- Mar 13, 2018
- 105
- 107
- Country
- United States
- Gender
- Male
- Faith
- Christian
- Marital Status
- Married
Okay, lets here it...
Old Testament Usage
The “sons of God” (bny ho’elohim) first appear in the preamble to the flood narrative (Gen 6:1–4). The “sons of God” find the daughters of men attractive, take them for wives (Gen 6:2), and are given children by them (Gen 6:4). Their offspring may be the Nephilim, also mentioned in this passage (Gen 6:4). From the Nephilim come a race of giants, the Anakim and, by extension, the Rephaim (Num 13:32–33; see, for example, Goliath). The “sons of God” (bny ho’elohim) stand in contrast to the “daughters of men” (האדם בנות, h'dm bnwt), distinguishing them from mere mortals and implying some form of heavenly being, though attempts have been made to identify them as foreigners or as the offspring of Cain.
The “sons of God” also appear in Deuteronomy 32, which refers to the borders during “the days of old” (Deut 32:7 ESV), which were fixed “according to the number of the sons of God” (Deut 32:8). The temporal phrase “days of old” seems to point this passage back to a legendary time, when the sons of God may have been thought to hold power over the nations.
In the book of Job, the “sons of God” appear three times (Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7). The “sons of God” present themselves before Yahweh, and Satan comes among them (Job 1:6; 2:1). In this context, the sons of God appear to be a sort of divine council or group of lower heavenly beings. They are mentioned only in passing, although one of the main characters, Satan, is one of them. Later, as Yahweh questions Job, he asks where Job was “when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy” (Job 38:7). Again, this seems to refer to a legendary past, perhaps to the period of divine creation.
A similar phrase occurs in Psa 82. The term “sons of Elyon” (בני עליון, bny 'lywn) in Psa 82:6 is very similar to “sons of God” (בְּנֵי הָאֱלֹהִים, beney ha'elohim). Sometimes translated as “most high,” Elyon is often considered synonymous with Yahweh. In a psalm exalting Yahweh as the head of a divine council of gods (Psa 82:1), the audience is called “sons of Elyon” or “sons of the most high” and is told that “you are gods” (Psa 82:6).
The Aramaic phrase “a son of the gods” (בַּר־אֱלָהִין, bar-elahin) is used to describe the fourth person alive in the midst of the fiery furnace, referring to a divine or semidivine being who was present (Dan 3:25). This late text may represent the shift in understanding from members of a divine council or lesser gods to the later idea of angels or mere messengers of Yahweh (as the “son of the gods” is later used in Dan 3:28). This is the view taken throughout deuterocanonical and pseudepigraphal literature in the period between the Old and New Testaments, although some accounts also refer to the sons of God as “faithful Jews”
Old Testament Usage
The “sons of God” (bny ho’elohim) first appear in the preamble to the flood narrative (Gen 6:1–4). The “sons of God” find the daughters of men attractive, take them for wives (Gen 6:2), and are given children by them (Gen 6:4). Their offspring may be the Nephilim, also mentioned in this passage (Gen 6:4). From the Nephilim come a race of giants, the Anakim and, by extension, the Rephaim (Num 13:32–33; see, for example, Goliath). The “sons of God” (bny ho’elohim) stand in contrast to the “daughters of men” (האדם בנות, h'dm bnwt), distinguishing them from mere mortals and implying some form of heavenly being, though attempts have been made to identify them as foreigners or as the offspring of Cain.
The “sons of God” also appear in Deuteronomy 32, which refers to the borders during “the days of old” (Deut 32:7 ESV), which were fixed “according to the number of the sons of God” (Deut 32:8). The temporal phrase “days of old” seems to point this passage back to a legendary time, when the sons of God may have been thought to hold power over the nations.
In the book of Job, the “sons of God” appear three times (Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7). The “sons of God” present themselves before Yahweh, and Satan comes among them (Job 1:6; 2:1). In this context, the sons of God appear to be a sort of divine council or group of lower heavenly beings. They are mentioned only in passing, although one of the main characters, Satan, is one of them. Later, as Yahweh questions Job, he asks where Job was “when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy” (Job 38:7). Again, this seems to refer to a legendary past, perhaps to the period of divine creation.
A similar phrase occurs in Psa 82. The term “sons of Elyon” (בני עליון, bny 'lywn) in Psa 82:6 is very similar to “sons of God” (בְּנֵי הָאֱלֹהִים, beney ha'elohim). Sometimes translated as “most high,” Elyon is often considered synonymous with Yahweh. In a psalm exalting Yahweh as the head of a divine council of gods (Psa 82:1), the audience is called “sons of Elyon” or “sons of the most high” and is told that “you are gods” (Psa 82:6).
The Aramaic phrase “a son of the gods” (בַּר־אֱלָהִין, bar-elahin) is used to describe the fourth person alive in the midst of the fiery furnace, referring to a divine or semidivine being who was present (Dan 3:25). This late text may represent the shift in understanding from members of a divine council or lesser gods to the later idea of angels or mere messengers of Yahweh (as the “son of the gods” is later used in Dan 3:28). This is the view taken throughout deuterocanonical and pseudepigraphal literature in the period between the Old and New Testaments, although some accounts also refer to the sons of God as “faithful Jews”