Chapter 2
The Cast of the Drama
“The sons of God saw the daughters of men.” Daniel Chester French
The first question of reiteration is: “Who are the Sons of God?” The four verses that initiate our knowledge of this subject are found in the sixth chapter of Genesis:
And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. 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. (Genesis 6:1-4)
We observe that the original cast of this mystery drama is the following:
- “men” – Genesis 6:1
- “daughters of men” – Genesis 6:1
- “sons of God” – Genesis 6:2
- “the Lord” – Genesis 6:3
- “giants” – Genesis 6:4
This same cast would be involved in the continuation and development of this Faustian drama as it played over and over again. Some plans and plots have adjusted in change with the ongoing experience of presentation, yet, the characters remain the same.
The Great Attraction
The great mystery woven into this script is the completely unnatural relationship involving the “sons of God” and “the daughters of men”. Why was there an attraction here? Verse two gives us our only clue: “. . . the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair…” The Hebrew word translated “fair” in this verse is TOWB (tobe). It can mean: “Good, beautiful, favor, gracious, joyful, kindly, pleasant, precious, or sweet.” In verb form it means “to do better, to be or make better.” TOWB is the word used in Genesis 26:7 when speaking of Rebekah, saying that she was “fair to look upon.” It appears that the “sons of God” were attracted to the “daughters of men” in much the same fashion as men were and are attracted to them. Does this mean that the “daughters of men” were mutually attracted to the “sons of God”? This could be a rather logical conclusion for it is consensus that angels are attractive, even beautiful. Judges 13:6 speaks of an angel of God’s countenance as “very terrible”. The Hebrew word is YARE (yaw-ray) meaning “to revere”, even to he “astonished unto fear”. A supernatural brilliance could cause this reaction. In Acts 6:15 the face of the dying martyr Stephen was “. . . as it had been the face of an angel.” “A bright and attractive countenance” must surely be allowed between the lines here. It is a small step for us to conclude that the “sons of God” and “the daughters of men” had a mutual admiration society. Also, there is no way for us to get away from the sexual implications of these verses. Undoubtedly the “sons of God” had human-like proclivities and abilities. Could these conjugal unions of angels and humans produce children that were more than just the normal – natural? The answer lies in verse four where it explains that “giants” of remarkable abilities were the progenetic results. Could this progeny have instituted in them a peculiar DNA? We will address this in some detail later in our study.
Giant: A Word Study
Let’s now turn our attention to the Hebrew word translated “giants” in verse four. It is the word NEPHIL (nef-eel), NEPHILIM (plural). The root of this word is NEPHEL, “Something fallen, i.e. an abortion” and NAPHAL (naw-fall), “To fall, cast down, a fugitive.” This is a rare use of nephilim to be translated “giants”, the only other time in the Old Testament being in Numbers 13:33. The KJV uses “giant(s)” twenty-one times; but just these two places translated nephilim. Two other Hebrew words gibbowr and rapha are also used. Rapha is used seventeen times and should be considered the normal word for “giants”. For nephilim to be used just twice, and in the context initially with the “sons of God”, gives the word a different and a deeper meaning than just “giants”. Perhaps a better translation would be “the fallen ones” or “the cast down ones.” The “giants” themselves are not the “cast out” angels of God, for those angels are known in the context as the “sons of God”. What nephilim as translated “giants” does do is relate the “giants” to the “sons of God”; establishing the concept of angel-human mutation.
The Beginning of Homosexuality?
After asking some obvious contextual questions about these four verses, perhaps we should ask some that aren’t so obvious. For instance, “How did the men feel about the ‘sons of God’ marrying their women? Was a sense of rejection and anger widespread? Did the men feel an attraction to the ‘sons of God’ as well?” This is Genesis chapter six. By Genesis chapter nineteen we see rampant homosexuality. Did it begin in chapter six? Was it part of the description of verse five? “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” (Genesis 6:5)
In Genesis nineteen it was homosexuality that destroyed Sodom. Was it the same lascivious sin that helped bring the world to a watery destruction?
These are questions that beg consideration whether or not we can provide ready answers. The more we study the nephilim the more we will feel this burden. As demons proliferate, sexual perversions and anomalies multiply. Considering these things, it is clear that in the mind of a concerned and righteous Creator, complete catastrophic judgment was the only solution.
We have established that the sons of God were “fallen” or “cast down” angels. When these “sons of God came in unto the daughters of men” their offspring were “giants”. We also concluded that the “Sons of God” were still beautiful in their angelic creation. Perhaps their beauty was such that even the men of that day were attracted to them. Could this be the beginning of homosexuality? Homosexuality is not mentioned before this, but by the time we get to Genesis 19 (the destruction of Sodom) homosexuality is rampant. Also in Genesis 19, it is the men of Sodom that are violently drawn to the angels in a perverted way. If the men of Genesis 6 were drawn to the fallen angels in a sexual way because of the beauty of the angels, homosexuality could be the result. This would provide a bridge of understanding, perverted as it is, from the angel-man confrontation of Genesis 6 to the angel-man confrontation of Genesis 19. If it can be concluded that homosexuality began in Genesis after the arrival of the “sons of God”, it might well explain the abrupt change of subject and tone between 6:4 and 6:5.
God’s Patience Wears Thin
“And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.” (Genesis 6:3)
Genesis 6:3 shows us that God was running out of patience with man’s sin. His warning was: “My spirit shall not always strive with man.” The Hebrew word “strive” is LOYADHON; it can mean “shield, abide in, or rule”. It can also mean “judge” as in “judge among”. The Holy Spirit was evidently working through men like Enoch and Noah to exhort the people to Godliness; but they didn’t heed the words of these preachers of righteousness. God’s mercy endures and endures and thus He gave them 120 years in which to repent. “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” (Genesis 6:5)
Undoubtedly a good portion of the 120 years had passed by the time 6:5 took place, for here God is conclusive in His judgment of man’s sinful condition: “…the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and…the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth…” He then proclaimed the terrible judgment that would soon ensue: “…I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth.”
Man and Nephilim
“The wickedness of man was great on the earth.” This reference to “man” refers to the natural men on the earth, and to the giants who were also men. This verse (verse 5) follows verse four immediately with “and” as the connecting (conjunction) word. Verse four tells us of the “giants” and we must see that verse five does too. It is the same context with verse five continuing and expanding on verse four. (Just a reminder that God didn’t divide and separate the Bible into sections; man did.) At this juncture, God is not blaming the fallen angels for man’s sin. The blame is placed squarely on man, both small size and supernormal giant size. Still, it is apparent that it was the infusion of the nephilim that stained the character of natural man to such an extent that both could be represented by the one onerous word “man”. We must discern that the “giants” are a physical manifestation even though in essence they have a spiritual interconnection. This really is true of man too, don’t you think? It may be good at this point to insert a “glossary” definition for the word nephilim that would clarify its use; both now and in our further study. When we first ascertain that the Hebrew word that is translated “giant” in Genesis 6:4 is nephilim, and this means “cast down ones”, we quickly see a connection between the fallen angels and the “giants”. When we understand that these “giants” are the offspring of the “sons of God” and the “daughters of men”, we conclude that “giants” and nephilim are the same. This doesn’t mean that the “giants” are themselves the “cast down ones”. The definition of nephilim merely points backward to the “giants’” angelic predecessors, the “sons of God”. The “giants” themselves were never “cast down” from heaven; they were born and bred on earth. We can define nephilim as: “The physical mutant manifestations resulting from the sexual copulation of fallen angels and natural female species of the earth.” In the discussion of the moment, the “natural female species” are women, “the daughters of men”. Later in our study we will be surprised and shocked at what they will be.
The Results of Rebellion
Because of the consummate sin emanating from this unholy union, all of mankind is affected and cursed. The spiritual virus is so virulent and pervasive that only an “every creature” cleansing can heal the land. The flood was God’s course of action to cleanse the earth and prepare it for new life. It is difficult to accept that natural man, especially in the presence of Enoch and Noah, could sink so low in such a short span of time. What are some of the facts that contributed to this condition? Just associating with the fallen angels would certainly be a primary reason. When the “daughters of men” married the “sons of God”, their character was subsumed by a higher and more powerful life form. The sin and rebellion of the fallen angels dominated their wives and their giant children. These nephilim were “mighty men…men of renown”, thereby drawing people, men and women, into their circle of conspiracy and libidinous concupiscence. Also, it would be logical for the natural men who were rejected by the “choice” daughters in marriage, to harbor a deep resentment. The boils of hatred swelling forth from the infection of this resentment, would be mountainous indeed! Another facet of consideration is the sexual response of some of the natural men toward the luminous angelic creatures that lived among them. These men, suffering rejection from their own kind and at the same time feeling an attraction towards the “sons of God”, were ripe for unnatural perversity.
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Chapter Summary Questions
- Who were the “sons of God”? (page 9)
- Who were the Nephilim? (page 8)
- Did the “sons of God” originate homosexuality? How? Why? (pages 8 & 9)
- What did God mean when he said: “My Spirit shall not always strive with man.”? (page 9)
- Name some of the sexual characteristics resulting from the Genesis rebellion. (page 10)