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What are the nephilim?
Now it came
about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters
were born to them, 2at the sons of God saw that the daughters
of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they
chose. 3Then the Lord said, “ My Spirit shall
not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his
days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” 4The Nephilim
were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of
God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them.
Those were the mighty men who were of old,
men of renown," (Gen. 6:1-4, NASB).
There is debate over exactly who the Nephilim are in Gen. 6.
Some people believe that the Nephilim are the offspring of sexual
relations between fallen angels and human women. Jude 6 is
often referenced as additional support when addressing the angelic
realm who "...did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their
proper abode..." (Jude 6). Others believe the Nephilim were
giants (Nephilim means giants), men of great physical stature.
Of course, this also is believed by some people who suspect that the
offspring of the fallen angels and the women were those giants which
they say would explain their large size. But this is
conjecture. Still others hold that the Nephilim are the
descendents of Seth.1
According to Harper's Bible Dictionary, the Nephilim are "people of the
pre-Flood generation, the offspring of daughters of men and divine beings
(Gen. 6:1-4). Their generation and their conduct seem to have provoked
the Flood as punishment (Gen. 6:5 - 8:22). In
Num. 13:33 the Israelite
spies describe the inhabitants of Hebron as Nephilim, so large and
powerful that ‘we seemed like grasshoppers.’ The name could mean ‘fallen
ones’ and allude to stories in related cultures of rebellious giants
defeated by the gods in olden times (cf. Isaiah 14:12)."2 Of course, a problem with this view is how did the Nephilim
survive the flood? We see a post-flood account of them in
Num. 13:33, "There also we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak are part
of the Nephilim); and we became like grasshoppers in our own sight,
and so we were in their sight.”
The range of options is varied. Consider
this:
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"Many
have suggested that the sons of God were the godly line of Seth
and the daughters of men were the Cainites. But this does not do
justice to the terminology or the context. Others view the “sons
of God” as angels (as in Job 1:6), who cohabited with women on
earth. This, however, conflicts with Matt. 22:30."3
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"The term [Nephilim, Giants] in
Hebrew implies
not so much the idea of great stature as of reckless ferocity,
impious and daring characters, who spread devastation and
carnage far and wide."4
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"The improper mating of heavenly beings and
earthly women is an attack on the boundaries that are meant to
separate the heavenly and earthly realms. It thus threatens the
integrity of creation as God intended it."5
As you
can see, commentaries are divided on who exactly the
Nephilim really are. Therefore, we can make no
definite statement on who the Nephilim really were.
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1.
Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., Fausset, A.
R., Brown, D., & Brown, D. (1997). A commentary, critical and
explanatory, on the Old and New Testaments. On spine: Critical
and explanatory commentary. (Ge 6:2-3). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos
Research Systems, Inc.)
2.
Achtemeier,
P. J., Harper & Row, P., & Society of Biblical Literature. (1985).
Harper's Bible dictionary. Includes index. (1st ed.) (Page 696).
San Francisco: Harper & Row.
3.
Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., &
Dallas Theological Seminary. (1983-c1985). The Bible knowledge
commentary : An exposition of the scriptures. Wheaton, IL:
Victor Books.
4.
Jamieson, R., Fausset, A., & and Brown, D. (1997). Commentary
Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (electronic ed.) (Ge
6:4). Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
5.
Mays, J. L., Harper &
Row, P., & Society of Biblical Literature. (1988). Harper's Bible
commentary (Ge 6:5). San Francisco: Harper & Row.
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