Genesis 6:4

My Notes

What Does Genesis 6:4 Mean?

Genesis 6:4 is one of the most enigmatic verses in the Bible — and every interpretation of it is debated: "There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown."

The "giants" — nephilim — comes from the root naphal, to fall. Whether this means "fallen ones" or simply "those who cause others to fall" is uncertain. The nephilim are mentioned only here and in Numbers 13:33 (the spies' report on Canaan's inhabitants). They're associated with extraordinary size and power but their exact nature remains one of the Bible's genuine mysteries.

The "sons of God" — bene ha'elohim — is the phrase that generates the most debate. Three major interpretations exist. First, fallen angels who took human wives (supported by Jude 6-7, 2 Peter 2:4, and Jewish tradition in 1 Enoch). Second, the godly line of Seth intermarrying with the ungodly line of Cain. Third, ancient kings or rulers ("sons of God" as a title for royalty) who practiced polygamy and tyranny. Each interpretation has strengths and weaknesses. What's clear regardless of interpretation is the result: the offspring became "mighty men of old, men of renown" — gibborim, powerful warriors whose fame lasted. And the context (verses 5-7) reveals that this intermingling is part of the escalating corruption that leads to the flood. Whatever happened in Genesis 6:4, it contributed to a world so corrupted that God resolved to start over.

Reflection Questions

• 1.How do you handle biblical passages that remain genuinely mysterious — does the uncertainty strengthen or weaken your trust in Scripture?
• 2.What does the context (this verse precedes the flood decision) teach about the consequences of boundary violation, regardless of the specific interpretation?
• 3.How does the offspring being 'mighty men of renown' challenge the assumption that impressive results validate the methods that produced them?
• 4.Where in your own life or culture do you see the pattern of boundary violation producing impressive but ultimately corrupt outcomes?

Devotional

Giants. Sons of God. Daughters of men. Mighty men of renown. Every phrase in this verse raises more questions than it answers. And the honest truth is: nobody knows exactly what happened here. The interpretations range from fallen angels marrying human women to godly and ungodly family lines intermarrying to ancient kings establishing tyrannical dynasties. The text is brief. The mystery is deep. And the debate has been running for three thousand years without a definitive winner.

What's not debated is the context: this verse sits three sentences before God decides to flood the earth. Whatever the sons of God and the daughters of men were doing, it contributed to a corruption so total that God grieved having made humanity (verse 6). The intermingling — whatever its nature — produced powerful, famous, impressive offspring. Mighty men. Men of renown. And the fame and the power were part of the problem, not the solution. The world's most impressive people were its most corrupt. The renown was a symptom of the disease that provoked the flood.

There's a lesson in the mystery itself. The Bible doesn't explain everything. It gives you enough to understand the moral arc — boundary violation leads to corruption, corruption provokes judgment, judgment leads to new creation — without satisfying every curiosity about the mechanism. You don't need to know whether the sons of God were angels or kings to understand the point: when boundaries designed by God are violated, the result isn't progress. It's the kind of corruption that makes the Creator regret the creation. The specifics are debated. The trajectory is clear. And the trajectory ends in a flood.

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture