Subject: The Sons of God in Genesis 6:1-4 |
Bible Note: Dear Tim, Forgive me for using two names, for some reason I could not log onto the forum lastnight as Love Fountain for sometime so I used Looking for Truth which was a name I used a while back. I do not understand what is so hard for you and others to accept that fallen angels came and took women for wives and had children with them. Please read the following, Genesis 6:2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. The sons of God (bene'Elohim)... daughters of men. Wickedness was increasing on every hand. Cain's descendants became exceedingly godless and pagan. A powerful race of giants, called "Nephilim," came into prominence. The verb (napal), "to fall," has been considered the source of the noun, and so these gigantic creatures have been thought of as "fallen ones." The reference to the (bene 'Elohim) has occasioned marked differences of opinion among scholars. ('Elohim) is plural in form. It is usually translated "God." But it can be translated "gods," as, for instance, when it refers to the gods of the heathen neighbors of Israel. It can, also, denote the heavenly circle of beings in close fellowship with Jehovah, residents of heaven, assigned specific duties as God's assistants (see Job 1:6). In some cases in Scripture "sons of God" may be identified with "angels" or "messengers." Jesus is the Son of God in a unique sense. Believers are called "sons of God" because of their relationship to him. In the OT, however, "sons of God" are a special class of beings that make up the heavenly court. The reference to the marriages of (bene 'Elohim) to the daughters of men has been dealt with in many ways. To translate it literally would make the passage say that members of the heavenly company selected choice women from the earth and set up marriage relationships with them, literally and actually. This can be the only interpretation of Job 1:6. There, the (bene 'Elohim) were plainly the members of God's heavenly court. S. R. Driver maintains that this is the only legitimate and correct sense that can be accepted. Jesus' reply to the Sadducees, in Matt 22:30, seems to make this view untenable. He said that the angels "neither marry nor are given in marriage." The statement in Gen 6:2 makes it clear that permanent marriage is described. Women were chosen and forced to become parties to the unnatural relationship. Bible students who have rejected this solution have resorted to other explanations. Some have said that a union of Seth's godly line with Cain's godless descendants is described. Still others hold that these words refer to marriage between persons of the upper class of society and those of a lower or less worthy class. In the light of the facts and the accurate rendering of the words of the text, we conclude that some men of the heavenly group (angels or messengers) actually took wives of the earthly women. They used superior force to overpower them, to make the conquest complete. The "sons of God" were irresistible (cf. 2 Peter 2:4 Jude 6). from The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1962 by Moody Press) Bless you, Love Fountain |