The Nephilim of Genesis 6

The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown. – ‭‭Genesis‬ ‭6:4‬ ‭

This is a difficult passage. The sons of God had offspring by the daughters of men and the result was such extreme wickedness on the earth that God decided to destroy mankind with a flood.

Who were those sons of God? Some argue that they were human beings, which is possible, but the exact Hebrew phrase is only used elsewhere in Scripture to refer to angels or spirit beings (three times in Job). I think that is the most natural way to interpret the phrase.

The main argument against that interpretation is the problem of how angelic beings could have relations with women and produce children. After all, Jesus said in Matthew 22:30 that angels in heaven do not marry. But in that passage Jesus specified – angels in heaven. That is God’s design for angels, but we know that some angels left their proper place.

Jude 1:6 He has kept, with eternal chains in darkness for the judgment of the great day, the angels who did not keep their own position but deserted their proper dwelling.

The proper place for angels in heaven is for them not to marry, but Jude tells us that some angels left their proper position and did something for which they were put in eternal chains in darkness for judgment (and the parallel passage in 2 Peter 2 places that event at the time of Noah).

But what about the problem of a spirit being having physical relations – how is that possible? The same way it was possible for the angels in Genesis 18 to eat a meal with Abraham and Sarah. And in the next chapter the men of Sodom attempted to rape those angels. So we know it is possible for angels to take on physical bodies. Maybe that is what happened here.

Or maybe the sons of God were men who were controlled by demons. Demon-possessed men who had relations with women. Some Old Testament passages indicate that powerful evil men were controlled by evil spirits, and the actions of those men are said to also be the actions of those spirits. Daniel 10 and Ezekiel 28 are examples.

Some argue that God responded to this sin with a flood, and floods kill people, not spirits.

The answer is simple – humans sinned too. The flood came to punish mankind for their own wickedness. But the angels were also punished – not with a flood, but with eternal chains in darkness until the Day of Judgment. That is the point the New Testament writers are making – showing us that neither the humans nor the angels escaped punishment.

2 Peter 2:4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment; 5 if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others … 9 if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment.

The fact that Peter mentions this in a way that implies it’s common knowledge, not new revelation would support the idea that he is referring to Gn.6.
In the time of Noah human beings sinned and angels sinned, and both were punished.

The bottom line of all of this for us is that God wants us to know that our conflicts with people are not just conflicts with people. There are mighty, awesome, powerful, evil spirit beings behind the actions and words of the people who persecute us for our faith in Christ. That’s the point Peter is making in 2 Peter 2. And the hope he gives us comes in v.21.

2 Peter 2:21 …It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand–with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.