Who were the 'sons of God' and the 'giants' in Gensis?

mark kennedy

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The Nephilim are mentioned twice, the offspring of the 'sons of God' (thought to be angels Gen. 6:4) and the sons of Anak in Canaan (Num. 13:33). The word is translated giants but actually means something more like bullies or tyrants. Isreal refused to enter the promised land over them and were going to kill Joshua and Caleb before God intervened, they were scared to death of them.

The Genesis account describes them as 'men of renown', suggesting they were highly skilled and accomplish in the ways if violence. What is being suggested I think isn't nessacarily that they were giants, but accomplished warriors, dishonorable tyrants and bullies. I think in Cannan they were some kind of elite fighters imposing the will of Cannanite kings, and some of the most violent if the Antideluvian peoples.
 
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samwise gamgee

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It is generally believed that the book of Job was written before Genesis. In that book sons of God are clearly angels. That is probably the first idea that would occur to the early readers of Genesis.
 
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JackRT

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Angels.


Not fallen angels, as in those who were cast out of heaven with Lucifer.

Lucifer (bright morning star) is mentioned just three times in the Bible: once in Isaiah to refer to an egotistical Babylonian king and twice in Revelation to refer to Jesus. Of course the word was used in completely different senses in the two books.
 
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JLB777

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Lucifer (bright morning star) is mentioned just three times in the Bible: once in Isaiah to refer to an egotistical Babylonian king and twice in Revelation to refer to Jesus. Of course the word was used in completely different senses in the two books.


The sons of God in Genesis 6:4 are angels.




JLB
 
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ChetSinger

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Were they the fallen angels?
Hello! Early Christian authors identify the Sons of God as angels, and the Nephilim as their sons by human women. This includes Justin Martyr, Athenagoras, Lactantius, and Commodianus. Demons are described not as fallen angels, but as the spirits of dead Nephilim who have been denied the grave because of their mixed parentage and instead sentenced to roam the earth until judgment.

It appears to have been the common belief of the early church. Even more ancient sources including Sumerian writings tell the same story, so it's very old.

I suspect it's the truth. It's an explanation that is both ancient and accepted by the early church. It also pulls together into a coherent framework some of the stranger passages in both the Old and New Testaments.
 
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mark kennedy

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Hello! Early Christian authors identify the Sons of God as angels, and the Nephilim as their sons by human women. This includes Justin Martyr, Athenagoras, Lactantius, and Commodianus. Demons are described not as fallen angels, but as the spirits of dead Nephilim who have been denied the grave because of their mixed parentage and instead sentenced to roam the earth until judgment.

It appears to have been the common belief of the early church. Even more ancient sources including Sumerian writings tell the same story, so it's very old.

I suspect it's the truth. It's an explanation that is both ancient and accepted by the early church. It also pulls together into a coherent framework some of the stranger passages in both the Old and New Testaments.
There is no escaping that view, I still nurse an alternative reading though.
 
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StrivingFollower

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The story is just way too vague to me if they're not fallen angels. The only hints at what sins they were committing were a couple hints of some type of big violence. That short statement from that one guy talking about the mark of Cain. There's just one big statement of the humans being wicked all the time.. ok, but it's not like God to be so vague. If they're fallen angels it makes sense why God was so upset, wanting to bring the human genetics back to normal.

Sodom and Gomorrah's downfall is told briefly but at least we get one scene of horror where a threat of rape is shown. And then we even get to see how nuts those cities were based on the behavior of Lot's family.
 
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