Who are the "sons of God" and "daughters of men" in Genesis 6?
Genesis 6 is one of the most controversial chapters in the Bible. There are so many theories attempting to arrive at the exact meaning. Note that all theories are just that theories and cannot be conclusively proven. I have my own theory that I believe I can strongly support with scripture, but we will never know for sure the exact meaning of this ancient verse from the Bible. This does not mean that we should not ponder and attempt to understand it. God inspired this text to be written in this way knowing that it would provoke deep thought. I will attempt to compare and contrast two of the top theories showing evidence to support the theory that I believe has the strongest evidence. Note that there is no true winner in this debate as we cannot determine to any certainty without more information, the exact theory that fits the correct meaning.
THE FALLEN ANGEL THEORY
According to the Fallen Angel Theory, the words "sons of God" is assumed to be a reference to Angels. We see in scripture that "sons of God" is a reference that is made to angels. According to this theory the "daughters of men" is assumed to represent the daughter of all mankind. The premise of this argument is that angels had physical sex with human women and produced offspring who were half man half angel giants.
THE DIVERGENT LINEAGE THEORY
According to the Divergent Lineage Theory, the "sons of God" refers to the sons of Seth. Also according to this theory, the "daughters of men" refers to Caine's line. The premise of this theory is that the flood resulted because of the intermarriage of the ungodly with the godly. The result of these marriages were offspring who did not choose God but rather chose unrepentant sinful lifestyles. These people were tall but other cultures before the flood and after the flood were also very tall. The most famous of these post-flood giants being Goliath.
EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT THE DIVERGENT LINEAGE THEORY OVER THE FALLEN ANGEL THEORY
I will provide some but not all evidence against the Fallen Angel Theory then some evidence not all that the Bible provides to support the Divergent Lineage Theory for ease of reading.
I strongly believe that a Christian should read the verses before and after verse Genesis 6:2 and 6:4 as well as in the context the whole of the book of Genesis and Genesis as it relates to the overall Bible. I draw most of my evidence for support of this theory from verses in Genesis 4-8.
Why does God feel that it is important for us to know anything more about Caine after the judgment is pronounced in Genesis 4:11 or about the sons of God marrying the daughters of men? I believe that the Bible is building up evidence to support why God felt it was necessary to judge mankind and destroy the earth by the Noahic flood.
Why do I feel this judgment is about judging mankind and completely unrelated to angels? In Genesis 6:3 judgment never mentions angels. It states, "My Spirit will not contend with man forever,...". Genesis 8:21 further reinforces this point by stating, "Never again will I curse the ground because of man,...". We must also look at sin and the punishment for sin. According to our previous experience in Genesis, we know that only the one convicted of sin is punished for the sin. This of course changes in the New Testament as Jesus steps in as the substitutionary atonement for all sin. So, from the text in Genesis, we can build the evidence for a case of God judging exclusively mankind for the actions of mankind. Then we need to research to see if the meaning of sons of God and daughters of men also supports this. I believe that Genesis 4:9 through 26 are the most crucial verses to consider when looking for divergence. Caine is unrepentant when God tells him that he is aware of his brother's death. He further shows the direction of his path away from God by naming the city he built after his son Enoch, not God in Genesis 4:17. The lineage of Caine is then provided. Among the lineage, we see the first instance of bigomy which is an act that is in defiance to the original establishment of marriage by God. The Biblical definition of marriage is one man and one woman for life. We see the names of one of the wives of Caine's descendant Lamech meaning shade, in reference to her beautiful hair. His daughter Naameh's name meaning beautiful. These are both surface qualities and further reflects the worldly aspects of Cain's lineage. Finally, I believe the lineage of Caine is shown to us as even more evidence that his descendants formed ungodly cities. Among these cities were Babylon, Nineveh, Sodom, and Gomorrah. All these cities were notoriously ungodly. Nimrod, a descendant of Caine, was the founder of Babylon and Ninevah. Nimrod's name means "let us rebel". I strongly believe that the "daughters of men" is a reference to daughters of mankind which at this time under the line of Caine were openly opposing God in sin and embracing the things of this world. Furthermore, we know from scripture that Angels are spiritual creations having no physical bodies although scripture does show that they can represent themselves in the form of a physical body. Further evidence for angels not being involved is that the Bible states that angels do not reproduce. We can assume that if angels cannot reproduce with each other, they also cannot reproduce with any other creatures. It would be counter to creation for God to design sexual organs with no purpose. So, we must assume based on the evidence then that angels do not sexual organs and are are incapable of mating.
Did God destroy this race of hybrid angel & man giants with the flood? There have been very tall races both before and after the flood. We know they were tall but we need to focus more on their name as it gives purpose behind God's choice to flood the earth and destroy all of mankind. Joshua referred to another supposedly tall race, the Canaanites, as giants saying that he was like a grasshopper in their sight (Numbers 13:33). Of course, these men only looked similar to Nephilim as this race of people had been wiped out by the flood. The most famous of these post-flood giants was Goliath. The Nephilim were simply a well-known race of tall people resulting from these mixed godly and ungodly unions that occupied the earth before the flood. The name Nephilim means "fallen ones". Their name reflects their evil character. They were known by how they behaved as some groups of people still do today. We all fall at times choosing our own ways which lead to sin. This race of taller than usual men and women chose evil over good as their trademark way of life. They were known as ungodly people. So the earth was filled with these evil men and women and God saw that all the inhabitants of the earth were following or influenced by these men of "renown". Renown is an old French word meaning of fame or reputation. People become famous for the things that they do, good or bad. These people were turning men away from God and all of mankind was rebelling. All that is except for Noah. Because of Noah's righteousness, his family was saved. It's amazing what God can do with just one who chooses him. So, God chose judgment upon all mankind sparing the small remnant that chose Him to re-inhabit the earth.
Why say the daughter of men, not just women? Why is it necessary in Genesis 6:2 to know that they were beautiful? Why is it necessary to know in Genesis 6:4 that their children were men of renown? I believe these are all references to the things Caine's family was known for. Beauty was the main trait attributed to Caine's daughters and Caine's descendants were well-known for their cutting edge innovations in cities, arts, manufacturing, and music. These "sons of man" chose man's way, not God's way. They put all their belief into self-reliance and chose their ways over God's.
Why then refer to Seth's line as "sons of God" and are there any others who are referred to as the son of God or sons of God? We all know that Jesus was referred to as the Son of God. There is only one son of God yet the Bible refers to angels as sons of God and Jesus himself made a reference to man as sons of God. Even rulers of the time were referred to as gods as the people took commands from them. Galatians 3:26 says, "So in Christ Jesus, you are all children (sons and daughters) of God through faith." We have faith in the Messiah who came & in the Old Testament they had faith in the Messiah to come. Genesis 15:6 gives evidence of this by stating "Abram believed (in) the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness." Genesis 4:26 seems disjointed from all verses before and after it if you do not read from this perspective. It says, "At that time men began to call on the name of the Lord." This implies a start to worship and implies that in the time before Seth's birth they did not worship the Lord. So if those who believe in God and worship him are sons of God then Seth's descendants are "sons of God". So reinterpreted to fit this theory 6:2 could read, "...the godly sons of Seth saw that the ungodly daughter of Caine were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose." Then reinterpreted, 6:4 could read, "...the godly sons of Seth married the daughters of Caine and had children with them. They were the infamous, notorious men of old who were known for building cities, industrialization, art and music but sought not the Lord."
The punishment as evidence... Genesis 6:11 "Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight and full of violence. God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways." Corruption is mention twice and the word "all" used to emphasize the completeness of the corruption. Note that all meant all except for Noah's family. So why did God feel that he must destroy all of creation? To understand this, we must look at God's command to kill every man, woman, and child when Israel invaded the land of Canaan. Why did God feel it was necessary to do destroy all the Canaanites? To understand this we must know about the Canaanite culture. They were idol worshippers like the Babylonians and Egyptians and worshipped a plurality of gods but Caananites were different in one major aspect. Canaanites were notoriously disloyal to family. Although Israelites were permitted to marry many other cultures, Caananites were forbidden because you could not convert them to Judaism. Caananites would through family disloyalty teach their descendants to become disloyal to Israel and to God. So like cancer, they had to be eradicated completely or they would spread their disloyalty and affect everyone. In a similar way, Caine's descendants, the originators of family disloyalty had to be eradicated as they had corrupted the whole world. Caine first showed it with his brother then with God and his descendants followed in his footsteps. There are many examples given in the Bible where God forbids the godly to marry the ungodly. God knows that the enticement of sin is great and knows that family is key to building a godly or ungodly lineage. Out of the basic unit of the family, all seeking righteousness is fostered or hindered. The effects are far-reaching in the same way a small amount of pollutant is when added to a swimming pool. In very little time, a little bit of pollutant reaches all of the water and contaminates the entire pool.
An important take away from this discussion of theories... Family is important to God. Whole societies can be corrupted when evil enters the family. A lack of repentance leads to destruction. God is just but merciful. God wants us to be separate, sanctified in holy service to him by the way we live our lives. Do not allow ungodly behavior to go unchecked. Seek the things of God over the things of this world. Show your love for God through your life's legacy and lineage.
THE FALLEN ANGEL THEORY
According to the Fallen Angel Theory, the words "sons of God" is assumed to be a reference to Angels. We see in scripture that "sons of God" is a reference that is made to angels. According to this theory the "daughters of men" is assumed to represent the daughter of all mankind. The premise of this argument is that angels had physical sex with human women and produced offspring who were half man half angel giants.
THE DIVERGENT LINEAGE THEORY
According to the Divergent Lineage Theory, the "sons of God" refers to the sons of Seth. Also according to this theory, the "daughters of men" refers to Caine's line. The premise of this theory is that the flood resulted because of the intermarriage of the ungodly with the godly. The result of these marriages were offspring who did not choose God but rather chose unrepentant sinful lifestyles. These people were tall but other cultures before the flood and after the flood were also very tall. The most famous of these post-flood giants being Goliath.
EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT THE DIVERGENT LINEAGE THEORY OVER THE FALLEN ANGEL THEORY
I will provide some but not all evidence against the Fallen Angel Theory then some evidence not all that the Bible provides to support the Divergent Lineage Theory for ease of reading.
I strongly believe that a Christian should read the verses before and after verse Genesis 6:2 and 6:4 as well as in the context the whole of the book of Genesis and Genesis as it relates to the overall Bible. I draw most of my evidence for support of this theory from verses in Genesis 4-8.
Why does God feel that it is important for us to know anything more about Caine after the judgment is pronounced in Genesis 4:11 or about the sons of God marrying the daughters of men? I believe that the Bible is building up evidence to support why God felt it was necessary to judge mankind and destroy the earth by the Noahic flood.
Why do I feel this judgment is about judging mankind and completely unrelated to angels? In Genesis 6:3 judgment never mentions angels. It states, "My Spirit will not contend with man forever,...". Genesis 8:21 further reinforces this point by stating, "Never again will I curse the ground because of man,...". We must also look at sin and the punishment for sin. According to our previous experience in Genesis, we know that only the one convicted of sin is punished for the sin. This of course changes in the New Testament as Jesus steps in as the substitutionary atonement for all sin. So, from the text in Genesis, we can build the evidence for a case of God judging exclusively mankind for the actions of mankind. Then we need to research to see if the meaning of sons of God and daughters of men also supports this. I believe that Genesis 4:9 through 26 are the most crucial verses to consider when looking for divergence. Caine is unrepentant when God tells him that he is aware of his brother's death. He further shows the direction of his path away from God by naming the city he built after his son Enoch, not God in Genesis 4:17. The lineage of Caine is then provided. Among the lineage, we see the first instance of bigomy which is an act that is in defiance to the original establishment of marriage by God. The Biblical definition of marriage is one man and one woman for life. We see the names of one of the wives of Caine's descendant Lamech meaning shade, in reference to her beautiful hair. His daughter Naameh's name meaning beautiful. These are both surface qualities and further reflects the worldly aspects of Cain's lineage. Finally, I believe the lineage of Caine is shown to us as even more evidence that his descendants formed ungodly cities. Among these cities were Babylon, Nineveh, Sodom, and Gomorrah. All these cities were notoriously ungodly. Nimrod, a descendant of Caine, was the founder of Babylon and Ninevah. Nimrod's name means "let us rebel". I strongly believe that the "daughters of men" is a reference to daughters of mankind which at this time under the line of Caine were openly opposing God in sin and embracing the things of this world. Furthermore, we know from scripture that Angels are spiritual creations having no physical bodies although scripture does show that they can represent themselves in the form of a physical body. Further evidence for angels not being involved is that the Bible states that angels do not reproduce. We can assume that if angels cannot reproduce with each other, they also cannot reproduce with any other creatures. It would be counter to creation for God to design sexual organs with no purpose. So, we must assume based on the evidence then that angels do not sexual organs and are are incapable of mating.
Did God destroy this race of hybrid angel & man giants with the flood? There have been very tall races both before and after the flood. We know they were tall but we need to focus more on their name as it gives purpose behind God's choice to flood the earth and destroy all of mankind. Joshua referred to another supposedly tall race, the Canaanites, as giants saying that he was like a grasshopper in their sight (Numbers 13:33). Of course, these men only looked similar to Nephilim as this race of people had been wiped out by the flood. The most famous of these post-flood giants was Goliath. The Nephilim were simply a well-known race of tall people resulting from these mixed godly and ungodly unions that occupied the earth before the flood. The name Nephilim means "fallen ones". Their name reflects their evil character. They were known by how they behaved as some groups of people still do today. We all fall at times choosing our own ways which lead to sin. This race of taller than usual men and women chose evil over good as their trademark way of life. They were known as ungodly people. So the earth was filled with these evil men and women and God saw that all the inhabitants of the earth were following or influenced by these men of "renown". Renown is an old French word meaning of fame or reputation. People become famous for the things that they do, good or bad. These people were turning men away from God and all of mankind was rebelling. All that is except for Noah. Because of Noah's righteousness, his family was saved. It's amazing what God can do with just one who chooses him. So, God chose judgment upon all mankind sparing the small remnant that chose Him to re-inhabit the earth.
Why say the daughter of men, not just women? Why is it necessary in Genesis 6:2 to know that they were beautiful? Why is it necessary to know in Genesis 6:4 that their children were men of renown? I believe these are all references to the things Caine's family was known for. Beauty was the main trait attributed to Caine's daughters and Caine's descendants were well-known for their cutting edge innovations in cities, arts, manufacturing, and music. These "sons of man" chose man's way, not God's way. They put all their belief into self-reliance and chose their ways over God's.
Why then refer to Seth's line as "sons of God" and are there any others who are referred to as the son of God or sons of God? We all know that Jesus was referred to as the Son of God. There is only one son of God yet the Bible refers to angels as sons of God and Jesus himself made a reference to man as sons of God. Even rulers of the time were referred to as gods as the people took commands from them. Galatians 3:26 says, "So in Christ Jesus, you are all children (sons and daughters) of God through faith." We have faith in the Messiah who came & in the Old Testament they had faith in the Messiah to come. Genesis 15:6 gives evidence of this by stating "Abram believed (in) the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness." Genesis 4:26 seems disjointed from all verses before and after it if you do not read from this perspective. It says, "At that time men began to call on the name of the Lord." This implies a start to worship and implies that in the time before Seth's birth they did not worship the Lord. So if those who believe in God and worship him are sons of God then Seth's descendants are "sons of God". So reinterpreted to fit this theory 6:2 could read, "...the godly sons of Seth saw that the ungodly daughter of Caine were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose." Then reinterpreted, 6:4 could read, "...the godly sons of Seth married the daughters of Caine and had children with them. They were the infamous, notorious men of old who were known for building cities, industrialization, art and music but sought not the Lord."
The punishment as evidence... Genesis 6:11 "Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight and full of violence. God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways." Corruption is mention twice and the word "all" used to emphasize the completeness of the corruption. Note that all meant all except for Noah's family. So why did God feel that he must destroy all of creation? To understand this, we must look at God's command to kill every man, woman, and child when Israel invaded the land of Canaan. Why did God feel it was necessary to do destroy all the Canaanites? To understand this we must know about the Canaanite culture. They were idol worshippers like the Babylonians and Egyptians and worshipped a plurality of gods but Caananites were different in one major aspect. Canaanites were notoriously disloyal to family. Although Israelites were permitted to marry many other cultures, Caananites were forbidden because you could not convert them to Judaism. Caananites would through family disloyalty teach their descendants to become disloyal to Israel and to God. So like cancer, they had to be eradicated completely or they would spread their disloyalty and affect everyone. In a similar way, Caine's descendants, the originators of family disloyalty had to be eradicated as they had corrupted the whole world. Caine first showed it with his brother then with God and his descendants followed in his footsteps. There are many examples given in the Bible where God forbids the godly to marry the ungodly. God knows that the enticement of sin is great and knows that family is key to building a godly or ungodly lineage. Out of the basic unit of the family, all seeking righteousness is fostered or hindered. The effects are far-reaching in the same way a small amount of pollutant is when added to a swimming pool. In very little time, a little bit of pollutant reaches all of the water and contaminates the entire pool.
An important take away from this discussion of theories... Family is important to God. Whole societies can be corrupted when evil enters the family. A lack of repentance leads to destruction. God is just but merciful. God wants us to be separate, sanctified in holy service to him by the way we live our lives. Do not allow ungodly behavior to go unchecked. Seek the things of God over the things of this world. Show your love for God through your life's legacy and lineage.
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