GENESIS 6:1 Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the
face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, 2 that the sons
of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they
took wives for themselves of all whom they chose. 3 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." 4 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.
(NKJV)

There has been much speculation about who these "sons of God"
mentioned in the sixth chapter of Genesis were. Three basic
interpretations of this passage have been advanced.

The first, and oldest, belief is that "the sons of God" were fallen
angels who consorted with human women, producing giant offspring
called nephilim. This view was widely held in the Judaic world of
the first century, and was supported by many of the "Ante-Nicene
Fathers," including Justin Martyr, Clement of Alexandria,
Tertullian, Irenaeus, and Eusebius.

The second view is one which was advocated by Saint Augustine, the
Catholic Bishop of Hippo. He rejected the concept of the fallen host
having committed fornication with women. In his early fifth century
book The City of God, he advanced the theory that "the sons of God"
simply referred to the genealogical line of Seth, who were committed
to preserving the true worship of God. He interpreted Genesis 6 to
mean that the offspring of Adam through Seth were "the sons of God,"
and the offspring of Adam through Cain were "the daughters of men."
He wrote that the problem was that the family of Seth had interbred
with the family of Cain, intermingling the bloodlines and corrupting
the pure religion. This view has become the dominant one among most
modern biblical scholars.

The third view is that "the sons of God" were the sons of pre-Flood
rulers or magistrates. This interpretation was advocated by two of
the most respected Jewish rabbis of the Middle Ages, Rashi and
Nachmanides, and became the standard explanation of rabbinical
Judaism. However, it is not widely accepted by modern scholars.

To determine who these "sons of God" were, we'll first examine what
various outside sources have to say about this topic. Then we'll
examine the ultimate authority, the Bible, to see its position.

Let's start with a quotation and footnote from William Whitson's
translation of The Antiquities of the Jews, by the respected Jewish
historian Flavius Josephus:

Now this posterity of Seth continued to esteem God as the Lord of
the universe, and to have an entire regard to virtue, for seven
generations; but in process of time they were perverted, and forsook
the practices of their forefathers, and did neither pay those honors
to God which were appointed to them, nor had they any concern to do
justice towards men. But for what degree of zeal they had formerly
shown for virtue, they now showed by their actions a double degree
of wickedness; whereby they made God to be their enemy, for many
angels* of God accompanied with women and begat sons that proved
unjust, and despisers of all that was good, on account of the
confidence they had in their own strength; for the tradition is,
that these men did what resembled the acts of those whom the
Grecians called giants. But Noah was very uneasy at what they did;
and, being displeased at their conduct, persuaded them to change
their dispositions and their acts for the better; but, seeing that
they did not yield to him, but were slaves to their wicked
pleasures, he was afraid they would kill him, together with his wife
and children, and those they had married; so he departed out of that
land. (bk. 1, ch. 3, 72-74)

* This notion, that the fallen angels were, in some sense the
fathers of the old giants, was the constant opinion of antiquity.

As you can see, Josephus believed and recorded that "the sons of
God" mentioned in Genesis 6 were fallen angels, or demons.

Another well-known first century Jewish writer, Philo of Alexandria,
shared Josephus' views on this topic. In his work "On the Giants,"
Philo wrote:

"And when the angels of God saw the daughters of men that they were
beautiful, they took unto themselves wives of all them whom they
chose." Those beings, whom other philosophers call demons, Moses
usually calls angels . . . (The Works of Philo, "De Gigantibus,"
translated by C.D. Yonge, p. 152)

The Book of Enoch, also called 1 Enoch, is a collection of
pseudepigraphic writings by various authors which dates to the first
or second century B.C. This book was well-known by the early church;
in fact, Jude, the brother of Jesus, quoted 1 Enoch 1:9 in verses 14
and 15 of his epistle. Obviously Jude felt that the quote he
attributed to Enoch was genuine. This work, which deals extensively
with the fall of the angels, was also viewed favorably by some
early "Christian" writers (Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, and
others); however, it was never universally accepted as Scripture.
Below is a selection from 1 Enoch which records the sin of angels:

1 ENOCH 6:1 And it came to pass when the children of men had
multiplied that in those days were born unto 2 them beautiful and
comely daughters. And the angels, the children of the heaven, saw
and lusted after them, and said to one another: 'Come, let us choose
us wives from among the children of men 3 and beget us children.'
And Semjaza, who was their leader, said unto them: 'I fear ye will
not 4 indeed agree to do this deed, and I alone shall have to pay
the penalty of a great sin.' And they all answered him and
said: 'Let us all swear an oath, and all bind ourselves by mutual
imprecations 5 not to abandon this plan but to do this thing.' Then
sware they all together and bound themselves 6 by mutual
imprecations upon it. And they were in all two hundred; who
descended in the days of Jared on the summit of Mount Hermon . . .
(From The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament,
translated by R.H. Charles)

A similar passage is also found in the pseudepigraphic Book of
Jubilees:

JUBILEES 5:1 And it came to pass when the children of men began to
multiply on the face of the earth and daughters were born unto them,
that the angels of God saw them on a certain year of this jubilee,
that they were beautiful to look upon; and they took themselves
wives of all whom they 2 chose, and they bare unto them sons and
they were giants. And lawlessness increased on the earth and all
flesh corrupted its way, alike men and cattle and beasts and birds
and everything that walks on the earth - all of them corrupted their
ways and their orders, and they began to devour each other, and
lawlessness increased on the earth and every imagination of the
thoughts of all men 3 (was) thus evil continually . . . (From The
Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament, translated by
R.H. Charles)

The Genesis Apocryphon, one of the texts uncovered among the Dead
Sea Scrolls, also contains references to the angels interbreeding
with human women. In this text, a conversation between Lamech, the
father of Noah, and his wife Bathenosh is detailed. Lamech questions
his wife because he thinks that the conception of Noah was due to
either an angel or one of their offspring, a nephilim. The Book of
Enoch, the Book of Jubilees, and the Genesis Apocryphon all clearly
show that the common understanding at the time of Christ was that
the fallen host had committed fornication with women in the period
before the flood.

The idea that the nephilim or giants were the offspring of the
fallen host and human females was not unique to Judaism. This
understanding was likely behind the Greek, Roman, and Egyptian
mythologies, as well as those of India and the near east. All these
beliefs resulted not as mere inventions of fertile human
imagination, but as a corruption of antediluvian truths which were
distorted as their origin was forgotten over time.

Take, for example, the legend of the Titans. In Greek mythology, the
Titans were a family of giant gods who were the offspring of Uranus
(heaven) and Gaea (earth). The most famous of the Titans was Cronus,
who killed his father. Cronus later led the Titans in their losing
war against Zeus and the Olympian gods. After their defeat, the
Titans were imprisoned in a section of the underworld called
Tartarus.

In his second epistle, the apostle Peter uses part of this Greek
myth to explain the fate of some of the fallen angels. He states
that for their sins, these angels had been tartarosas, which The
NKJV Greek English Interlinear New Testament translates literally
as "confining them to Tartarus" (also known in the Bible as "the
Abyss").

II PETER 2:4 For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but
cast them down to hell [tartarosas] and delivered them into chains
of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; (NKJV)

This is the same Tartarus where Greek mythology says the Titans were
imprisoned. It's highly unlikely that Peter would have used such an
analogy if this pagan legend wasn't based on at least some grain of
truth which his readers would have knowledge of. The idea that evil
angels mated with human women and had offspring (the nephilim)
appears far-fetched to us in this modern era, but it seems to have
been widely accepted as fact in the ancient world.

As we've seen above, the word translated "giants" in Genesis 6:4 is
nephilim. Let's look at what The International Standard Bible
Encyclopedia has to say about the possible origins of this Hebrew
word:

The etymology of nepîlîm is uncertain, the following explanations
have been advanced with mixed reception. First, it may derive from
the niphal of the verb pãlã, meaning "be extraordinary,"
i.e., "extraordinary men." Second, it may be derived from the verb
nãpal, "fall," in one of the following senses: (1) the "fallen
ones" - from heaven, i.e., supernatural beings; (2) morally "fallen
men"; (3) "those who fall upon," in the sense of invaders or
hostile, violent men; (4) "those who fell by" the sword (cf. Ezk.
32:20f.); (5) "unnaturally begotten men" or bastards (from cf.
nepel, "abortion" or miscarriage"). (vol. 3, pp. 518-519)

The Greek version of the Old Testament, the Septuagint, renders the
Hebrew term nephilim as gigantes, which literally means "earth-
born." This is often misunderstood to mean "giants" - which the
nephilim apparently were also.

From the sources we've just examined, it's readily apparent that the
general understanding of Genesis 6:1-4 at the time of Christ was
that the angels had sinned by committing fornication with human
women. But does the Bible support this theory?

First, let's look at all of the Old Testament references to "sons of
God" (Heb. bene elim or bene elohim):

GENESIS 6:1 When men began to increase on earth and daughters were
born to them, 2 the divine beings [bene elohim] saw how beautiful
the daughters of men were and took wives from among those that
pleased them. 3 The Lord said, "My breath shall not abide in man
forever, since he too is flesh; let the days allowed him be one
hundred and twenty years." 4 It was then, and later too, that the
Nephilim appeared on earth when the divine beings [bene elohim]
cohabited with the daughters of men, who bore them offspring. They
were the heroes of old, the men of renown. (Tanakh, the new Jewish
Publication Society translation according to the traditional Hebrew
text) DEUTERONOMY 32:8 When the Most High gave to the nations their
inheritance, when he separated the sons of men, he fixed the bounds
of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God [bene
elim]. (RSV)

JOB 1:6 Now there was a day when the sons of God [bene elohim] came
to present themselves before the Lord and Satan also came among
them. (NKJV)

JOB 2:1 Again there was a day when the sons of God [bene elohim]
came to present themselves before the Lord and Satan came also among
them to present himself before the Lord. (NKJV) JOB 38:4 "Where were
you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have
understanding. 5 Who determined its measurements? Surely you know!
Or who stretched the line upon it? 6 To what were its foundations
fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone, 7 when the morning stars sang
together, and all the sons of God [bene elohim] shouted for joy?
(NKJV)

PSALM 29:1 O give the Lord you sons of God [bene elim], give the
Lord glory and power; 2 give the Lord the glory of his name. Adore
the Lord in his holy court. (The Psalms: A New Translation)

PSALM 89:5 The heavens proclaim your wonders, O Lord; the assembly
of your holy ones proclaims your truth. 6 For who in the skies
["heaven" - KJV] can compare with the Lord or who is like the Lord
among the sons of God [bene elim]? (The Psalms: A New Translation)

DANIEL 3:25 "Look!" he answered, "I see four men loose, walking in
the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the
fourth is like the Son of God [Ch. bar 'elahh]." (NKJV)

As you can see, each reference above is to angels. There are no
instances in the Old Testament where "the sons of God" refer to men.
Let's see what E.W. Bullinger has to say about these "sons of God"
in Appendix 23 of The Companion Bible:

"The Sons of God" in Gen. 6.2, 4.

It is only by the Divine specific act of creation that any created
being can be called "a son of God." For that which is "born of the
flesh is flesh." God is spirit and that which is "born of the Spirit
is spirit" (John 3.6). Hence Adam is called a "son of God" in Luke
3.38. Those "in Christ" having the "new nature" which is by the
direct creation of God (2 Cor. 5.17; Eph. 2.l0) can be, and are
called "sons of God" (John 1.13; Rom. 8.14, 15; 1 John 3.1).

This is why angels are called "sons of God" in every other place
where the expression is used in the Old Testament. Job 1.6; 2.1;
38.7; Ps. 29.1; 89.6; Dan. 3.25 (no art.). We have no authority or
right to take the expression in Gen. 6.4 in any other sense.
Moreover in Gen. 6.2 the Sept. renders it angels."

Now let's look at Genesis 6:9, which discusses Noah's genealogy.
This Scripture is further proof that fallen angels had interbred
with humans.

GENESIS 6:9 This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man,
perfect [tamim] in his generations. Noah walked with God. (NKJV)

In Genesis 6:9, the Hebrew word tamim, here translated "perfect,"
means "physically without blemish." As the first sentence makes
clear, it's referring to the genealogy of Noah; it does not refer to
moral perfection. Below is what Appendix 26 of The Companion Bible
has to say about this word as used in Genesis 6:9:

The Heb. word tamim means without blemish, and is the technical word
for bodily and physical perfection, and, not moral. Hence it is used
of animals of sacrificial purity . It is rendered without blemish in
Ex. 12.5; 29.1; Lev. 1.3, 10; 3.1, 6; 4.3, 23, 28, 32; 5.12, 18;
6.6; 9.2, 3; 14.10; 22.19; 23.12, 18; Num. 6.14; 28.19, 31; 29.2, 8,
13, 20, 23, 29, 32, 36; Ezek. 43.22, 23, 25; 45.18, 23; 46.4, 6, 13.

Without spot: Num. 19.2; 28.3, 9, 11; 29.17, 26.

Undefiled: Ps. 119.1.

This shows that Gen. 6.9 does not speak of Noah's moral
perfection . . . Now let's examine what Jude said about the fallen
angels in the New Testament:

JUDE 6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left
their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under
darkness unto the judgment of the great day. 7 Even as Sodom and
Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving
themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are
set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
(KJV)

Because of the punctuation of verse 7, this Scripture appears to say
that Sodom and Gomorrah, as well as the cities around them, gave
themselves over to sexual immorality. However, the underlying Greek
text does not support this interpretation. Kenneth Wuest writes of
verse 7:

This verse begins with hõs, an adverb of comparison having meanings
of "in the same manner as, after the fashion of, as, just as." Here
it introduces a comparison showing a likeness between the angels of
verse 6 and the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha of this verse. But the
likeness between them lies deeper than the fact that both were
guilty of committing sin. It extends to the fact that both were
guilty of the same identical sin. The punctuation of the A.V. [KJV]
is misleading, as an examination of Greek text discloses.

The A.V. punctuation gives the reader the impression that Sodom and
Gomorrha committed fornication and that the cities about them
committed fornication in like manner to the two cities named. . . .
The words "in like manner" are related to the verbal forms, "giving
themselves over to fornication" and "going after strange flesh." In
addition to all this, the Greek text has toutois, "to these." Thus,
the translation should read, "just as Sodom and Gomorrha and the
cities about them, in like manner to these, having given themselves
over to fornication and having gone after strange flesh." The sense
of the entire passage (vv. 6,7) is that the cities of Sodom and
Gomorrha and the cities about them, in like manner to these (the
angels), have given themselves over to fornication and have gone
after strange flesh. That means that the sin of the fallen angels
was fornication (Word Studies in the Greek New Testament, vol. II,
pp. 241-242).

Some translations do more clearly show what Jude was saying in this
Scripture. Below is the literal translation of this passage given in
The NKJV Greek English Interlinear New Testament:

JUDE 6 And angels who did not keep their own domain, but rather
having left their own habitation, He has kept with eternal chains
under the netherworld for the judgment of the great day. 7 As Sodom
and Gomorrah, and the cities around them, in a similar manner to
these angels having indulged in sexual immorality and having gone
after other flesh, are exhibited as an example, suffering the
punishment of eternal fire.

The underlying Greek text indicates that the fallen angels left
their own domain and indulged in sexual immorality, going
after "strange," or "other" flesh. The KJV obscures this fact,
probably because the view that the fallen angels were "the sons of
God" spoken of in Genesis 6:2,4 was not accepted when it was
translated in 1611. Another translation that plainly shows the full
magnitude of what Jude was saying is the New English Bible:

JUDE 6 Remember too the angels, how some of them were not content to
keep the dominion given to them but abandoned their proper home; and
God has reserved them for judgement on the great Day, bound beneath
the darkness in everlasting chains. 7 Remember Sodom and Gomorrah
and the neighbouring towns; like the angels, they committed
fornication and followed unnatural lusts; and they paid the penalty
in eternal fire, an example for all to see.

It's clear that Jude wrote of the fornication of the angels as a
fact. In verse 7 of his epistle, he compares the sexual wickedness
in Sodom, Gomorrah, and the surrounding cities to the sin of the
angels.

The nature of the angels' fall is also clearly stated in Jude 6,
where it is said that they left their own "abode" (Gr. oiketerion).
This word occurs in the New Testament only here and in II
Corinthians 5:2, where it is used of the spiritual body of a
resurrected saint.

II CORINTHIANS 5:1 For we know that if our earthly house, this tent,
is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with
hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this we groan, earnestly
desiring to be clothed with our habitation [oiketerion] which is
from heaven, (NKJV)

There is a great deal revealed in the Bible about angels. Angels
could and did assume human form and even eat men's food (Gen. 18-
19). Although the Bible doesn't tell us how, Jude 6 shows that some
angels left their proper abode (their spiritual bodies) and took on
fleshly bodies so as to marry and produce offspring by the daughters
of men.

Although the angels committed sexual sins and corrupted the human
lineage to some extent, they did something else that threatened to
foil God's plan for humanity. Let's go back to 1 Enoch to see what
these fallen angels did that affected the human race enormously:

1 ENOCH 8:1 And Azazel taught men to make swords, and knives, and
shields, and breastplates, and made known to them the metals of the
earth and the art of working them, and bracelets, and ornaments, and
the use of antimony, and the beautifying of the eyelids, and all
kinds of costly stones, and all 2 colouring tinctures. And there
arose much godlessness, and they committed fornication, and they 3
were led astray, and became corrupt in all their ways. Semjaza
taught enchantments, and root- cuttings, Armaros the resolving of
enchantments, Baraqijal (taught) astrology, Kokabel the
constellations, Ezeqeel the knowledge of the clouds, Araqiel the
signs of the earth, Shamsiel the signs of the sun, and Sariel the
course of the moon. And as men perished, they cried, and their cry
went up to heaven . . . (From The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of
the Old Testament, translated by R.H. Charles)

As the text above shows, the angels brought with them knowledge
which humanity did not have beforehand. This information led to a
rapid advance in the knowledge base of the antediluvian society,
including the invention of advanced methods of waging warfare. In
the NKJV translation of Genesis 6:4, the nephilim are called "mighty
men who were of old, men of renown;" however, the NRSV translates
that same phrase as "heroes that were of old, warriors of renown."

Genesis 6:11 shows that the earth was filled with violence; this is
very likely the direct result of the nephilim, who apparently were
mighty warriors. If the ancient legends are indeed based in fact, as
they appear to be, these angelic offspring were superhuman in size
and great in strength. Therefore the objective of the flood was the
destruction of the polluted human bloodline and the eradication of
the forbidden knowledge that humanity had learned from the fallen
host.

There is one other New Testament passage which hints at the sin of
the angels before the flood. It is an enigmatic scripture found in
Paul's first letter to the Corinthian church.

I CORINTHIANS 11:7 For a man indeed ought not to cover his head,
since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of
man. 8 For man is not from woman, but woman from man. 9 Nor was man
created for the woman, but woman for the man. 10 For this reason the
woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of
the angels. (NKJV)

In I Corinthians 11, Paul states the position of women in relation
to men and says that the symbol of authority on a woman's head is
needed "because of the angels." Without an understanding of what
took place anciently between the fallen host and women, this verse
is cryptic at best.

There is opposition to the view that the fallen angels are the "sons
of God" referred to in Genesis 6. Some cite Matthew 22:29-30 and
Mark 12:24-25 as objections, saying that these Scriptures clearly
teach that angels do not marry.

MATTHEW 22:29 Jesus answered and said to them [the Sadducees], "You
are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. 30
For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in
marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven." (NKJV)

MARK 12:24 Jesus answered and said to them, "Are you not therefore
mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of
God? 25 For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are
given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven." (NKJV)

First, these verses do not state whether angels can marry or
procreate. Here Christ was referring only to the way things will be
after the first resurrection of the dead. Additionally, the angels
in heaven who did not sin are the example cited, not the angels
confined to Tartarus because they sinned by marrying humans and
producing offspring. To get a better perspective of what Christ was
saying, let's look at the parallel account of this conversation in
Luke's Gospel.

LUKE 20:34 And Jesus answered and said to them, "The sons of this
age marry and are given in marriage. 35 But those who are counted
worthy to attain that age, and the resurrection from the dead,
neither marry nor are given in marriage; 36 nor can they die
anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being
sons of the resurrection." (NKJV)

Christ's primary purpose in his answer was to affirm the reality of
the resurrection to these questioning Sadducees, who did not believe
that there would be a resurrection. As you can clearly see from
Luke's account of this confrontation, Christ is making two points
about the age to come: (1) Resurrected humans will not marry, and
(2) resurrected humans will be given eternal life, which the holy
angels now have. Interpreting these Scriptures to mean that angels
have never been able to marry or procreate reads more into them than
was intended by Jesus.

Some also object by saying that Genesis 6:4 shows that there were
nephilim on the earth before "the sons of God" came in to "the
daughters of men" and also afterward; therefore, these giants cannot
be the offspring of this union. Does the phrase "in those days, and
also afterward" mean that the nephilim were present before the the
sons of God cohabited with the daughters of men?

"In those days" plainly means the time after the "sons of God" had
come down to earth; the fact that they had taken wives is disclosed
in Genesis 6:2. In time sequence, chapter six of Genesis should
follow chapter four; the fifth chapter is an inset into the story
flow. "Afterward" specifies after the flood, when we see another
instance of giants appearing, this time in the land of Canaan which
the Israelites were to inherit (Num. 13:33). Satan apparently tried
to thwart God's plan once more by using these savage giant hybrids
to occupy the land of Canaan and keep Abraham's offspring out.
Obviously none of the nephilim survived the flood.

These giants are often mentioned in the early books of the Old
Testament until the last of them were finally killed off. The word
nephilim only appears twice in the Old Testament (Gen 6:4; Num.
13:33), but these giants are also referred to as gibbor (Gen 6:4;
Num. 13:33; Job 16:14) and rephaim when they reappear in a more
limited fashion after the flood (Gen. 14:5; 15:20; Deu. 2:11, 20;
3:11, 13; Jos. 12:4; 13:12; 15:8; 17:15; 18:16; II Sam. 5:18, 22;
21:16, 18, 20, 22; 23:13; I Chr. 11:15; 14:9; 20:4, 6, 8; Isa. 17:5;
26:14). They were known by the proper names of Rephaim, Emim,
Anakim, Horim, Avim, and Zamzummim.

CONCLUSION As shown above, the evidence that "the sons of God"
mentioned in Genesis 6 are fallen angels is substantial. By their
sexual immorality, these angels produced offspring which were strong
and violent. The concept of a race of giants which resulted from the
union of gods and humans is virtually universal in the world's early
civilizations.

The original intent of the angels may have only been to satisfy
their forbidden lust. Yet the knowledge they brought with them and
taught mankind caused society to develop at a more rapid
technological pace than God had intended. This societal development
was not positive, and it gave rise to a very violent society, one in
which the nephilim apparently played a large role. God was forced to
restrain in the Abyss the wicked angels that produced the nephilim,
and cleanse the earth of them and the violence they brought with the
great Flood.