Examining the "Sons of God" and Giants in Genesis 6

Many interpretations of Genesis 6 have been influenced by extra-biblical sources, particularly the Book of Enoch. However, a careful examination of the biblical text itself reveals a different picture.

Jesus on Angels and Marriage

For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven. (Matthew 22:30, KJV)

Jesus clearly states that angels do not marry. This contradicts interpretations that claim the "sons of God" in Genesis 6 were angels who married human women.

The Biblical Account in Genesis 6

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. (Genesis 6:1-2, KJV)

This passage doesn't indicate that the "sons of God" were angels. The term likely refers to God-fearing men fulfilling God's command to multiply.

God's Judgment on Man, Not Angels

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, KJV)

The Nephilim (Giants) and the Marriages

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 6:4, KJV)

This verse indicates that giants existed before these marriages occurred. The offspring of these unions are described as "mighty men" and "men of renown," not as monstrous giants.

God's Sorrow Over Man's Wickedness

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. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. (Genesis 6:5-6, KJV)

God's Decision to Destroy Man and Animals

And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. (Genesis 6:7, KJV)

God decides to destroy man and animals, not fallen angels or their supposed offspring.

Giants After the Flood

And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight. (Numbers 13:33, KJV)

Giants (Nephilim) are mentioned after the flood, indicating they were not unique to the pre-flood world.

Realistic Sizes of Biblical Giants

And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. (1 Samuel 17:4, KJV)

Goliath, one of the largest recorded giants in the Bible, was about 9 feet 9 inches tall - far from the implausible sizes suggested in some extra-biblical accounts. If a 6-foot man is standardized at 180 lbs., then the noteworthy Goliath would have weighed about 772 lbs. We cube the height ratio, then multiply by 180.

We are told in 1 Enoch 7:2, "And they became pregnant, and they bare great giants, whose height was three thousand ells." An ell throughout history has ranged from 18 to 54 inches. Thus, we are told the giants ranged from 4500 to 13500 feet (1.372 to 4.115 kilometers) in height!

A 4500-foot nephalim, by the Book of Enoch's reckoning, would have weighed about 37,968,750 tons. How many centuries would it take for any one creature of any type to grow to such a size? For the truly curious, a 13500-foot nephalim would have weighed about 1.025 billion tons. I offer no further commentary on marauding supergiants for the recalcitrant or uneducated mind.

Conclusion

A careful reading of Genesis 6, in light of Jesus' teaching and other biblical passages, suggests that the "sons of God" were likely godly men, not angels. The Nephilim were not the offspring of these unions but existed separately. The biblical account focuses on human sin and God's judgment, not on fantastical tales of angelic intermarriage or impossibly large giants.