In the Bible, who were the "giant sons of God"?

SD ^ | Dex

[Sir Gawain]

In the Bible, who were the "giant sons of God"?

20-Nov-2001

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Dear Straight Dope:

Who or what were the giant sons of God (Nephilim) mentioned in the Bible and what happened to them? Depending on the author, they are refered to as sons of Seth, angels, aliens, monsters, and "weird hybrid offspring" that may have been wiped out in the flood. Were the ancient scribes jealous because they were just the big guys that got the good looking daughters? --Michael K.

SDSTAFF Dex replies:

Let's quote the text from Genesis 6. This is my own translation, combined from several sources, trying to retain the literal text. I'm telling you, at the Straight Dope you're dealing with professionals:

When men began to increase on earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw how beautiful the daughters of men were and took wives from among those that pleased them. The Lord said, "My breath shall not abide in man forever, since he too is flesh; let the days allowed him be one hundred and twenty years." The Nephilim were on the earth in those days and also after that, when the sons of God cohabited with the daughters of men, who bore them offspring. They were the heroes of old, the men of renown.

This is one of the strangest accounts in Genesis, and there is no certain explanation. The Hebrew text is obscure, possibly deliberately so, to downgrade any mythic tone. In the first chapters of Genesis, human beings strive to become divine, and God intervenes, so that mankind cannot be immortal. Here, the reverse happens, divine beings lower themselves to the level of humans, and again God intervenes.

It is very likely that the passages are only a fragment of what was once a longer narrative, or commonly told tale. Presumably, the Nephilim were described as "heroes of old" based on popular stories and tales. Depending on who you think wrote the text, either the longer story was lost by the time the Redactor got to editing the various texts centuries later, or Moses left out popular and well-known stories about ancient times and just referenced them in a way that appears cryptic to us.

Almost all pagan mythologies abound with legends about intercourse between gods and mortal women, and between goddesses and mortal men, producing demigods or heroes as children. There is also a common mythology that there once existed a race of men of gigantic stature of strength. The story here seems similar, but is still consistent with the overriding theme of monotheism: there is only one God who makes decisions. The offspring of such unions may have been heroic, but they are not divine, they are flesh and blood like all humans ("since he too is flesh"). The one God controls the breath of life.

So, for a start, who are the "sons of God"? The most popular interpretation is that they are divine beings, the angelic host, the celestial court, a poetic image taken from the analogy of human kings surrounded by their entourage. The term "the host of heaven" is also sometimes used in the Bible to mean the same thing.

Some translators use "sons of the great," since the term elohim in the Psalms often means "mighty." It would also be possible to read it as "sons of the gods," but that would be inconsistent with the monotheism of the text. On the other hand, "sons of God" may simply mean those who serve and love God. One interpretation is that the children of Seth are sometimes called "sons of God," and then the "daughters of men" might imply the daughters of Cain.

So, I repeat, the text is extremely unclear. By the way, note the implication that the sons of God are driven by lust (they are attracted to the mortal women by their beauty rather than their personalities or moral character). And, lest your mind wander in the gutters, the term is definitely "took wives," meaning were married--there is no implication of rape or coercion.

And, now, who were these Nephilim? The plain reading of the text indicates that they are the offspring of the misalliances between the divine beings and the daughters of men. The term "The Nephilim were in the earth in those days" would thus mean that the union of the sons of God and daughters of man gave birth to them. However, it is possible that the Nephilim existed separate from the intermarriages, and the term "were in the earth in those days" just sets the time-frame as antediluvian. (Hah! I've always wanted to use that word in context!)

The word Nephilim itself unclear; the obvious root N-F-L would imply they are "fallen ones," that is, fallen angels. The Septuagint (Greek translation of the Torah, from about 200 BC) translates Nephilim as "giants," likely based on the reference in Numbers 13:33 (see below) that Nephilim were "of great size." Thus, the term is commonly translated as giants or heroes.

I don't know if this helps you much. Who the Nephilim and the "sons of God" were is a matter of conjecture and interpretation, and there are lots of different interpretations. As to what happened to them, at least here we have consensus: they did not survive the Flood. The Flood story comes hot on the heels of these verses, and so the conjunction of the two stories implies the Nephilim and the marriage of the divine and mortal beings was part of the wickedness that was destroyed by the Flood.

As a footnote, the word Nephilim appears significantly only one other time in the Bible.

In Numbers 13:32-33, the Israelites send advance spies to scout out the land of Canaan. The spies report that "All the people we saw in it are men of great size; we saw the Nephilim there--the Anakites are part of the Nephilim--and we looked like grasshoppers to ourselves, and so we must have looked to them." Now, the problem with this description is that, if the biblical narrative is consistent, then the Nephilim would not have survived the Flood, so how would they have been around for the spies to see? The answer is that the spies were trying to instill fear in the hearts of the people, to discourage them from invading the land, and so they used poetic exaggeration. The term Nephilim was used for dramatic effect, as the term "Huns" was used to indicate Germans during the World Wars, centuries after there were no longer true Huns.

--SDSTAFF Dex
Straight Dope Science Advisory Board

[Comment on this answer.]

Staff Reports are researched and written by members of the Straight Dope Science Advisory Board, Cecil's online auxiliary. Although the SDSAB does its best, these articles are edited by Ed Zotti, not Cecil, so accuracywise you'd better keep your fingers crossed.

[Sir Gawain]

ping

[slhill]

I think I remember correctly that Aviva Gottlieb Zornberg discusses this story in her commentary "Genesis: the beginnings of desire".

[RnMomof7]

a pastoral reading bump..thought it might interest ya

[DreamWeaver]

One interpretation that I have read is that the Nephillim were of satan and his fallen angels. It was just another plan of satan to spoil the bloodline to prevent the coming of the Messiah ( Jesus the Christ) that needed to be pure. Noah was one family with a bloodline that did not intermarry or mix their bloodline with the Nephellim. I dont' have the scripture offhand but if you notice it is mentioned in the Bible not only was Noah and his family saved from the flood because of their righteousness but also because of their geneology. That is specifically stated in scripture.

[philman_36]

Now, the problem with this description is that, if the biblical narrative is consistent, then the Nephilim would not have survived the Flood, so how would they have been around for the spies to see?
There is a narrative, I don't remember exactly where right off hand, of a second influx of fallen angels after the flood. I'll see if I can remember where it is.

[d4now]

Have you read the Book of Enoch?

[verity]

who were the "giant sons of God"?

Defensive linemen at Notre Dame?

[Stefan Stackhouse]

Neanderthals?

[Lurking Libertarian]

I think the correct translation of the Hebrew word nephilim is "muppets."

[Le-Roy]

Bumpage.

[DreamWeaver]

Have you read the Book of Enoch?

No I have not, I take it I should though. Please briefly elaborate ? Thanks.

[SubSailor]

Not this year!

[Cvengr]

I believe your analysis is correct.

As for the article's implication that these things don't exist or are a literary device similar to the Hun in WWI, I offer the following testimonial as a differing position.

A year or so ago I had some dreams involving persons who identified themselves as ANNA-ANACHIM. I had never heard of this or this type of letering or wording. Upon further study I discovered many references to the Nephilim and Anachim. If they don't exist, then why would I have a dream about them, strongly spiritual in nature, wherein a never before named group identify themselves in the dream? Then it turns out to be the same name as these groups.

I don't know all the answers, nor do I probably need to know them, but I strongly believe the dismissal of the topic as simply imaginary to be more foolish than one who would imagine such things.

If they are imaginary, then why do independent people over history and at present report exposure to the same group under anomalous conditions?

All indicators I've seen are consistent with your synopsis.

[Mr. Mulliner]

About 3 years ago, Chuck Missler and one of his colleagues, Dr. Mark Eastman, held a conference at Rosswell, New Mexico to kind of coincide with all of the anniversary hoopla of the Rosswell sightings. Chuck Missler I consider a very interesting and sound Bible teacher, someone who is at least a very independent thinker and yet quite orthodox. In case you're not familiar with him, you can visit his Koinonia House website.

Now please don't laugh, but the conference was called Alien Encounters: A Christian Perspective On Alien Contact. I know, I know. Sounds terribly sensationalistic, and yet if you think about it, considering how many Christians are caught up in talk about alien encounters, especially during the Rosswell anniversary, it makes sense to have a conference and I think they had fun with it too.

If you click on that conference link, you'll find links to their 6 talks and also PowerPoint presentations. I listened to most of the talks or at least breezed through them, but one of them specifically addresses this question about the Nephilim. It's either the first or second one, looking at the titles. The first one has the word "Nephilim" in it, but I'm thinking the second one gets into it more.

Take what you can from it. There's some interesting ideas he brings up and some may seem far-fetched, but if you listen with an open mind, you may come to the same conclusion.

[Clifdo]

The "giant sons of God" as you refer to them are the offspring from the mating of the "sons of God" (creatures created by God who come from the spirit world who were fallen); (creatures of no character or honor), with the daughters of men - one of the main reasons why God decided it was time to get rid of the evil all around that men had fallen into by means of the flood.

[Thinkin' Gal]

Farewell to a Little Giant: A riderless white stallion follows the coffin of Jordan's legendary King Hussein, the "Plucky Little King" and Mideast peacemaker who succumbed to cancer in February. The monarch who had ruled from age 17 until his death at 63 enjoyed a love and respect unique across the region’s fractious divides, and beyond. He was a linchpin of regional peace, and one of his last acts was to encourage Israeli and Palestinian leaders to make a leap of faith in signing the Wye Accord. Weeks before his death, Hussein named his 36-year-old son, Abdullah, as his heir.

http://www.lifemag.com/Life/yip/1999/6.html

[Clifdo]

Don't let us get hung up over lots of words, words, words which say absolutely nothing!! Love, Do

[d4now]

The Book of Enoch

Interesting reading, especially once I knew the history. Sorry to post and run this morning but I've got to get to work. Check out the link. It will tell you more than I am able this morning.