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Who are the “sons of God” in Genesis 6:2,4?

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Gabriel Elijah

Gabriel Elijah

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As many of you know there is a debate among Christians concerning the identification of the “sons of God” (Heb: bene elohim) in Gen 6:2, 4. The topic is one that I’ve personally studied for several years & have become an avid supporter of the angelic theory. This being said, I’m working on something for my church & want to give all other theories a fair description. In all honesty, I have only found one contemporary resource that actually handles the issue with detail & still reaches a Sethite conclusion (ie Kenneth A. Mathews, Genesis 1:1-11:26, The New American Commentary, vol. 1a ). So anyone who is a devoted Sethite supporter—please feel free to present your case. I’ve also noticed a rise in popularity in the kings/nobles/tyrants theory. So if this is your interpretation—your analysis would be greatly appreciated. If you’re an angelic supporter (or fallen angel supporter—as some insist on saying) present your case as well. Like I said—I’m not going to hide the fact that I have my personal opinion on this issue & will probably debate ideas from time to time—but I really would love to see what all of you have to say about this topic.
 
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Amy.G

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I'm a fallen angel supporter. The sons of Seth does not make sense to me. There is also NT support for the fallen angel belief in the book of Jude.

Jude 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.


Jude is quoting the book of Enoch, which I realize is not scripture, but is valid since quotations of it appear in the word of God.


I believe the only humans that were not corrupted by these fallen angels were Noah and his family.
 
Gabriel Elijah

Gabriel Elijah

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Amy.G said:
I'm a fallen angel supporter. The sons of Seth does not make sense to me. There is also NT support for the fallen angel belief in the book of Jude.

Jude 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.


Jude is quoting the book of Enoch, which I realize is not scripture, but is valid since quotations of it appear in the word of God.


I believe the only humans that were not corrupted by these fallen angels were Noah and his family.
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Very impressive answer! I can tell you’ve thought about this topic before!:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:
 
J

John Toppass

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Amy.G said:
I'm a fallen angel supporter. The sons of Seth does not make sense to me. There is also NT support for the fallen angel belief in the book of Jude.

Jude 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.


Jude is quoting the book of Enoch, which I realize is not scripture, but is valid since quotations of it appear in the word of God.


I believe the only humans that were not corrupted by these fallen angels were Noah and his family.
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AMY? You support fallen angels????:eek:
Just kiddin, that is how I understand it too.
 
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michael-acts17:11

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I've never thought angels were capable of procreation & the sense of the passage does not lend itself to the "men of God" or kings interpretation. Is it possible that there are created beings in Heaven that are not otherwise described in Scripture? Jesus is referred to as God's only "begotten" Son, not as His only Son. I am not in any way implying that these "sons of God" are equal to God nor that they are deity's. It's just an honest thought from an inquisitive mind. We may be very surprised by the truth when we get there.
 
Gabriel Elijah

Gabriel Elijah

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michael-acts17:11 said:
I've never thought angels were capable of procreation & the sense of the passage does not lend itself to the "men of God" or kings interpretation. Is it possible that there are created beings in Heaven that are not otherwise described in Scripture? Jesus is referred to as God's only "begotten" Son, not as His only Son. I am not in any way implying that these "sons of God" are equal to God nor that they are deity's. It's just an honest thought from an inquisitive mind. We may be very surprised by the truth when we get there.
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Well friend—as you can see from the OP-- u know my personal analogy—this being said—your actually not alone in your suggestion. There are some (albeit a few) who suggest super humans or even the pre-Adamic race (a whole other topic in itself which I don’t personally support) identification for the bene elohim. A modern internet fad that comes to mind is the idea that the sons of God are aliens—regardless your ideas aren’t as far fetched as some may think, considering the various interpretations of this passage.
 
canadyjd

canadyjd

Well-Known Member
Moses writes the book of Genesis. The Hebrew people are going into the land of the Canaanites. God doesn't want them to intermarry with the people of the land.

Moses reminds the people of the Genesis account where the Godly line of Seth (Sons of God) were corrupted by marrying the ungodly line of Cain(daughters of men).

I don't believe angels can procreate (Jesus says the angels do not marry)

So, I favor the "Sethite" theory.

peace to you:praying:
 
Gabriel Elijah

Gabriel Elijah

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canadyjd said:
Moses writes the book of Genesis. The Hebrew people are going into the land of the Canaanites. God doesn't want them to intermarry with the people of the land.

Moses reminds the people of the Genesis account where the Godly line of Seth (Sons of God) were corrupted by marrying the ungodly line of Cain(daughters of men).

I don't believe angels can procreate (Jesus says the angels do not marry)

So, I favor the "Sethite" theory.

peace to you:praying:
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While I will later address why I disagree with this conclusion—I just want to thank you for taking the time to add a very thoughtful perspective--:godisgood:
 
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Amy.G

New Member
canadyjd said:
Moses writes the book of Genesis. The Hebrew people are going into the land of the Canaanites. God doesn't want them to intermarry with the people of the land.

Moses reminds the people of the Genesis account where the Godly line of Seth (Sons of God) were corrupted by marrying the ungodly line of Cain(daughters of men).

I don't believe angels can procreate (Jesus says the angels do not marry)

So, I favor the "Sethite" theory.

peace to you:praying:
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Actually scripture says the angels "in heaven" do not marry.

Mark 12:25 For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven.

Why would God destroy the earth (except for 8 people) because of inter-marriage? Israel has been guilty of that for thousands of years.
 
Z

zrs6v4

Member
canadyjd said:
Moses writes the book of Genesis. The Hebrew people are going into the land of the Canaanites. God doesn't want them to intermarry with the people of the land.

Moses reminds the people of the Genesis account where the Godly line of Seth (Sons of God) were corrupted by marrying the ungodly line of Cain(daughters of men).

I don't believe angels can procreate (Jesus says the angels do not marry)

So, I favor the "Sethite" theory.

peace to you:praying:
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I second this. "sons of God" in the context seems to point to God's chosen line who are lost in sin. The only Sethite at that time who was righteous was Noah, but all other mankind was lost. The daughters of men are those descendants of Cain.
 
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Amy.G

New Member
I would also like to add that the term sons of God is always used to describe angels.
Examples:

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?
 
O

Old Union Brother

New Member
A couple of questions:

1. Could the daughters of man be an analogy for man made religions?
2. And the sons of God, Godly men following God?

Every time Godly men take part with the world God is not pleased. Just a thought or two.
 
menageriekeeper

menageriekeeper

Active Member
He didn't. God destroyed the earth because, "The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually."

The fact they were intermarrying was just an aside, not the main problem and perhaps not even a symptom of the main problem.

Who the "sons of God" and the Nepthalim were, seems to have been left up to our own imaginations. As in "not really important".
 
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Amy.G

New Member
Gabriel Elijah said:
A modern internet fad that comes to mind is the idea that the sons of God are aliens—regardless your ideas aren’t as far fetched as some may think, considering the various interpretations of this passage.
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Actually the idea of ancient aliens is in my opinion another reason for the validity of the fallen angel belief. No, the fallen angels were NOT aliens. But ancient civilizations believed that visitors from the sky came down to earth.

Have you ever wondered how those huge drawings got on the tops of the mountains in Peru? No one has been able to explain them.
 
Gabriel Elijah

Gabriel Elijah

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Amy.G said:
I would also like to add that the term sons of God is always used to describe angels.
Examples:

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?
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That’s what I’m talking about--now we’re gettn somewhere with this debate—you are correct about the original language & the limited use of bene elohim exclusively referring to angels in OT—You’ve really impressive about this subject Amy!:thumbs:
 
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Amy.G

New Member
Gabriel Elijah said:
That’s what I’m talking about--now we’re gettn somewhere with this debate—you are correct about the original language & the limited use of bene elohim exclusively referring to angels in OT—You’ve really impressive about this subject Amy!:thumbs:
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I've been studying it for awhile. I wanted to bring it up on the BB, but figured I'd get------>:tonofbricks:

:laugh:
 
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