Who Were the Nephilim? — A Biblical Inquiry into Genesis 6:4

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Examining the Scriptural Context

Genesis 6:4 refers to a mysterious group called the Nephilim. The verse states: “The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came into the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.” A careful reading of Genesis 6:1-4 reveals that something extraordinary and deeply troubling occurred in the period before the global Flood. The reference to “the sons of God” marrying “the daughters of men” and producing “mighty men” of ancient renown sets the stage for the catastrophic judgment that follows in Genesis 6:5-7. The question is: Why did God intervene with a flood that extinguished nearly every living soul?

Many interpreters hold that the events depicted in these verses were not ordinary human marriages. Rather, they involved angelic rebellion. The term “Nephilim” in Hebrew appears again in Numbers 13:33, where spies returning from Canaan reported seeing formidable individuals described with the same word. They exaggerated to stir up fear among the Israelites. That usage might lead to confusion unless we note the separate historical context. Genesis 6:4 is distinct, pointing specifically to pre-Flood conditions. Understanding who the Nephilim were entails exploring Hebrew terminology, the broader biblical narrative, and how the New Testament writers reflect on the events in Noah’s day.

The Meaning of “Nephilim”

The Hebrew word “Nephilim” appears three times in Scripture (Genesis 6:4; Numbers 13:33 twice). Many hold that it stems from the Hebrew verb na·phalʹ, meaning “to fall.” Some see that root as pointing to “fallen ones,” possibly highlighting moral or spiritual rebellion. Others suggest it signifies “those who cause others to fall.” In either case, the biblical portrayal indicates that these figures were violent and contributed to a sudden rise in wickedness on the earth, prompting Jehovah’s decision to bring the Flood.

Genesis 6:4 depicts them as “the mighty men who were of old,” or, in Hebrew, hag·gib·bo·rimʹ, indicating strength and renown. Their fame, however, had ominous overtones, for that era quickly becomes notorious for its extreme moral decay. Genesis 6:5 describes the earth as “full of wickedness,” culminating in Jehovah’s resolve to blot out humanity except for Noah and his immediate family. The presence of the Nephilim coincides with the period in which “the sons of God” took human wives, intensifying corruption.

Who Were the “Sons of God”?

Genesis 6:2 identifies the origin of the Nephilim with “the sons of God” who saw “the daughters of men” as beautiful and took them as wives. Debate has long surrounded the identity of these “sons of God.” Some propose they were ordinary men from a supposed godly lineage. Others suggest they were kings or tyrants who claimed special status. However, several factors point to angelic beings rather than human rulers.

In the Old Testament, the expression “sons of God” (Hebrew, bene ha·Elohimʹ) typically refers to angels. Job 1:6 states: “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah, and Satan also came among them.” Job 38:7 uses the phrase again: “When the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy.” These references clearly depict spirit creatures. By analogy, Genesis 6:2’s “sons of God” fits that same pattern if we employ a consistent historical-grammatical approach. Furthermore, the magnitude of wickedness described suggests more than just an ordinary transgression. The union of heavenly beings with human women appears to account for the abnormally destructive offspring that emerged.

The New Testament supports this interpretation. First Peter 3:19-20 refers to “the spirits in prison, who had once been disobedient when the patience of God was waiting in Noah’s days.” Jude 6 mentions “the angels that did not keep their original position but forsook their own proper dwelling place.” These references align well with Genesis 6, describing angelic beings who abandoned heaven’s domain to commit egregious acts on earth. Moreover, 2 Peter 2:4-5 connects rebellious angels with the era leading to Noah’s Flood. The apostle Peter writes that “God did not refrain from punishing the angels that sinned, but threw them into Tartarus,” adding that He did not spare the ancient world when He brought a flood.

The Materialization of Angels

The biblical record shows that loyal angels at times took on human form to accomplish divine tasks. Genesis 18:1-2 portrays angels appearing to Abraham as men, conversing and even eating with him. Genesis 19:1-3 reports angels visiting Lot in Sodom, also in male form. Joshua 5:13-15 describes the appearance of the “prince of the army of Jehovah,” recognized as a materialized angel. Thus, angels could step into a fully human mode of existence, possessing the capacity to speak, eat, and interact physically.

The difference in Genesis 6:2 is that certain angels left their proper estate, not to accomplish a righteous task, but to indulge in forbidden union with human women. This act violated the boundaries Jehovah set for spirit creatures. By doing so, they took wives for themselves in an unnatural arrangement. Jude 7 compares the angels’ sexual misconduct to the immorality in Sodom and Gomorrah, emphasizing that both transgressions were extraordinary perversions.

The Nephilim as Hybrid Offspring

Genesis 6:4 identifies the Nephilim as the offspring of these “sons of God” and human women. The text describes them as mighty ones, men of renown, who left a profound negative mark on society. They fostered a culture of violence and oppression, matching Genesis 6:11, which says: “The earth was ruined in the sight of the true God, and the earth was filled with violence.” The angels’ knowledge and power, combined with human procreation, produced large and formidable individuals. They were not simply tall humans; they were dangerous and perpetuated chaos on a massive scale.

The presence of the Nephilim likely served as a corrupting influence designed to thwart Jehovah’s plan. Genesis 3:15 foretells a promised Seed who would arise from the human line. The infiltration of angels producing hybrid offspring might have been part of a diabolical strategy to sabotage that lineage. If the entire human population became tainted, the promised Seed could theoretically be derailed. Despite these attempts, the Genesis account shows that Jehovah preserved Noah’s line intact. Genesis 6:9 calls Noah “righteous” and “blameless among his contemporaries,” which can imply spiritual integrity and genealogical purity from these angelic-human unions.

The Moral Degeneration and Divine Response

Genesis 6:5 offers a concise summation: “Jehovah saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only bad all the time.” This moral degradation was not ordinary human sinfulness. It surged to unprecedented extremes under the Nephilim’s tyranny. Violence, oppression, and disregard for divine standards reached such a level that Jehovah declared the entire system irredeemable, except for Noah and his family. He decreed a 120-year window during which man’s corruption would reach its peak (Genesis 6:3). Meanwhile, Noah served as “a preacher of righteousness” (2 Peter 2:5).

The Flood, therefore, was more than a punishment for ordinary moral failings. It became the divine instrument to cleanse the world of a deep-seated infiltration that threatened humanity’s future. The text shows that the Nephilim perished in the Deluge, and the rebellious angels dematerialized, retreating to the spirit realm. They did not die physically, because angels are spirit creatures. However, they lost the freedom to materialize at will, as indicated by their subsequent incarceration in “Tartarus” (2 Peter 2:4). Their continuing existence is described as “spirits in prison” awaiting future judgment.

Post-Flood References to the Nephilim

Numbers 13:33 reintroduces the term “Nephilim” when the Israelite spies describe the land of Canaan as inhabited by giants. They declare, “We even saw the Nephilim there… and we seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and so we seemed in their eyes.” This usage likely exaggerates to inspire fear among the Israelites. There is no reason to believe that the pre-Flood Nephilim survived. The text indicates that the spies’ report was a “bad report,” and they may have employed the word “Nephilim” figuratively to convey the size or ferocity of Canaanites. Deuteronomy 2:10-11 and 3:11 speak of large statured groups (like the Rephaim, Emim, and Anakim) who might have physically resembled the earlier Nephilim. Yet the genealogical link to the pre-Flood hybrids remains unsubstantiated. The earlier Nephilim were irreversibly destroyed in the Flood.

Myths and Legends in Ancient Cultures

Many ancient mythologies recount gods mating with mortals to produce demigods or heroes. Greek mythology references half-divine heroes such as Hercules, who was fathered by Zeus and mothered by a human woman. Similar stories appear in other civilizations. These parallels reflect an echo of the original biblical account. After the Babel dispersion in 2200s B.C.E., people carried distorted memories of antediluvian events. These recollections likely evolved into myths about semi-divine champions. The biblical depiction stands as the authentic narrative, free from the embellishments found in pagan lore.

Because of how widely such legends spread, the memory of superhuman giants remains in multiple cultures. Their consistent themes—divine-human unions and resulting heroic or monstrous figures—align with the biblical portrayal of the rebellious angels and their progeny. The difference is that the Scriptures do not glamorize these beings. Instead, it condemns them as part of the corruption that led to a total reset via the Flood.

Misconceptions about Mixed Marriage

Some interpreters propose that Genesis 6:2 simply depicts righteous descendants of Seth marrying wicked descendants of Cain, leading to moral chaos. This perspective states that “sons of God” means devout men while “daughters of men” means worldly women. Yet that viewpoint struggles to explain why their offspring would become “mighty men” or why such unions would provoke a catastrophic Flood. Human marriages alone do not appear to require so drastic a judgment. Moreover, textual evidence consistently associates the phrase “sons of God” in the Old Testament with angels. If the text intended to highlight lineage-based marriages, it would likely mention the line of Seth or the line of Cain explicitly.

The Flood as a Direct Response to Angelic Rebellion

Genesis 6:7-8 presents Jehovah’s declaration: “I will wipe mankind… from the face of the ground.” The reason ties to the unstoppable spread of evil catalyzed by the Nephilim. It was not only humanity’s wickedness but also the infiltration of spirit beings into the physical realm that spurred the decision. Jesus later commented that in the days of Noah, people were absorbed in daily life—eating, drinking, marrying—until the Flood arrived (Matthew 24:37-39). Yet behind the scenes, angelic defiance was orchestrating a deeper moral collapse.

For 120 years, Noah preached righteousness, building the ark in obedience (Genesis 6:14, 2 Peter 2:5). The disregard of the masses showed that society at large remained callous to the warnings. They likely viewed Noah’s pronouncements as foolish or scorned his talk of a coming catastrophe. Once the Flood began, the entire pre-Flood world perished, including the Nephilim. Only Noah, his wife, his three sons, and their wives—eight souls in total—survived (1 Peter 3:20).

Angelic Restrictions after the Flood

A critical biblical teaching is that the rebellious angels who fathered the Nephilim were afterward restrained. Jude 6 indicates that they lost their original dwelling place and are kept “with eternal bonds under dense darkness for the judgment of the great day.” They are not free to materialize in human form as they did prior to the Flood. Their incarceration, though not absolute annihilation, denotes a significant limitation on their powers.

This shift explains why Scripture never again recounts angels producing such hybrid offspring after the Flood. Demonic influence continued in the post-Flood world, but not in the same physical sense. The rebellious angels remained active in a spiritual capacity, opposing Jehovah’s purpose. Ephesians 6:12 addresses the ongoing battle against “the wicked spirit forces in the heavenly places.” Yet the unrestrained phenomenon that existed before the Flood was curtailed.

Why Focus on the Nephilim Today?

Some might ask why the question of the Nephilim matters if those beings were eliminated millenniums ago. Understanding the Nephilim clarifies the nature of demonic rebellion, shedding light on why the Flood was necessary. It reveals the high stakes of spiritual warfare, demonstrating that angelic beings can commit acts that severely threaten humanity’s moral and spiritual fabric. Moreover, it highlights God’s commitment to preserving His plan for redemption. While the Nephilim attempted to corrupt the human line, Jehovah thwarted their attempt by safeguarding Noah’s family. The promise of a future Seed in Genesis 3:15 remains the focal point of the broader biblical storyline, culminating in the arrival of Christ (Galatians 3:16).

The Nephilim account thus underscores that God intervenes decisively when evil reaches a threshold that endangers His purposes. The Flood was a radical measure but one that Scripture deems justified because of the extraordinary rebellion instigated by the fallen angels. This lesson resonates with modern believers: divine patience is vast, but there is a limit to how far corruption can proceed before God acts to fulfill His will.

A Lesson on Rebellion and Judgment

The events before the Flood reveal how spiritual beings can misuse free will. Jude 6 calls the angels who fathered the Nephilim those who “did not keep their original position.” Their choice to abandon heaven’s proper domain for illicit desires triggered disastrous consequences. Their offspring—violent giants—exacerbated moral decay. God’s holiness demanded a reset. Noah, singled out for his righteousness, showed that obedience is feasible even in a depraved environment. His example inspires believers to maintain faithfulness amid a world that often rejects divine standards.

The Nephilim story also affirms that the cause of universal judgment lay not merely in human wrongdoing but in an incursion that threatened the entire course of redemption. If evil had succeeded in corrupting all human lineages, the line to the promised Seed might have been jeopardized. God’s response was severe but meticulously timed. Genesis 6:3 indicates He granted 120 years, demonstrating patience and allowing individuals a final chance to repent. Yet once that span concluded, the floodwaters came, and “all flesh that was moving on the earth perished” (Genesis 7:21).

Contemporary Misunderstandings

Some modern writings, whether from mainstream scholarship or speculative literature, recast the Nephilim as extraterrestrial beings, or interpret the “sons of God” as allegories about power struggles between ancient clans. The historical-grammatical approach, however, points back to the plain sense of the text and consistent usage of “sons of God” in the Old Testament. Setting aside naturalistic or purely metaphorical readings clarifies that Scripture portrays an actual incursion by rebellious angels. Those seeking a coherent biblical theology find the ancient witness of Genesis to be internally consistent and corroborated by New Testament passages.

Others misunderstand the timeline indicated in Genesis 6:4, surmising that the phrase “and also afterward” confirms that the Nephilim continued past the Flood or reappeared later. The grammar can be understood as stating that the Nephilim existed in that period when “the sons of God” continued to have relations with women. It does not necessarily imply survival beyond the Flood. The spies’ reference to “Nephilim” in Numbers 13:33 is best interpreted as rhetorical exaggeration.

The Enduring Relevance of the Account

Genesis 6:1-4 stands as a sobering narrative about the boundaries God has set between the spiritual and human realms. It highlights how crossing those boundaries can lead to catastrophic results. Although the rebellious angels attempted to disrupt the divine plan, Jehovah maintained the integrity of humanity’s lineage and orchestrated the preservation of a righteous remnant. The overarching theme is that Jehovah’s sovereignty remains intact even when powerful spirit creatures defy Him. Their efforts to subvert His purpose inevitably fail, though they cause great turmoil in the interim.

This narrative reminds us that God’s judgments serve not as capricious acts but as necessary measures to uphold righteousness and preserve the line of salvation. The Flood was an extreme, once-in-history measure, reflecting an extreme crisis. Believers today glean insight into God’s character: He is patient yet not indifferent, just yet willing to provide a clear warning, as He did through Noah. Second Peter 3:5-7 compares the future judgment of the present world with the global Flood, indicating that the earlier cataclysm is a pattern for how God deals with persistent, unrepentant wickedness.

Conclusion: The Nephilim’s Place in Biblical History

Genesis 6:4’s mention of the Nephilim fits within a larger biblical context that addresses angelic freedom, human choices, and the seriousness of violating divine order. The Nephilim stand as the infamous result of angels who forsook heaven’s domain to produce hybrid offspring. Their presence escalated depravity on earth, compelling Jehovah to cleanse creation and protect the lineage from which the promised Seed—Christ—would later arise. Far from being a secondary myth or an obscure reference, the account of the Nephilim underscores a central theological message: God’s sovereignty triumphs over cosmic rebellion.

The Flood eradicated these beings, and their rebellious fathers were confined, prevented from materializing again. Though the record of their existence is brief, it warns of the dangers inherent when rational beings reject divine boundaries. The righteous survival of Noah’s family offers assurance that faithfulness can prevail even in an era saturated with corruption. The ongoing biblical story leads to the advent of Christ, who rectifies the damage unleashed by sin and seals the defeat of rebel forces. The Nephilim episode, therefore, accentuates the unstoppable momentum of God’s redemptive plan—a plan no demonic scheme can ultimately overthrow.

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About the Author

EDWARD D. ANDREWS (AS in Criminal Justice, BS in Religion, MA in Biblical Studies, and MDiv in Theology) is CEO and President of Christian Publishing House. He has authored over 220+ books. In addition, Andrews is the Chief Translator of the Updated American Standard Version (UASV).