⭐ Who Are the “Sons of God” in Genesis 6?
The phrase “sons of God” (Hebrew: bene ha’elohim) is a technical term in the Old Testament.
Every time this exact phrase appears in the Old Testament, it refers to heavenly beings, not humans.
📖 1. Job 1:6 — Heavenly Beings Present Themselves Before God
“Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them.”
These are angelic beings, appearing in God’s heavenly court.
📖 2. Job 2:1 — Same Heavenly Council
“Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord…”
Same phrase, same meaning — angels.
📖 3. Job 38:7 — Angels Present at Creation
“When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?”
Humans did not exist yet.
So these “sons of God” must be angels.
📖 4. Psalm 29:1 — “Sons of the Mighty” (Hebrew: bene elim)
“Give unto the Lord, O ye mighty ones…”
This is another divine‑council term referring to heavenly beings, not people.
📖 5. Psalm 89:6 — Heavenly Beings in God’s Assembly
“Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the Lord?”
Again, this is the heavenly host, not humans.
⭐ Conclusion from the Old Testament Evidence
Every time the Old Testament uses the phrase “sons of God” in this form, it refers to:
✔ Heavenly beings
✔ Members of God’s divine council
✔ Angels (including those who later fell)
So, in Genesis 6, the natural reading is:
“Sons of God” = angelic beings
who left their proper place and took human wives.
This interpretation is also supported by the New Testament.
⭐ New Testament Confirmation
📖 Jude 6–7 — Angels Who Left Their Proper Domain
“And the angels which kept not their first estate…
Even as Sodom and Gomorrha… going after strange flesh…”
Jude directly connects rebellious angels with sexual sin.
📖 2 Peter 2:4–5 — Angels Who Sinned in the Days of Noah
“God spared not the angels that sinned…
and spared not the old world, but saved Noah…”
Peter ties the angelic rebellion to the days of Noah, the exact context of Genesis 6.
⭐ Putting It All Together
- Sons of God = heavenly beings (angels) who rebelled, left their proper domain, and took human wives.
- Daughters of Men = human women, descendants of Adam.
- Giants (Nephilim) = the hybrid offspring of this forbidden union.
This is the interpretation held by:
- Ancient Jewish writers
- Early Christians
- The internal logic of Scripture itself
Ancient Writings
The Qumran community
- The Qumran community (who preserved the Dead Sea Scrolls) believed:
- Genesis 6 involved angels
- The Nephilim were the offspring
- The Watchers sinned by taking human wives
- Evidence:
- 1Q23, 1Q24, 4Q201–4Q212 (Aramaic fragments of 1 Enoch)
- 4Q530–532 (Book of Giants)
- 4Q180–181 (Commentary on Genesis 6)
- These writings treat the angelic interpretation as fact, not speculation.
Josephus (1st century AD)
- Josephus, the Jewish historian, writes in Antiquities of the Jews:
- Angels had intercourse with women and produced sons who were violent giants.
- This shows the angelic view was mainstream in Judaism of the first century.
Philo of Alexandria (1st century AD)
- Philo, a Jewish philosopher living before and during the time of Jesus, taught:
- “Sons of God” = angels
- Angels took human women
- Their offspring were giants
- He interprets Genesis 6 allegorically but still affirms the angelic identity.
