Sons of God.

[ewq1938]

In genesis I read that there are "sons of God" who came down to Earth before the flood (In my NIV Bible.)
What is a son of God? Why are they not called angels? Or are they some other sort of heavenly being?

That is an Old Testament term for heavenly angels.

The phrase "the sons of God" appears only 5 times in the old Testament. Every single time it is speaking of angels:

Gen_6:2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.

Gen_6:4 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.

Job_1:6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.

Job_2:1 Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD.

Job_38:7 When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

Morning stars are another term for angels.

Jud 1:6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.
Jud 1:7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
Jud 1:8 Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities.



2Pe 2:4 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;

They sinned by leaving heaven and taking human wives.

 

[Wayne the Shepherd]

Genesis 6 is an explanation/description of the events and people in Genesis 4 and 5. There is even more information about it in the Book of Matthew 24:38. To summarize; the wicked, including the giants, were committing violence and they had evil imaginations. Everyone was "marrying(actively)" and that includes these "sons of God"(believers). The believers began to "call on the name of the Lord" back in Genesis 4 and multiplied exceedingly marrying and "begetting" children for hundreds of years in Genesis 5.

What happens when a man marries multiple wives and then "begets" children for 5, 6, 700 years or more? The answer is, because of the miracle of exponential multiplying, his family becomes a "nation" during his lifetime? He would be, in effect, a "mighty man" politically(marriage alliances), militarily(thousands or millions of progeny), and economically. For example only, the Bible mentions that "Boaz" was a "mighty man" of wealth. So the "sons of God" became powerful and a force to be reckoned with; in short; God's people were living after the world.
And about the "giants"; they were simply big, ferocious, powerful men. That's all.

 

[Rachel20]

In genesis I read that there are "sons of God" who came down to Earth before the flood (In my NIV Bible.)
What is a son of God? Why are they not called angels? Or are they some other sort of heavenly being?

The best explanation I've heard is that the "ben Elohim" are direct creations of God. So that would include the angels and Adam (Luke 3:38). The rest of us are procreated, though we have the power to become "sons of God" (John 1:12). Note the "house" (oiketerion) that we aspire to be clothed with in 2 Corinthians 5:2 may be the same "habitation" (oiketerion) that the angels of Genesis 6 abandoned (Jude 1:6)

 

[Wayne the Shepherd]

The only way to be or become a "son of God is to either be begotten as Jesus Christ or as to "call upon the name of the Lord" becoming a son by faith The men who "began to call upon the name of the Lord" in Genesis 4 were the first "sons of Go". Angels cannot be so. "Into which of the angels saith He at ANY TIME thiu art my son, this day have I begotten thee" .

 

[Wayne the Shepherd]

Sorry for the typos

 

[ChetSinger]

In genesis I read that there are "sons of God" who came down to Earth before the flood (In my NIV Bible.)
What is a son of God? Why are they not called angels? Or are they some other sort of heavenly being?

In the Hebrew scriptures these are heavenly beings who are different than the "malakim" (angels or messengers). They rejoice when God creates the earth (Job 38) and are given authority over the nations of men (Deut 32). But it seems in the New Testament they're conflated with the malakim and all of them are called angels (as in Jude).