see in Numbers 13 were descendants of Noah. The so-called demigods did not survive the flood and make a dwelling in Canaan. - Some, attempting to justify their “Fallen Angels” view, cite 2 Peter 2:1-11 and Jude 4-8. These passages offer no proof of angels engaging in any unnatural union with human women.
- There were no demigods or half-human-half-angels. That’s pagan mythology and should not be superimposed onto Genesis 6:1-4. If there was indeed a portion of the population fathered by angels, then the Bible would NOT say: “From one man He made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth…” (Acts 17:26).
- Thee mighty men/ renowned men in Genesis 6 were “men” (Hebrew : “ish” – the same word used for man throughout the OT).
- There is no compatibility between the human DNA and the angelic DNA (angels are not flesh and bone).
- Humans multiply. Angels do not – Satan & his minions in the spirit world are not increasing in their number.
- This Angel-Human hybrid theory is salacious, mythological, unscientific and entirely unbiblical. And Jesus did not believe in it either. In Matthew 22:30, He said : “At the resurrection the redeemed neither marry or given to marriage but are like the angels in heaven”
- Some people use the “Fallen Angels” view with a twist – and say these angels possessed people and that resulted in the women giving birth to Nephilim. “Demonic possession” does not make superhuman babies. There were demonic possessions in Jesus’ time – and they didn’t produce men of renown or mighty men.
Genesis 6 : 1-4 Explained
The best way to understanding Genesis 6 is to step back from examining the individual trees (verses 1-4) and grasp the passage within its broader context (i.e. Genesis 3, 4 and 5).
Following the fall, Adam and Even were granted a glimmer of hope in Genesis 3:15 “The woman’s seed (referring to Jesus) shall crush your head (referring to the serpent)…”. Eve might have assumed that Cain, her firstborn, was the promised seed (Genesis 4:1). However, she was to discover that he wasn’t the one. Ignoring God’s warning, Cain, murdered his brother.
Subsequently, despite God’s grace and numerous chances, “Cain went away from the presence of the Lord” (v16). God continued to extend His grace toward Cain and his descendants. They built cities (v17), raised cattle (v20), became talented musicians (v21), gifted artisans of brass & iron (v22), and they even had their own justice system (v23-24). But there is no record of Cain ‘coming to his senses and returning to God’. The Bible states that Cain was of the evil one (1 John 3:12) and his lineage was known for nothing more than their worldly accomplishments.
After the loss of Abel, God granted Adam & Eve another son, Seth, to take his place. Seth became the father of Enosh ‘and at that time people began calling on the name of the Lord’ (Genesis 4:26). Unlike the descendants of Cain, Seth’s lineage is not remembered for their worldly accomplishments, rather they are remembered for “calling on the name of the Lord”.
While one group strived for success in the present world, the other focussed on on things above. The godly line of Seth included Enoch – the one who walked with God and did not see death, Methuselah, Noah, Shem, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and it eventually leads to our Lord Jesus Christ the promised “Seed” that would crush the serpent’s head.
The global flood destroyed the whole world except those within the ark Neither the descendants of Cain nor Seth survived the flood.
So, what happened to the rest of the Seth-ites who started “calling on the name of the Lord”? The answer lies in Gen 6:1-2: “When human beings began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of God (Seth-ites) saw that the daughters of humans (Cain-ites) were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose”.
The corruption had set in long before Noah’s time. Enoch, Noah’s great grandfather prophesied, saying: “Behold, the Lord comes with many thousands of His holy ones, to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him“.
And by the time Noah appears in Genesis 6, God sees “how great the wickedness of human race has become in the world, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time”. And He decides to wipe from the face of the world the human race He had created, along with the animals, birds and creatures that moved on the earth”.
Conclusion
The concept of ‘love is love’ is not as new as we’d like to believe. Our generation isn’t the only one to consider God’s commandments archaic and old fashioned. The Israelites were prohibited from intermarrying (Deuteronomy 7:3 / Exodus 34:16), yet they thought they knew better and brought curses upon themselves multiple times. Solomon, the wisest man on earth, married pagan women and ended up an idolator – worshipping Chemosh and Molech. Similarly the godly Seth-ites, drawn away by the beauty of the daughters of Cain-ites, brought the deluge that perished them all.
Quote Of The Day
“The devil is not fighting religion; he’s too smart for that. He’s producing a counterfeit Christianity so much like the real one that good Christians are afraid to speak out against it.”
Vance Havner