Speak His Word Only

Nephilim — Giants in the Ancient World The Nephilim are among the most mysterious beings mentioned in Scripture. Their first appearance occurs in Genesis 6:1–4 , immediately before the account of the great wickedness that brought the judgment of the Flood. To understand them properly, we should begin with what Genesis actually says, then compare other biblical passages and only afterward consider ancient traditions such as 1 Enoch. Everything below is original exposition suitable for your teaching material. 1. The Nephilim appear in Genesis 6 Genesis 6:4 declares: “There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that…” The KJV translates the Hebrew נְפִילִים ( Nephilim ) as “giants.” Genesis places them in the same passage as: the sons of God the daughters of men and the mighty men of old, men of renown. The text therefore connects the Nephilim with an extraordinary period immediately preceding the Flood. 2. What does the word “Nephilim” mean? The Hebrew word is Nephilim...

Genesis 6:1–4 “The sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took wives of all which they chose… There were giants (Nephilim) in the earth in those days…” The key phrase is “sons of God” (Hebrew: bene ha’elohim ). So the real question is:  Does bene ha’elohim mean angels? Or does it mean human descendants of Seth? Or royal rulers? There are three major interpretations.  The Angelic View (Ancient Jewish Interpretation) This was the dominant view in ancient Judaism. It is found in: 1 Enoch Book of Jubilees Dead Sea Scrolls Why this view argues for angels:  A. “Sons of God” in the Hebrew Bible The phrase bene ha’elohim appears elsewhere: Job 1:6 Job 2:1 Job 38:7 In Job, it clearly refers to heavenly beings presenting themselves before God. It never clearly refers to humans in the Old Testament using that exact phrase. That is a strong linguistic argument.  The New Testament References Look at: Epistle of Jude 6–7 Second Epistle of Peter 2:4 ...