As you may see, I consider myself an atheist.
I still enjoy reading the bible and wonder about certain things and concepts.
As I started reading a certain study bible, I saw this verse from Genesis 6:4
The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown.
The explanation was lacking, to put it mild.
If I remember correctly is said something to the effect of "The Nephilim were large men"
So I went online and I see that there does not seem to be any good solid answers what the Nephilim are/were.
There seem to be as many theories as people that wonder.
The word itself suggests someone that has fallen.
People argue that they can´t be angels, since they mated with the female humans.
Then I got even more confused when there is more to be learned from the Book of Enoch.
The first book/chapter is more detailed about the Nephilim.
It is told as the Nephilim come from the angels.
They seem to be good and bad.
One such fallen Nephilim was this one Azazel (I would put up a link but I´m a newbie that is not allowed that)
From the Book of Enoch:
And Azazel taught men to make swords and knives and shields and breastplates; and made known to them the metals [of the earth] and the art of working them; and bracelets and ornaments; and the use of antimony and the beautifying of the eyelids; and all kinds of costly stones and all colouring tinctures. And there arose much godlessness, and they committed fornication, and they were led astray and became corrupt in all their ways.
Then god imprisons Azazel
"the Lord said to Raphael: 'Bind Azâzêl hand and foot, and cast him into the darkness: and make an opening in the desert, which is in Dûdâêl (Gods Kettle/Crucible/Cauldron), and cast him therein. And place upon him rough and jagged rocks, and cover him with darkness, and let him abide there for ever, and cover his face that he may not see light. And on the day of the great judgement he shall be cast into the fire. And heal the earth which the angels have corrupted, and proclaim the healing of the earth, that they may heal the plague, and that all the children of men may not perish through all the secret things that the Watchers have disclosed and have taught their sons. And the whole earth has been corrupted through the works that were taught by Azâzêl: to him ascribe all sin."
I don´t know if many of you are in to reading other sources - as in the Book of Enoch.
I still find it interesting and still kind of wondering what they are/were.
Anyone here that has a good answer?
They are gigantic offspring of sons of God (angels/Watchers) and women (daughters of men). Even though they are extinct today, they still haunt the world as demons.
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As you may see, I consider myself an atheist.
I still enjoy reading the bible and wonder about certain things and concepts.
As I started reading a certain study bible, I saw this verse from Genesis 6:4
The explanation was lacking, to put it mild.
If I remember correctly is said something to the effect of "The Nephilim were large men"
So I went online and I see that there does not seem to be any good solid answers what the Nephilim are/were.
There seem to be as many theories as people that wonder.
The word itself suggests someone that has fallen.
People argue that they can´t be angels, since they mated with the female humans.
Then I got even more confused when there is more to be learned from the Book of Enoch.
The first book/chapter is more detailed about the Nephilim.
It is told as the Nephilim come from the angels.
They seem to be good and bad.
One such fallen Nephilim was this one Azazel (I would put up a link but I´m a newbie that is not allowed that)
From the Book of Enoch:
Then god imprisons Azazel
I don´t know if many of you are in to reading other sources - as in the Book of Enoch.
I still find it interesting and still kind of wondering what they are/were.
Anyone here that has a good answer?
The "sons of God" are simply men while the "daughters of men" are simply women.
We should remember that the chapter and verse divisions were added much later and, as a result, these verses began acting as the introduction for Gen 6, and so we tend to link and otherwise identify it closely with the Flood -- and obviously, simply in terms of proximity, that's a perfectly fine understanding. But coming as it does right after our introduction to Noah, I think it's these verses that Jesus was referring to in Matt 24 when he was speaking about the coming judgement. Here in Genesis we're told that in the days of Noah, men and women were getting married and being given in marriage, and were having children and going about their daily lives. Then, all of a sudden, the judgement came in the form of the deluge. Likewise, Jesus informs his disciples: "For when the Son of Man does come, it will be like lightning that flashes out of the east.... But when that hour and day will come, no one knows.... For the Son of Man's coming will be just like in the days of Noah. Back then, before the Flood, people went on eating and drinking, they were marrying and giving in marriage, right up until the day that Noah entered the ark; and they didn't know what was happening until the Flood came and swept them all away. It will be just like that when the Son of Man comes" (Matt 24.27, 36, 37-39).
Therefore, the phrases "sons of God" and "daughters of men" are simply poetical ways to say, "men and women."
They are described in much better detail in the Book of Enoch.
They were giants and/or normal sized with incredible strength and learned of evil crafts - martial arts, warfare, use of weaponry and armor, and perhaps even sorcery. They caused much violence and bloodshed on Earth. When they die, their spirits roam the Earth. Their spirits are around you today!
Their human mothers specialized in sorcery, incantations, and martial arts taught by the fallen angels themselves.
Their fathers "the watchers" were given the task of watching over mankind but they rebelled and deserted their tasks.
Pretty much like Tolkien's imagination or Warcraft lore if you know those sort of things!
One of the meanings of the word was giant. But only one of many. The most common meaning was 'great' man signifying local king or chief. But people fixated on the word giant. Particularly this conspiracy led generation. It is myth and nothing more. Giantism is the extreme of one part of mankind and dwarfism is to the other....Do we say that hobbits fell from heaven and mated with women to make little people? No.
Again, can´t provide a link, but I found this in an interesting article.
It is not clear where the name Nephilim comes from. There are a few possibilities, and scholars argue about the likelihood of each of them. First of all, the word nephilim is a plural and the single form, (npl), does not occur in the Bible (which by itself is not at all unusual). In another context, however, the word (nepel) means untimely birth or abortion. It comes from the verb (napal), fall, lie down, be cast down, fail. The plural word means 'fallen ones,' mostly by the sword, and occurs in Joshua 8:25, Judges 20:46, 2 Kings 25:11, Psalm 145:14, Jeremiah 39:9, 52:15, Ezekiel 32:22 and 24.
HAW Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament mentions the above similarity with some disdain and pronounces a much more likely etymology based on words such as (pala), be marvelous, wonderful, or (pala), be distinct, marked out, or (palal), intervene, interpose, pray. This latter verb is one of many for prayer and other interventions, and in search of origins of this particular verb some scholars end up right back at (napal), to fall (i.e. to prostrate oneself). This becomes especially compelling when we remember that the name Rephaim has to do with a verb that means to sink, let drop, fall slack.
The Nephilim are the Fallen Ones, and the Marvelous Ones.
BDB Theological Dictionary adds a very interesting note, although, in its signature grumpy style, pronounces any etymology 'dubious' and 'precarious' : The words for Nephilim, and bear a striking resemblance to Nephila, the Aramaic word for Orion: and .
The Nephilim are the Orionids.
Some parts of the quote does not work in the copy-paste, since it is missing the hebrew letters.
Still, the major points are there.
A race/group of tall people with perhaps some addition of height/might from legend. And for those whose suggest that is absurd, in more modern times we have the example of people like the Basuto or the Zulu.
The giants or Nephilim in Genesis 6:4, in the context of Genesis 6:5, is a figure of speech meaning "men of great sin." Look at the verses together and it makes a lot of sense. Genesis 6:3-5, "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. 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." This whole passage in the context is about man's great sin.
__________________ "Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:37-39
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But why focus on the point of a passage when one can have so much imaginative fun creating a whole ideology out of a background side reference?
And speaking of side notes, we would be remiss if we failed to note a significant amount of racism which seems to often associate itself with such tales or at least feeds any buried racism and certainly an attractive notion for those freely embracing it. Not saying anyone here feels that way, but have know a few in my time, including my father who held such views. For some at least it seems to justify in their minds racist attitudes they already held before being introduced to this ideology.
Even if not expressed initially, among friends who have endorsed such ideas I have found many who would at least express some racist speculation regarding imagined remnants of human-demon hybrids among us today.
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