Nephilim in the Bible

Who are the Nephilim?

There are there are two major views — the Sethite view and the Angelic view.

Let’s turn in our Bibles to Genesis 6:1-4 —

6 When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, ²the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. ³Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” ⁴The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown. | Genesis 6:1–4 (ESV)

From that text we generally see these two major views. So we’re just going to briefly go over both of them — tell you which one I hold — and tell you why I think the other one’s not a good option.

Sethite View: Context of Genesis 4-6

First with the Sethite view — what do we see going on here leading up to Genesis 6? Context is important for understanding — and so what we see is after the fall starting in Genesis 4 running to the end of Genesis 5 — two lines are being traced — one of Cain from Genesis 4:1-24 and one from Seth in Genesis 4:25 to 5:32.

So you have these these two lineages mentioned here. And Seth’s line actually begins to call upon the name of the Lord.

And then all of a sudden in Genesis 6 you have these two groups.

So the context seems to to lend itself more to the these being human beings first and not angels because angels do not appear in the context of this passage — in what came just before it.

And so that’s one reason why the Sethite view is prominent.

Sethite View: Eve’s Pattern Repeated

We also need to see that there’s a correlation here with Genesis 3:6 with Eve’s temptation and actions.

⁶So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. |Genesis 3:6 (ESV)

That’s the same thing that we see going on here in Genesis 6:2:

²the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. | Genesis 6:2 (ESV)

And so we see the same pattern of Eve here — the same pattern of sin — of seeing and taking. This continues after the fall.

This is one of the reasons why God is so angered with man — because they continue to rebel against him. They didn’t learn from Eve. They continued to follow the pattern of Eve.

Sethite View: Men Punished, not Angels

And just as man was punished when Eve sinned against God — so too man is punished in their sin against God here. This is why he floods the Earth. We’re told that in Genesis 6:5.

⁵The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. ⁶And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. | Genesis 6:5–6 (ESV)

So God is going to blot out man. It’s men we’re told who sinned against God — not fallen angels. It says nothing here about about fallen angels.

So with respect to the question of “who are the Nephilim?” well the sons of God are the line of Seth. The daughters of man were attractive to the line of Cain. And so the sin they commit is being unequally yolked. The godly line of Seth is going outside of that line marrying the ungodly line of Cain.

Sethite View: Source of the Nephilim

But now do the Nephilim even come from these two lines? They do not! Genesis 6:4

⁴The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown. | Genesis 6:4 (ESV)

They were already there Scripture tells us. So they were not a production of these two groups coming together — but rather they were there.

Sethite View: Nephilim in Numbers 13:33

And it makes all the more sense that these are just normal people because if you look later in Numbers 13:33 we see Nephilim again.

³³And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them.” | Numbers 13:33 (ESV)

So these are just mighty men — strong warriors who are of old — the men of renown. They’re called famous men — the warriors — certainly big — but what was their sin? Why are they mentioned

here?

Sethite View: Violent Men

Because they used that mighty prowess they had to inflict violence upon the Earth.

And I think we see this being one of the reasons for the flood. Look at Genesis 6:11-13.

¹¹Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. ¹²And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. ¹³And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth. | Genesis 6:11–13 (ESV)

So I think that’s a reference not only to the corruption of all the Earth with the sons of God marrying the daughters of men — but also God is flooding the Earth because of violence — because of the Nephilim and the sin that they committed. That’s why both of those are mentioned here. That’s why we find the Nephilim in Genesis 6:1-4 — because they are part of the problem.

It wasn’t just that the sons of God married the daughters of men — but it was also there was all sorts of sin — all sort of corruption happening — not just sexual or even religious — in marrying and being unequally yolked — but also violence.

And so that’s the Sethite view.

Angelic View: Job 1 & 2

The Angelic view would be that these sons of God would be Angels who came down and intermarried with human women.

Now the the major argument for this position comes from the Book of Job. In the opening chapters of the Book of Job we see that title “sons of God” being used of angels. And so this is why many believe that that the sons of God reference in Genesis 6 is to angels.

Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. | Job 1:6 (ESV)

Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord. | Job 2:1 (ESV)

And so they say that these angels come down — they marry regular women — and they produce the Nephilim. So they would see the Nephilim as a product of that union so that the Nephilim are giant warriors — half superhuman, half regular kind of person.

But I don’t think that works quite well. There’s so many issues that plague that.

Angelic View: Men, not Angels

First is a contextual issue — there’s nothing about angels here being spoken about. It’s all about men — it’s not angels who are being punished for the sin, it’s men who are being punished.

Angelic View: After the Flood

We have to think of why in Numbers 13:33 are there Nephilim again — if God destroyed everything in the earth and only allowed eight eight men to live. How did these Nephilim continue to exist?

There’s a twofold issue to follow up on that.

Angelic View: Bodily Sins

First remember what angels are — angels are pure spirits. And so there are some sins angels cannot commit. No angel can commit the sin of gluttony. They don’t have bodies. They don’t need to eat. They don’t become hungry. No digestive system — any of that.

There are certain bodily sins that we commit because we have bodies. But they are incorporeal. They don’t have bodies. And so there are certain sins of the sexual appetite that they cannot commit.

This means that ultimately angels cannot commit sexual sin because they don’t have a sexual appetite. They’re spirits. They don’t have bodies. Angels don’t have a sexual appetite.

And so what’s the sin these sons of God here commit? They saw the daughters of man were attractive. They took them as their wife. It was lust that was behind this.

Angels don’t have lust in that way. They don’t have lust for for a woman. They don’t have lust for sexual intercourse.

Angelic View: Modes of Production

Also in conjunction with that angels cannot produce substances. As pure spirits there are there are two modes of production — creation and generation. And Angels can’t do either.

Can angels create absolutely? No. Only infinite power is able to create something from nothing. So they don’t have that.

Neither though do they have generation. Jesus says what about the angels in Matthew 22:30 — or actually about us — that in heaven we’re going to be like the angels who neither marry nor are given in marriage.

That’s because they have no sexual appetite. They’re spirits. They don’t have physical flesh and blood like you and I have. They don’t have that desire. They don’t have that appetite. They don’t have that yearning. They don’t have that wanting. That’s why neither will we when we’re in heaven. We’re we’re going to be like them — for they neither marry nor are given in marriage.

But in Genesis 6 these sons of God marry.

Angelic View: Taking on Human Bodies

Now you might say — well these angels took on a human body and did this.

Well then what we’re talking about is human DNA and human DNA — which would have made a human being and not a superman. It still would have been a human and a human which equals a human. A pure spirit has nothing material to provide in the procreation of a child.

And so I think those are the strongest reasons the Nephilim can’t be angels — They have no ability to create or generate and also as pure spirits they don’t have certain appetites like you and I have. They don’t have a sensual appetite. They don’t have sexual appetite. They don’t have those same desires that you and I have — which is all the more reason I think to understand this passage not just contextually but metaphysically — what can actually happen and what can be done.

Calvin’s Summary

Lastly I want to leave off with a quote from John Calvin.

Calvin says this in his commentary on Genesis Chapter 6:

That ancient figment, concerning the intercourse of angels with women, is abundantly refuted by its own absurdity; and it is surprising that learned men should formerly have been fascinated by ravings so gross and prodigious.