Genesis 6:1-6
Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters
were born to them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful;
and they took for themselves women of all whom they chose.
And the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his
days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” There were giants on the earth in those days,
and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore
children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.
Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent
of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. "
If the Sons of God were angels?
Why? ..Why were they able to procreate?
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Nephilim means "fallen ones," they were men of a very low moral grade. We are called "Sons of God."
Nephilim in the Hebrew Bible
(Translations according to New International Version. Note that translations frequently differ. In the King James Version of the Bible, "Nephilim" is translated as "giants" in the following examples.)
The term "Nephilim" occurs just twice in the Hebrew Bible, both in the Torah. The first is Genesis 6:1-4, immediately before the Noah's ark story:
1. When men began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, 2. the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. 3. Then the LORD said, "My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days will be a hundred and twenty years." 4. The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown. [The fallen ones where giant human beings.]
The second is Numbers 13:32-33, where the Hebrew spies report that they have seen fearsome giants in Canaan:
32. And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, "The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. 33. We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them."
Etymology
This subject also relates to the etymology and meaning of the phrase sons of God.
"Nephilim" (נְפִילִים) probably derives from the Hebrew root npl (נָפַל), "to fall" which also includes "to cause to fall" and "to kill, to ruin". The Brown-Driver-Briggs Lexicon gives the meaning as "giants" Robert Baker Girdlestone argued the word comes from the Hiphil causative stem. Adam Clarke took it as passive, "fallen", "apostates". Ronald Hendel also states that it is a passive form "ones who have fallen."
Arguments based on etymology
A possible connection with fallen-ness may exist in the fallen warriors of Ezekiel 32:27, where a change to the Massoretic Text reading gibborim nophelim (גִּבֹּורִים נֹפְלִים "fallen mighty ones") would produce the reading gibborim nephilim. As the text stands "And they shall not lie with the fallen mighty of the uncircumcised, which are gone down (yaradu יָרְדֽוּ) to the grave with their weapons of war:", but this could become the gibborim nephilim of the uncircumcised. In Genesis 6:4 they are described as "ancient warriors, the men of renown". In Numbers 13:32-33 they are a race of giants native to Canaan. (The idea that there were giants in Canaan when the Israelites arrived is found elsewhere, for example in Amos 2:9, where Yahwah reminds the prophet that he "destroyed the Amorites before you, whose height was as the height of cedar trees"). The two are tied together by Genesis 6:4, "the nephilim were on the earth in those days (before the Flood), and also after," and most later compositions and translations, including the Septuagint, therefore understand the nephilim to be giants.
This is the word spelled הַנֹּפְלִים in that verse. The English to Hebrew translator says this is the word for giants ענקים
The Nephilim were the heroes of old, men of renown. The people of the world were in a state of moral decay, and had fallen spiritually.
Genesis 6
5 The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.
11 Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence.
12 God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways.
13 So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth.
I believe that the Nephilim were Giants, but that the words nephilim is "fallen ones." The world before the flood had less gravity, and therefore would support large beings.
"
Nephilim" (נְפִילִים) probably derives from the Semitic root npl (נָפַל), "to fall" which also includes "to cause to fall" and "to kill, to ruin".
The
Brown-Driver-Briggs Lexicon gives the meaning as "giants."
Robert Baker Girdlestone argued the word comes from the Hiphil causative stem.
Adam Clarke took it as passive, "fallen", "apostates".
Ronald Hendel states that it is a passive form "ones who have fallen."
The word nephilim is not a name title, and it should have been translated as the "fallen ones." It is referring to those who have fallen spiritually and are in moral decline.
Luke 3:38. ...the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam,
the son of God.
Genesis 6:2
the sons of God saw that the daughters of [humans /
men] were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose.
Genesis 6:4
The Nephilim [
fallen ones] were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of [humans /
men] and had children by them.
They were the heroes of old,
men of renown
Psalm 82:6
“I said, ‘You are “gods”; you are all sons of the Most High.’
John 10:34
Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are “gods”’ ? 35 If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be set aside — 36
what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’?