Genesis 6:4
3 Then the Lord said, “My Spirit will not remain with man forever, because he is also flesh; nevertheless his days shall be 120 years.” 4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of mankind, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.
5 Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of mankind was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually.
Numbers 13:32-33
32 So they brought a bad report of the land which they had spied out to the sons of Israel, saying, “The land through which we have gone to spy out is a land that devours its inhabitants; and all the people whom we saw in it are people of great stature. 33 We also saw the Nephilim there (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”
- "The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown."
- This verse connects the Nephilim to the "sons of God" and "daughters of humans," suggesting a mixed origin.
- The phrase "men of renown" implies they were notable figures, possibly due to their size or strength.
- "There also 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.”
- This verse describes the Nephilim as being seen in Canaan, where they were perceived as giants compared to the Israelite spies.
- The spies' comparison to grasshoppers highlights their perceived height and intimidating presence.
- The Nephilim are mentioned in both Genesis 6:4 and Numbers 13:33.
- The term "Nephilim" is linked to the "sons of God" and "daughters of men" in Genesis.
- Numbers 13:33 describes them as giants or people of great size.
- There are various interpretations of the Nephilim's origin and nature.
- Amos 2:9-10
- 9 “Yet it was I who destroyed the Amorite before them,
Though his height was like the height of cedars
And he was as strong as the oaks;
I also destroyed his fruit above and his roots below.
10 And it was I who brought you up from the land of Egypt,
And led you in the wilderness for forty years
So that you might take possession of the land of the Amorite. - The Nephilim, mentioned in Genesis 6:1–4, are traditionally described as the "fallen ones" or giants resulting from the union of "sons of God" and "daughters of men." While often interpreted as offspring of fallen angels, a major, alternative biblical theory holds that Nephilim were fully human—the offspring of the godly Sethite line (sons of God) marrying the wicked Cainite line (daughters of men).Key Aspects of the Human-Only Nephilim Theory:
- Sethite Interpretation: The "sons of God" refers to the descendants of Seth (who followed God), while "daughters of men" refers to the wicked descendants of Cain. The Nephilim are the offspring of these intermarriages, resulting in a corrupt, powerful, and violent generation.
- "Mighty Men of Old": The description of Nephilim as "mighty men" or "men of renown" in Genesis 6:4 is seen as a description of their reputation for violence and fame, rather than supernatural origin.
- Context of Judgment: This theory explains why God judged humanity as a whole, as the godly line (Sethites) corrupted themselves by intermarrying with the wicked line (Cainites), leading to total depravity.
- "Fallen Ones": The Hebrew word Nephilim is interpreted as "those who cause others to fall" or simply "the fallen ones" (spiritually), rather than beings fallen from heaven.
Arguments Against the Supernatural/Angel Theory:- Angelic Nature: Many theologians argue that angels, being spirit beings, cannot physically reproduce with humans.
- Scriptural Interpretation: The phrase "sons of God" is used elsewhere to describe faithful men, not just angels.
This human-centric theory suggests the Nephilim were exceptionally wicked or strong human leaders who contributed to the, corruption, leading to the Flood, rather than being supernatural hybrids. Who / what were the Nephilim? https://www.gotquestions.org/Nephilim.html
The Nephilim (“fallen ones, giants”) may have been the offspring of sexual relationships between the sons of God and the daughters of men in Genesis 6:1–4. There is much debate as to the identity of the Nephilim (verse 4) and the “sons of God” (verse 2), who seem to be distinct from the “human beings” in verse 1.
One theory is that the “sons of God” were fallen angels (demons) who took on physical form and mated with human females (or demons who possessed human males who then mated with human females). These unions resulted in extraordinary offspring, the Nephilim, who were “heroes of old, men of renown” of a giant size and, apparently, enhanced physical abilities (Genesis 6:4). If demons were involved in producing the Nephilim, it is likely those demons are the ones who were judged by God and are now “kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day” (Jude 1:6).
Assuming the Nephilim were the spawn of demons, why would demons want to cohabit with human women and produce offspring? One speculation is that the demons were attempting to pollute the human bloodline in order to prevent the coming of the Messiah. God had promised that the Messiah would one day crush the head of the serpent, Satan (Genesis 3:15). The demons in Genesis 6 were possibly attempting to prevent the crushing of the serpent and make it impossible for a sinless “seed of the woman” to be born.
There are at least two objections to the theory that the Nephilim were demon-human hybrids: first, there is nothing in the text to expressly identify the sons of God as angels. Second, the Bible never indicates that angels are physiologically compatible with women and can procreate with them (unless Genesis 6 is the only instance).
Others have suggested that the sons of God might be fallen angels who possessed men. As in the first theory, the phrase sons of God could still refer to fallen angels, the difference being that the demons were using mortal men to accomplish their goals. While this view would resolve the physiological problems of the first theory, there is, again, nothing in the text to suggest demonic possession.
Another view of the Nephilim is that the statement “There were giants on the earth in those days” (Genesis 6:4, NKJV) simply means that everyone was big and tall and mighty. Genetically, humanity was still in a nearly pristine condition. This theory takes the view that these sons of God were simply men. This would explain why there were giants before the flood “and also afterward” (Genesis 6:4; cf. 1 Samuel 17:4–7), as primeval genetic material survived in Noah’s family. The fact that Nephilim were still around sporadically after the flood is an indicator that giants like Goliath were exceptional, but not superhuman.
According to legend (the Book of Enoch and other non-biblical writings), the Nephilim were a unique race of giants and superheroes who committed acts of great evil. In the 2014 movie Noah, starring Russell Crowe, the Nephilim are fallen angels encased in rock. All that the Bible directly says about the Nephilim is that they were “heroes and famous warriors of ancient times” (NLT) or “powerful men of old, the famous men” (CSB). The Nephilim were not aliens, angels, “Watchers,” or rock monsters; they were literal, physical beings.
As mentioned, there were some Nephilim after the flood, according to Genesis 6:4. When the Israelites spied out the land of Canaan, they reported back to Moses, “We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them” (Numbers 13:33). Later, as Moses addressed the people of Israel before they entered Canaan, he mentioned the sons of Anak: “You are now about to cross the Jordan to go in and dispossess nations greater and stronger than you, with large cities that have walls up to the sky. The people are strong and tall—Anakites! You know about them and have heard it said: ‘Who can stand up against the Anakites?’” (Deuteronomy 9:1–2). These “giants” were destroyed by the Israelites with God’s help (Deuteronomy 3:10–11; 9:3; Joshua 11:21–22; 1 Samuel 17).
It is a mysterious passage, but Genesis 6:4 states that there were Nephilim in the land in the days before the flood. The passage does not explicitly say how these giants came to be. It is best to not be dogmatic on an issue about which the Bible says so little.
Trolls, Titans, Giants, Mermaids, Sirens, Fish gods
https://tueseahkiong.blogspot.com/2023/01/trolls-titans-giants-mermaids-sirens.html?m=1
GIANTS IN THE BIBLE
https://tueseahkiong.blogspot.com/2023/01/giants-in-bible.html?m=1
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