Genesis 6: The Sons of God Know the Daughters of Men

The Sons of God

Genesis 6 begins by saying:

1 And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, 2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. (Genesis 6:1-2 KJV)

According to the Book of Enoch, the sons of God mentioned in the second verse are identified as angels, the children of heaven.

When looking for other references to “sons of God” in the Old Testament, translated from the Hebrew Masoretic Text, we see them referenced in Job.

Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them. (Job 1:6 KJV)

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 2:1 KJV)

Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? (Job 38:6-7 KJV)

When we cross reference these texts to the Greek Septuagint, which is a translation of an earlier Hebrew text, we see them referred to as angels:

And it came to pass on a day, that behold, the angels of God came to stand before the Lord, and the devil came with them. (Job 1:6 Brenton)

And it came to pass on a certain day, that the angels of God came to stand before the Lord, and the devil came among them to stand before the Lord. (Job 2:1 Brenton)

On what are its rings fastened? and who is he that laid the corner-stone upon it? When the stars were made, all my angels praised me with a loud voice. (Job 38:6-7 Brenton)

And there are two more references in the Septuagint of “the angels of God” found in Deuteronomy 32, along with a reference to “the sons of God”:

When the Most High divided the nations, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the nations according to the number of the angels of God. (Deuteronomy 32:8 Brenton)

Rejoice, ye heavens, with him, and let all the angels of God worship him; rejoice ye Gentiles, with his people, and let all the sons of God strengthen themselves in him; for he will avenge the blood of his sons, and he will render vengeance, and recompense justice to his enemies, and will reward them that hate him; and the Lord shall purge the land of his people. (Deuteronomy 32:43 Brenton)

Two Sets of Beings Referred to as Sons of God

It appears to me that God is the Maker of two sets of beings: heavenly beings and earthly beings.

The heavenly beings are those who reside in heaven and are made immortal. These beings are often referred to as angels, or watchers and holy ones as seen in the book of Daniel.

I beheld in the night vision upon my bed, and, behold, a watcher and an holy one came down from heaven and cried aloud…

The matter is by the decree of the watcher, and the demand is a word of the holy ones; that the living may known that the Lord is most high over the kingdom of men, and he will give it to whomsoever he shall please, and will set up over it that which is set at nought of men… (excerpts from Daniel 4:10-24 Brenton LXX)

And the earthly beings are those who reside in the land and are made mortal.

These beings are described as having been made in the image and likeness of God in Genesis 1 and 2, similar to how Seth is described as having been begotten of Adam in Genesis 5.

Given that God is the progenitor of them both, I can see them both being identified as “the sons” of God. But which sons of God are being referenced in Genesis 6: angels, who left their heavenly abode, or the sons of Seth, as some teachings purport?

According to Jude, we read what I believe to be a reference to this episode:

Beloved, all diligence using to write to you concerning the common salvation, I had necessity to write to you, exhorting to agonize for the faith once delivered to the saints, for there did come in unobserved certain men, long ago having been written beforehand to this judgment, impious, the grace of our God perverting to lasciviousness, and our only Master, God, and Lord—Jesus Christ—denying, and to remind you I intend, you knowing once this, that the Lord, a people out of the land of Egypt having saved, again those who did not believe did destroy; messengers also, those who did not keep their own principality, but did leave their proper dwelling, to a judgment of a great day, in bonds everlasting, under darkness He hath kept, as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them, in like manner to these, having given themselves to whoredom, and gone after other flesh, have been set before—an example, of fire age-during, justice suffering. (Jude 1:3-7 YLT)

Notice the comparison to Sodom and Gomorrah saying in like manner to these, having…gone after other flesh. I used to think this was a reference to homosexuality, but this says that they went after other flesh.

Consider what we’re told concerning what took place in Sodom at the time of their fiery judgment:

And the two angels came to Sodom at evening. And Lot sat by the gate of Sodom, and Lot having seen them, rose up to meet them, and he worshipped with his face to the ground, and said, Lo! my lords, turn aside to the house of your servant, and rest from your journey, and wash your feet, and having risen early in the morning ye shall depart on your journey. And they said, Nay, but we will lodge in the street. And he constrained them, and they turned aside to him, and they entered into his house, and he made a feast for them, and baked unleavened cakes for them, and they did eat.

But before they went to sleep, the men of the city, the Sodomites, compassed the house, both young and old, all the people together. And they called out Lot, and said to him, Where are the men that went in to thee this night? bring them out to us that we may be with them.

And Lot went out to them to the porch, and he shut the door after him, and said to them, By no means, brethren, do not act villanously. But I have two daughters, who have not known a man. I will bring them out to you, and do ye use them as it may please you, only do not injury to these men, to avoid which they came under the shelter of my roof. And they said to him, Stand back there, thou camest in to sojourn, was it also to judge? Now then we would harm thee more than them. And they pressed hard on the man, even Lot, and they drew nigh to break the door.

And the men stretched forth their hands and drew Lot in to them into the house, and shut the door of the house. And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great, and they were wearied with seeking the door. (Genesis 19:1-11 Brenton)

These “men” were angels, sons of God — heavenly beings, who were staying with Lot, and the men of Sodom — earthly beings — were seeking to go after their flesh. While the Sodomites may not have been aware that these were heavenly beings, the fact that they sought to be with them demonstrates they were going after other flesh.

Then later in Jude’s letter, the author quotes from the Prophet Enoch demonstrating he was likely familiar with his words found in the Book of the Watchers. Thereby, it seems to me that the sons of God in Genesis 6 were believed to be heavenly beings, fallen angels, as Enoch purports.

The Men of Renown

If we are to believe the words of Enoch and understand the sons of God mentioned in Genesis 6, who took to themselves wives from the daughters of men and bore children to them were heavenly beings, then who might the offspring be that are identified In Genesis 6:4 as the giants of old, the men of renown?

⁴ There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. (Genesis 6:4 KJV)

Wikipedia says:

In Greek mythology, the Titans and Titanesses were members of the second generation of divine beings, descending from the primordial deities and preceding the Olympian deities. Based on Mount Othrys, the Titans most famously included the first twelve children of the primordial Gaia (Mother Earth) and Uranus (Father Sky). They were giant deities of incredible strength, who ruled during the legendary Golden Age, and also comprised the first pantheon of Greek deities.

It appears to me that the Greek thought is that the Titans were a product of the mating of heaven and earth, essentially the sons of God (heavenly beings) mating with the daughters of man (earthly beings).

And this activity was deemed wicked in the sight of the Creator God, according to the book of Enoch, and evidently according to the book of Genesis as well, given what we read in the verses that follow this account in chapter 6:

And the Lord God, having seen that the wicked actions of men were multiplied upon the earth, and that every one in his heart was intently brooding over evil continually, then God laid it to heart that he had made man upon the earth, and he pondered it deeply.

And God said, I will blot out man whom I have made from the face of the earth, even man with cattle, and reptiles with flying creatures of the sky, for I am grieved that I have made them. (Genesis 6:6-8 Brenton LXX)

Since this appears to be a precursor to the great flood that was set to destroy all life on the face of the earth, it makes no sense for the Creator, who condemned that activity, to do essentially the same thing Himself by coupling heaven with earth to produce offspring in an unnatural way, as the Virgin Birth doctrine teaches.

Well-Pleasing to God

Verse 9 of Genesis continues by saying,

But Noe [a.k.a. Noah] found grace before the Lord God.

And these are the generations of Noe. Noe was a just man; being perfect in his generation, Noe was well-pleasing to God. And Noe begot three sons, Sem, Cham, Japheth. But the earth was corrupted before God, and the earth was filled with iniquity. And the Lord God saw the earth, and it was corrupted; because all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth.

And then God goes on to instruct Noah to build an ark because God was going to bring a flood of water upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life under heaven, and whatsoever things are upon the earth shall die.

The above passage is quoted from the Greek Septuagint. Notice how it identifies Noah as being well-pleasing to God. This is the same description given about Enoch in the previous chapter. And it is also what is said about Jesus at the time of his baptism.

21 Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, 22 And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased. (Luke 3:21-22 KJV)

Genesis 6 goes on to state God’s intention of establishing a covenant between God and Noah, which takes place after the flood and instructs Noah how the earthly beings that were made in the beginning and carried forward naturally by way of seed will be preserved.

[Updated 11/3/25.]