Who were the "sons of God" in Genesis 6?

[NNSV]

From what I understand, in Genesis 6 the phrase "son of God" is the Hebrew phrase "ben Elohiym," which means "sons of God." The only sons of God are the angels, Adam and Christ (so far.) Adam had the title of son of God before he fell. Even Christ called Himself a son of man to emphasize that He was born of [sinful] woman (though we know He is also the son of God.)

All other humans are called sons[daughters] of men, like in in Gen 6:2. In this verse (the same verse as sons of God,) the phrase used for "daughters of men" is "bath adam" in Hebrew. If it was "son of man," the Hebrew phrase would be "ben adam."

According to the patriarchal genealogy of Christ, outlined in Luke 3:24-38, clearly states that Seth was the son of Adam, or "ben adam," not "ben Elohiym." Moreover, Adam is the only one listed as a "son of God."

And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli,

Which was the son of Matthat, which was the son of Levi, which was the son of



Melchi, which was the son of Janna, which was the son of Joseph,


Which was the son of Mattathias, which was the son of Amos, which was the son of Naum, which was the son of Esli, which was the son of Nagge,


Which was the son of Maath, which was the son of Mattathias, which was the son of Semei, which was the son of Joseph, which was the son of Juda,


Which was the son of Joanna, which was the son of Rhesa, which was the son of Zorobabel, which was the son of Salathiel, which was the son of Neri,


Which was the son of Melchi, which was the son of Addi, which was the son of Cosam, which was the son of Elmodam, which was the son of Er,


Which was the son of Jose, which was the son of Eliezer, which was the son of Jorim, which was the son of Matthat, which was the son of Levi,


Which was the son of Simeon, which was the son of Juda, which was the son of Joseph, which was the son of Jonan, which was the son of Eliakim,


Which was the son of Melea, which was the son of Menan, which was the son of Mattatha, which was the son of Nathan, which was the son of David,


Which was the son of Jesse, which was the son of Obed, which was the son of Booz, which was the son of Salmon, which was the son of Naasson,


Which was the son of Aminadab, which was the son of Aram, which was the son of Esrom, which was the son of Phares, which was the son of Juda,


Which was the son of Jacob, which was the son of Isaac, which was the son of Abraham, which was the son of Thara, which was the son of Nachor,


Which was the son of Saruch, which was the son of Ragau, which was the son of Phalec, which was the son of Heber, which was the son of Sala,


Which was the son of Cainan, which was the son of Arphaxad, which was the son of Sem, which was the son of Noe, which was the son of Lamech,


Which was the son of Mathusala, which was the son of Enoch, which was the son of Jared, which was the son of Maleleel, which was the son of Cainan,



Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God.

Luke 3:23-38.

No human receives the title of Son of God until they are found worthy (accepting Christ's salvation, following Him, and lastly we have to die.)

 

[Jig]

I found this interesting:

The sons of God in Hebrew is bnei ha-Elohim. This term, in the Hebrew Bible, is always a reference to angels, both good and bad ones. Examples occur in Job 1:6 and 2:1, where Satan was among the sons of God, and in Job 38:7 where the sons of God were present at creation. The Septuagint uses the same term in Deuteronomy 32:8, where it refers to angels. A variation of this term is bnei eilim, which is usually translated as “the sons of the Mighty,” a term also used of angels. Examples include: Psalm 29:1, the sons of the mighty or the sons of God; Psalm 89:6, the son of the mighty or the sons of God; and Psalm 82:6 uses a different variation, the sons of the Most High. Another form is the Aramaic bar Elohim, which means a son of God. So everywhere else this word is used, it is always in reference to angels, a point on which all expositors concur. Nevertheless, some wish to make Genesis 6 the one exception.

In the New Testament, the Greek term sons of God is applied to other entities besides angels, but the common element is that of being directly created by God. For example, Adam, in Luke 3:38 is called the son of God, since he was directly created by God. Believers are called the children of God in John 1:12 because believers are viewed as a new creation, created by God. The term sons of God has the meaning to be created by God. The exception is the uniqueness of the only begotten Son of God; the word “only” emphasizes His uniqueness in that He was always in existence and not created.

Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, Ariel's Bible Commentary: The Book of Genesis, 1st ed. (San Antonio, TX: Ariel Ministries, 2008), 145-46.

 

[Jig]

really? are you sure?
do you have any proof? like biblical comentaries from the early church?

The ancients viewed this term to mean “angels”; and the oldest Jewish view of this verse, and those living closest to the time when these things were written, took sons of God to be angels, not humans. For example, the Septuagint, dated from about 250 B.C., translates this verse as angels of God. Josephus understood this as angels, and so do the Book of Enoch and the Dead Sea Scrolls documents of Qumran.33 Furthermore, in the Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, 6:1, 6:2, and 6:4 also make these angels. Also seven books in the Pseudopigrapha interpret this as a reference to angels (I Enoch 6:1–2; Jubilees 4:15, 5:6; II Enoch 18; II Baruch 56; and The Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs [Reuben 5:5–6 and Naphtali 3:3–5]). Philo and the Midrashim also adhere to this view. Finally, this was also the meaning in other Semitic languages.

Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, Ariel's Bible Commentary: The Book of Genesis, 1st ed. (San Antonio, TX: Ariel Ministries, 2008), 146.

 

[SummaScriptura]

Dear Jig, have you had a change of thinking on this issue?

 

[Jig]

Dear Jig, have you had a change of thinking on this issue?

I have always believed that the "sons of God" were fallen angels.

 

[granpa]

The Book of Enoch - 3) REBELS AMONG THE WATCHERS


[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]6.1 And it came to pass, when the sons of men had increased, that in those days there were born to them fair and beautiful daughters.
6.2 And the Angels, the sons of Heaven, saw them and desired them. And they said to one another: "Come, let us choose for ourselves wives, from the children of men, and let us beget, for ourselves, children."
6.3 And Semyaza, who was their leader, said to them:
"I fear that you may not wish this deed to be done and that I alone will pay for this great sin."
6.4 And they all answered him, and said:
"Let us all swear an oath, and bind one-another with curses, so not to alter this plan, but to carry out this plan effectively."
6.5 Then they all swore together and all bound one another with curses to it.
6.6 And they were, in all, two hundred and they came down on Ardis, which is the summit of Mount Hermon. And they called the mountain Hermon because on it they swore and bound one another with curses.
6.7 And these are the names of their leaders:
Semyaza, who was their leader, Urakiba, Ramiel, Kokabiel, Tamiel, Ramiel, Daniel, Ezeqiel, Baraqiel, Asael, Armaros, Ananel, Zaqiel, Samsiel, Satael, Turiel, Yomiel, Araziel.
6.8 These are the leaders of the two hundred Angels and of all the others with them.
7.1 And they took wives for themselves and everyone chose for himself one each. And they began to go into them and were promiscuous with them. And they taught them charms and spells, and they showed them the cutting of roots and trees.
7.2 And they became pregnant and bore large giants. And their height was three thousand cubits. (greek says 300 cubits which is 1 stadia)
7.3 These devoured all the toil of men; until men were unable to sustain them.
7.4 And the giants turned against them in order to devour men.
7.5 And they began to sin against birds, and against animals, and against reptiles, and against fish, and they devoured one another's flesh, and drank the blood from it.
7.6 Then the Earth complained about the lawless ones.
8.1 And Azazel taught men to make swords, and daggers, and shields, and breastplates. And he showed them the things after these, and the art of making them; bracelets, and ornaments, and the art of making up the eyes, and of beautifying the eyelids, and the most precious stones, and all kinds of coloured dyes. And the world was changed.
8.2 And there was great impiety, and much fornication, and they went astray, and all their ways became corrupt.
8.3 Amezarak taught all those who cast spells and cut roots, Armaros the release of spells, and Baraqiel astrologers, and Kokabiel portents, and Tamiel taught astrology, and Asradel taught the path of the Moon.
8.4 And at the destruction of men they cried out; and their voices reached Heaven.
9.1 And then Michael, Gabriel, Suriel and Uriel, looked down from Heaven and saw the mass of blood that was being shed on the earth and all the iniquity that was being done on the earth.
9.2 And they said to one another: "Let the devastated Earth cry out with the sound of their cries, up to the Gate of Heaven.
9.3 And now to you, Oh Holy Ones of Heaven, the souls of men complain, saying: "Bring our complaint before the Most High."
9.4 And they said to their Lord, the King: "Lord of Lords, God of Gods, King of Kings! Your glorious throne endures for all the generations of the world, and blessed and praised!
9.5 You have made everything, and power over everything is yours. And everything is uncovered, and open, in front of you, and you see everything, and there is nothing that can be hidden from you.
9.6 See then what Azazel has done; how he has taught all iniquity on the earth and revealed the eternal secrets that are made in Heaven.
9.7 And Semyaza has made known spells, he to whom you gave authority to rule over those who are with him.
9.8 And they went into the daughters of men together, lay with those women, became unclean, and revealed to them these sins.
9.9 And the women bore giants, and thereby the whole Earth has been filled with blood and iniquity.
9.10 And now behold the souls which have died cry out and complain unto the Gate of Heaven, and their lament has ascended, and they cannot go out in the face of the iniquity which is being committed on the earth.
9.11 And you know everything, before it happens, and you know this, and what concerns each of them. But you say nothing to us. What ought we to do with them, about this?"


[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]10.1 And then the Most High, the Great and Holy One, spoke and sent Arsyalalyur to the son of Lamech, and said to him:
10.2 "Say to him in my name; hide yourself! And reveal to him the end, which is coming, because the whole earth will be destroyed. A deluge is about to come on all the earth; and all that is in it will be destroyed.
10.3 And now teach him so that he may escape and his offspring may survive for the whole Earth."[/FONT]

 

[Jpark]

the bad ones are spoken of in Jude...
demons and fallen angels are not the same thing.
some believe demons to be the disembodied spirits of the giants.

Impossible. Even the bad ones know morality. I'm inclined to say if these were angels, they were in a far worse and degenerate state than bad ones.

What's the difference then?

And that is why I oppose the book of Enoch and any derived teaching from it.

I am sure He did not give them permission...but they did it anyway.

Impp-impossible!!!!

The flood came after the adamic valley had been so corrupted by fallen angels seedline,
that God had no choice but to start over, with Noah.

No choice?!!!!

so, you now know God's will? His plan?
the bible is filled with trial...filled with people that do as they please.

Well, I did always have a desire to see things from God's perspective.

of course God is sovern...
that still does not mean that the bad angels can't have rebelled and done as they pleased.

True. But if you study their patterns, you can easily tell that they would not be interested in doing such a thing. That's why I suggested a different group. Satan walks like a prowling lion and takes advantage of things (Eph. 4:27) and is a thief (John 10:10) whereas these supposed angels sound vastly different (Gen. 6:2 and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose). Basically, when Satan is described, he has role of prosecutors, resembling a snake or lion (and his demons scorpions (Luke 10:19), and military terms are employed when referring to him and his demons (Mark 5). And they sound like they are active in spiritual warfare (Mark 9:29, Dan. 9-10).

What does it mean by took and by chose? Is this a forcible wed or an agreement? Sounds like the former to me. If the sons of God were angels, they did rape then marriage rather than marriage. What fallen angel would do that when they have more important goals?

As for the other posters who provided quotes that are supposed to tell me that angels had sex with women, I'm not going to address those as I already have several months ago. What I'm going to do in this thread is defend the goodness of fallen angels and separate them from the Gen. 6 account. Good luck defending the Enoch doctrine, but there's no way I will allow fallen angels to receive blame for the events that transpired in Gen. 6 (on the other hand, I think I'll just move onto another thread).

 

[Jase]

I believe they were fallen angels. The term "sons of God" is an exclusive angelic reference in the OT.

Since there is no such thing as Fallen Angels in the Old Testament how is that possible? Judaism does not have fallen angels. The fallen angel concept did not develop until the Book of Enoch and the Persian influence after the Babylonian exile.

 

[Jase]

No. Some of the testimony is from the Church but the overwhelming majority of it is from Jewish sources. There was no Sethite theory then. There was no "powerful ruler" theory then. The explanation of the time of Genesis 6 was fornicating angels. After AD 70 new ideas begin to show up.

Depends on which Jews you ask. There is no such thing as fallen angels in Judaism. That concept developed from the Persians and the Book of Enoch following the Jewish capitivity and Babylonian exile.

 

[Jase]

The ancients viewed this term to mean “angels”; and the oldest Jewish view of this verse, and those living closest to the time when these things were written, took sons of God to be angels, not humans. For example, the Septuagint, dated from about 250 B.C., translates this verse as angels of God. Josephus understood this as angels, and so do the Book of Enoch and the Dead Sea Scrolls documents of Qumran.33 Furthermore, in the Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, 6:1, 6:2, and 6:4 also make these angels. Also seven books in the Pseudopigrapha interpret this as a reference to angels (I Enoch 6:1–2; Jubilees 4:15, 5:6; II Enoch 18; II Baruch 56; and The Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs [Reuben 5:5–6 and Naphtali 3:3–5]). Philo and the Midrashim also adhere to this view. Finally, this was also the meaning in other Semitic languages.

Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, Ariel's Bible Commentary: The Book of Genesis, 1st ed. (San Antonio, TX: Ariel Ministries, 2008), 146.

Actually, "Sons of God" originally referred to the Ugaritic pantheon, which had 70 different gods and the father god El.

Sons of God did not refer to fallen angels until the Book of Enoch in the 3rd Century B.C.

 

[Jase]

Impossible. Even the bad ones know morality. I'm inclined to say if these were angels, they were in a far worse and degenerate state than bad ones.

What's the difference then?

And that is why I oppose the book of Enoch and any derived teaching from it.

If you believe in fallen angels, you're following teachings derived from the Book of Enoch.

 

[cubinity]

If I believe in zombies, I am following teachings derived from the film of George A. Romero.

 

[SummaScriptura]

Depends on which Jews you ask. There is no such thing as fallen angels in Judaism. That concept developed from the Persians and the Book of Enoch following the Jewish capitivity and Babylonian exile.

You've obviously not been following this discussion. We were discussing beliefs in the first century AD. That IS after the Bablyonian exile, isn't it?

Regarding your assertion about "no fallen angels in Judaism before Babylon", do you really think it is possible to recover a full picture of what Jewish angelology was like before the Babylonian captivity? How does one go about doing that?

Besides, if one accepts that the Book of Enoch was written by the Biblical Enoch your entire history of religion theory is ruined.

 

[Rhamiel]

You've obviously not been following this discussion. We were discussing beliefs in the first century AD. That IS after the Bablyonian exile, isn't it?

Regarding your assertion about "no fallen angels in Judaism before Babylon", do you really think it is possible to recover a full picture of what Jewish angelology was like before the Babylonian captivity? How does one go about doing that?

Besides, if one accepts that the Book of Enoch was written by the Biblical Enoch your entire history of religion theory is ruined.

but who thinks Enoch was written by Enoch?
I mean that would make it a pre-flood book

 

[SummaScriptura]

but who thinks Enoch was written by Enoch?
I mean that would make it a pre-flood book

I do. But I apologize for having digressed from the central question of this thread. This is not a thread about Enoch.

 

[CaliforniaJosiah]

My choice is not an option in the poll....

I don't KNOW.




.

 

[Jig]

Since there is no such thing as Fallen Angels in the Old Testament how is that possible? Judaism does not have fallen angels. The fallen angel concept did not develop until the Book of Enoch and the Persian influence after the Babylonian exile.

Fallen angel = an angel that is no longer in allegiance to God. Were all angels in the Old Testament in allegiance with God including Satan? Would you prefer that I say just "angel"? The book of Job provides proof that Satan and at least some of the "sons of God" was already attempting to thwart God's plans.

 

[SummaScriptura]

Fallen angel = an angel that is no longer in allegiance to God. Were all angels in the Old Testament in allegiance with God including Satan? Would you prefer that I say just "angel"? The book of Job provides proof that Satan and at least some of the "sons of God" was already attempting to thwart God's plans.

Agreed.

Its kind of tiring the constant need on the CF to unpack words for people so we can be sure we're speaking of the same things.

I can toss the word "fallen".

I think its pretty clear, however, from the Hebrew Scriptures there are angels who oppose God and man, who sin, and who are unholy.

Sometimes when I read this objection I get the impression its the "act of falling" that is the problem. As I understand pre-Christian Jewish angelology, there are evil angels (satans) who can approach God in heaven, so I guess one could say they are "unfallen" yet evil.

I also think there is a possibility, there may be a strain of folks, who believe the evil angels are unfallen because they were created evil. In that case I think it may be the case that their actual act of defection from God is not clearly and specifically shown in the O.T., (FYI, I do not believe Ezekiel's sinful Cherub is an angel) and that may be from where the belief arises.

 

[granpa]

apparently in the days of Jared the Elohim came down to earth and took human form.
they were even able to have sex with the daughters of Adam.
they eventually evolved into the gibborim.

I have no doubt that this is an explanation of how Caucasians evolved.

We arent told who eth sons of god were only that they existed from the time of jared till at least the flood.

The Book of Enoch: Fragment of the Book of Noah: Chapter CVI

1. And after some days my son Methuselah took a wife for his son Lamech, and she became
p. 151
pregnant by him and bore a son. 2. And his body was white as snow and red as the blooming of a rose, and the hair of his head †and his long locks were white as wool, and his eyes beautiful†. And when he opened his eyes, he lighted up the whole house like the sun, and the whole house was very bright. 3. And thereupon he arose in the hands of the midwife, opened his mouth, and †conversed with† the Lord of righteousness. 4. And his father Lamech was afraid of him and fled, and came to his father Methuselah. 5. And he said unto him: 'I have begotten a strange son, diverse from and unlike man, and resembling the sons of the God of heaven; and his nature is different and he is not like us, and his eyes are as the rays of the sun, and his countenance is glorious. 6. And it seems to me that he is not sprung from me but from the angels, and I fear that in his days a wonder may be wrought on the earth. 7. And now, my father, I am here to petition thee and implore thee that thou mayest go to Enoch, our father, and learn from him the truth, for his dwelling-place is amongst the angels.' 8. And when Methuselah heard the words of his son, he came to me to the ends of the earth; for he had heard that I was there, and he cried aloud, and I heard his voice and I came to him. And 1 said unto him: 'Behold, here am I, my son, wherefore hast thou come to me?' 9. And he answered and said: 'Because of a great cause of anxiety have I come to thee, and because of a disturbing vision have I approached. 10. And now, my father, hear me: unto Lamech my son there hath been born a son, the like of whom there is none, and his nature is not like man's nature, and the colour of his body is whiter than snow and redder than the bloom of a rose, and the hair of his head is whiter than white wool, and his eyes are like the rays of the sun, and he opened his eyes and thereupon lighted up the whole house. 11. And he arose in the hands of the midwife, and opened his mouth and blessed the Lord of heaven. 12. And his father Lamech
p. 152
became afraid and fled to me, and did not believe that he was sprung from him, but that he was in the likeness of the angels of heaven; and behold I have come to thee that thou mayest make known to me the truth.' 13. And I, Enoch, answered and said unto him: 'The Lord will do a new thing on the earth, and this I have already seen in a vision, and make known to thee that in the generation of my father Jared some of the angels of heaven transgressed the word of the Lord. 14. And behold they commit sin and transgress the law, and have united themselves with women and commit sin with them, and have married some of them, and have begot children by them. 17. And they shall produce on the earth giants not according to the spirit, but according to the flesh, and there shall be a great punishment on the earth, and the earth shall be cleansed from all impurity. 15. Yea, there shall come a great destruction over the whole earth, and there shall be a deluge and a great destruction for one year. 16. And this son who has been born unto you shall be left on the earth, and his three children shall be saved with him: when all mankind that are on the earth shall die [he and his sons shall be saved]. 18. And now make known to thy son Lamech that he who has been born is in truth his son, and call his name Noah; for he shall be left to you, and he and his sons shall be saved from the destruction, which shall come upon the earth on account of all the sin and all the unrighteousness, which shall be consummated on the earth in his days. 19. And after that there shall be still more unrighteousness than that which was first consummated on the earth; for I know the mysteries of the holy ones; for He, the Lord, has showed me and informed me, and I have read (them) in the heavenly tablets.

 

[SummaScriptura]

apparently in the days of Jared the Elohim came down to earth and took human form.
they were even able to have sex with the daughters of Adam.
they eventually evolved into the gibborim.

I have no doubt that this is an explanation of how Caucasians evolved.

We arent told who eth sons of god were only that they existed from the time of jared till at least the flood.

This is all really out there.