Sometimes, there are things that irritate me, things that others can brush off. The whole “angels mated with man” argument (aka the Nephilim doctrine) is a topic that gets under my skin...in great part because it creates such a divide among Christians when it really doesn't need to. But also, I just don't buy the theory.
I personally do not believe in the Nephilim as far as they're being a procreation between fallen angels and human women. Although the term is in some versions of the Holy Bible, I feel the few verses that speak of Nephilim (or in other versions the terms is also "giants"), are being misinterpreted. I believe the people being mentioned are merely a race of people who were large in size, strength, and were violent.
I know plenty of wonderful people who believe there was a mysterious hybrid of fallen angels, so this post isn’t written in judgement, nor with ire- just an uneasiness at the premise, itself. So read on for some info and my thoughts. I can only pray that I speak with wisdom and not pride.
The first thing I would like to say is that it's evident the Bible gives us everything we need to know -to live a godly life, and to be saved- but it does not give us everything there is to know. With that said, I will never proclaim I am always right and that something is impossible. ALL things are possible with God (Matt 19:26). So even though I'm quite solid on my stance with this topic, I don't close my mind when it comes to God and the supernatural. I will never declare I know it all; nor do I have harsh feelings towards anyone with different beliefs than me. With all things Scripture, God wants us to study, pray and learn. He also expects us to use discernment and common sense and not privately interpret the Word (1 Pe 1:20-21). We are to tread carefully with conspiracy theories (IS 8:12). This simply is the standpoint I come from.
For the record: I refuse to argue and become upset over a topic that has nothing to do with my salvation. But it is a prevalent subject, therefore noteworthy to discuss. Of course, we always have to be careful with false information... but that is the very conundrum, isn't it: Is the Nephilim premise false?
THE BASICS > WHAT IS/WHO ARE THE NEPHILIM?
In case you're unaware, there is a belief within Christians and beyond, that a couple verses in the Bible declare in ancient times fallen angels mated with human women and created some “super breed”. Sounds a bit sci-fi, but it’s a genuine belief, seemingly with Scripture to back it up.
Being a strong believer and follower of the Bible, why don't I agree? I take Scripture, discernment and the Holy Spirit to lead my thoughts on this.
First, let's look at the scripture at the root of the belief:
Scripture Origin:
In the King James Version, Genesis 6:4 reads,
“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.”
The ideology is that "sons of man" refer to fallen angels and "daughters of men" refer to human women. Pretty simplistic, and I can see where some would derive that. However, there is way too much to go with that position.
Now, the main problem I have with the hypothesis of the Nephilim is how numerous Bible believers build a whole belief system, doctrine, and almost idol-like devotion around this "mysterious beings" philosophy, and that ends up taking away from God's sovereignty. Do we really think God would allow His supernatural beings to procreate with his carnal creation? He isn't Dr. Moreau!
Rev 19:6 declares God is all-powerful. All things are under His authority and control. I cannot fathom our loving, holy, righteous and compassionate God to allow this. Nothing was ever stated about spiritual beings on earth in the Old Testament or new. But we're supposed to believe they mated with women and had offspring based off the word "giants"? Not to mention, nowhere is it mentioned by anyone, anywhere in the Scriptures. This would be a big deal... so not to mention it?
The assumption of a half-human/half-supernatural life race is usually spoken of and taught as fact, as if God doesn’t say, “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding.” As most concepts do, the brainchild has morphed and stretched out into various views. Some even claim this race still exists and we have this “exceptional breed” of “psychic-like” or in-power people among us today. To me it's really saying that God is either not in control, or, that He's morbid enough to allow experimentation. Highly doubtful, since when the Lord created man (and all life, for that matter). He specifically stated let it be done "after their own kind". No mix breeds. Yet, there are many believers of the Word who have adopted this belief.
Look, I respect anyone who studies out the Word because they want truth and to understand God and get closer to Him. But I loathe when people who don't know the Bible in its entirety take words of a GOD they don’t know -or from a book they’ve not even studied out- and form their own scenarios, versions, opinions, and weigh heavy on them as true.
Where does the Nephilim concept come from?
Well, let’s study it out….
Let's agree that when we are using Scripture for a belief, a good solid etymology is the standard of interpretation. When we study out the original text of our modern version of Biblical words, we can easily pull truth from hypothesis.
The Nephilim. The product of "the sons of god" mingling with the "daughters of Adam"; the biblical "giants", “the fallen ones,” the Rephaim, “the dead ones”—these descriptions are all applied to one group of characters found within the Hebrew Bible. Who are the “heroes of old, the men of renown”?
The word nephilim, itself, means “giants” and is only used in some versions of the Bible (stemming from verses Genesis 6:2,4 and Numbers 13:33). Because of how the verses are worded, there is a wide belief that nephilim are the offspring of fallen, expelled angels from Heaven that mated with mankind. But where do they muster this from? Seeing as the word “Nephilim” means “giant” -and the word nephilim derives from “nĕphiyl” (simply meaning “fallen”) -this is a far-stretched theory.
The difference between the KJV and the NIV should be dissected a bit...
The words must match up with the context, as the dissimilar wording could be a world of difference in meaning. So, are we talking mythology like Zeus and Thor? (And I mean that as a true question). There are concepts out there which offer Greek gods and such like were anything from alien life form to supernatural beings- aka “heroes of old”.
Interestingly enough, in the NIV, you see this Nephilim term again (in Numbers 13:33) which says:
“We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.”
It's stating the Nephilim are descendants of Anak.
Bear in mind that this Scripture in Numbers is stated AFTER the flood. The word “Nephilim” is simply being used a more modern word for interpretation to describe a large race who were violent and did not heed to God’s word. Just how it was intended to be understood in Gen 6:4.
How do I know this? By studying out the original meaning (again, this is where agreeing to use the same foundation of Aramaic, translated into Greek/Hebrew to English is a must- because if we are unable to be in accord on this matter, the whole discussion is moot.) I am not one who likes to quarrel over the Word or debate it, so I won’t. But I leave an open mind and do enjoy discussing it if there are no contentions.
So who/what is Anak?
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Anakim (Hebrew: עֲנָקִים 'Ǎnāqîm) was a race of giants descended from Anak (mentioned in Tanakh, the Hebrew Bible). They dwelled in the southern land of Canaan, near Hebron (Gen 23:2, Josh 15:13). Some Bible scholars think that the Anak descendants were the Philistine giants David encountered (2 Samuel 21:15-22), including Goliath of Gath (1 Samuel 17:4-7). “Anak” means “neck” because this particular tribe of people in Canaan had long necks (which is in part where their description of “giant” derives from).
The study of the origin of these words and the way in which their meanings have changed throughout history is uncertain; be that as it may…We still need to examine “giants”.
“there were giants in the earth in those days”
the root word “giants” נָפִיל
translated into “nĕphiyl” which means “to fall”- not angels, not “fallen angels”- just fall- fallen in the way of not living for God.
The statement they “became mighty men” translates into “gibbowr” גִּבּוֹר which means “strong and mighty”.
No angel. No angel offspring. No supernatural being. No spiritual child, but “strong man, mighty man”. Yes, MAN. Let’s not forget a hero can be human.
The wording in Gen 6:4 has some speculating that “sons of God” are angelic beings.
Bear in mind that angels are (by the Lord’s own words) His “creations”. They are not human, not man. “Sons” in the original text means “male child; youth”, so there is no supernatural entity being referred to here.
It’s theorized that when it says they “went to the daughters of humans”, this makes “sons” NOT human. A lot of assumptions but no fact. In the original text, “daughters of humans” was originally written “daughters of man” which in the original Hebrew text is referring to those in the Jordan valley. Those daughters were in rebellion and not following godly laws. This is why they are referred to as daughters OF MAN, versus of God.
Some speculate this breed was wiped out by God during the flood. But again, the void of any mention of fallen angels or spiritual beings, or the like, it quite telling.
Gen 6:5,6 says God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and it repented Him that he had made man on earth. It says He destroyed man who He created from the face of the earth. If He was talking of a half-spirit/half human race, why are the people destroyed in Noah’s days referred to as MAN?
And looking into the original text in Num 13:33 (which again, was post-flood) the word “giants” or “Nephilim” is speaking of tribes of the giant people in Canaan (offspring of Cain, one who had fallen into sin, cast out by God, who God said followed Baalam (which means not of the [God’s] people). This isn’t a reference to anything supernatural, spiritual, ethereal, angelic/cross breed. Fallen angels would never be called “sons of God”. They were cast out, disowned by God. “Sons of God” are simply those who abide by his ways therefore considered His children. Throughout the Scriptures Old and New Testament, God makes a distinction of mankind who were/are His children, versus those who do not want to abide by His law (important to see John 1:12 and John 8:44).
In Gen 6:4 where is says, “the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown”- that word “men” in the original text, means “mankind.” Not a different/special race. Hosea 1:10 says the Israelites were “sons of God” and Gen 35:5 it talks about the “sons of Jacob”. The original text of “sons” for these is the same as the one in Gen 2 and 4. It simply means “son; to build, rebuild, establish, cause to continue”.
But in “sons of God” as in Rom 8:14 or John 1:12, the word “sons of God” actually means “offspring”.
Don’t you think if God was referring to His angels, that is the term He would have used in Gen 6:2 and 4? But He doesn’t.
If we are going to use the term “nephilim”, we have to go to the source of where it came from- the Bible. If we are going to read the Bible and quote it for what it was intended, then we need to study it and go as far back- as close as we can- to the original text… first in Aramaic, then in Hebrew and then Greek.
The newer versions of the Bible are for our ease of understanding of a complicated language that was not ours, but so much gets stretched and in the re-writes the original translation gets lost. This is why we cannot take the actual word/term nephilim for what we THINK it is and get to the root of what it's written as.
The Book of Enoch.
The Book of Enoch is a collection of texts (the earliest dating to the third century B.C.E.) which supposedly was authored by the Enoch, who lived “in the seventh generation from Adam” (Jude 14) and was described in Scripture as not dying but "taken by God" (Genesis 5:24). There is no book written by Enoch that is part of the Christian Bible, but these newly discovered pieces almost re-tells the account of Genesis 5–6, adding details to the flood and elaborating on what was revealed to Enoch in heaven. It describes a group of "angels" called "The Watchers" who were supposedly sent to earth to watch over humans. 200 of those angels had intercourse with women, creating a hybrid race...you guess it- called the Nephilim. Then it adds the Nephilim were giants and savages that endangered and pillaged humanity.
I have never read any of these texts and do not plan to. The reason being is that God does not make mistakes. If He intended for those writings in His Word, they certainly would have been, just as the others' have. This tells me that- for whatever reason- the Lord does not want those writings in His Holy Living Word. Therefore, I do not recognize them as God's words. Maybe they are Enoch's. I do not know. But 2 Peter 1:21 outright states that no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God. If it's not in the Book, I don't trust it as so.
As time goes on, the story seems to expand (as they often do - remember the game "Telephone"?)
and many sites online and books will give explanations as if they are fact. But there is no proven fact in any of these theories and we have to be so very careful what we proclaim is true regarding God, and also what we put our focus on.
We know the Word states God saw that “the wickedness of man was great” and that “the earth was filled with violence.” So God sent a flood to wipe out humanity (Genesis 6:5, 11). Noah and his family were all that survived.
In Deuteronomy 1, Moses recalled the events that led the Israelite to spend forty years in the wilderness because the spies that had been sent into the land reported in fear of the giants.
Deu 1:28 says,“whither are we going up? our brethren have melted our heart, saying, A people greater and taller than we, cities great and fenced to heaven, and also sons of Anakim — we have seen there.”
Numbers 13:22 also mentions the sons of Anak.
The children of Anak were the Anakim, and they had lived in Hebron.
only, surely the people which is dwelling in the land [is] strong; and the cities are fenced, very great; and also children of Anak we have seen there.
Amalek is dwelling in the land of the south, and the Hittite, and the Jebusite, and the Amorite is dwelling in the hill country, and the Canaanite is dwelling by the sea, and by the side of the Jordan.’
And Caleb stilleth the people concerning Moses, and saith, `Let us certainly go up — and we have possessed it; for we are thoroughly able for it.’
And the men who have gone up with him said, `We are not able to go up against the people, for it [is] stronger than we;’
and they bring out an evil account of the land which they have spied unto the sons of Israel, saying, `The land into which we passed over to spy it, is a land eating up its inhabitants; and all the people whom we saw in its midst [are] men of stature; -Num. 13:28-32
We really have to try and use common sense. God is not a God of confusion. If these children, or people, or beings, were fallen angels, or demons, or unclean spirits- there would certainly have been some reference to that; if not there, then SOMEWHERE in the entire Word of God.
And look at Deuteronomy 9:2 that says, “a people great and tall, sons of Anakim, whom thou — thou hast known, (and thou — thou hast heard: Who doth station himself before sons of Anak?) and thou hast known to-day, that Jehovah thy God [is] He who is passing over before thee — a fire consuming; He doth destroy them, and He doth humble them before thee, and thou hast dispossessed them, and destroyed them hastily, as Jehovah hath spoken to thee.”
It may put out the flame in some people's exciting belief, but it simply seems all of the people of the land of Canaan and Hebron were just very tall people, or giants, and some were revered as not just great in size, but great in stature.
Reiterating some points.
Giving credence of a whole new race due to privately interpreting 2 verses seems risky to me. 2 Peter 1:20 warns not to privately interpret.
John 3:6 clearly states, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”
Angels are ethereal beings and mankind is carnal. There is no in-between, combo of, or crossbreed.
God also states in Genesis 1 that all He created on earth is made after their own kind. This is a huge point. All life is created by God. All that is created is through God.
Genesis 1:21, “God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves.”
There is no dog-cat breed or bird-lion breed, or whale-man breed. There are types of canines and types of felines and types of fish and types of mankind, but no mix and match. This isn’t GAP.
Since Adam and Eve, man has tried to play God. More currently, man continues to attempt to mix genes to generate their own creatures... but there is only ONE Creator, and when you put your mitts in recreation or reanimation, there will be harsh repercussions. There is a way and an order to what and how God placed things in His Word. I feel we should just leave the topic alone.
Now, taking all the in-depth study out of it, let’s use common sense: if there was a RACE of half-humans/half-angels, don’t you think it would be referred to more in Scripture? that's a pretty big deal. Do we really think God would gloss over this subject? Or better yet- would God really have allowed that to occur?! AND LET'S JUST SAY He did... knowing what we know of God through His Word, He most certainly would have informed us of them, instructed us about them, or warned us about them. "For God is not the author of confusion” (1 Cor 14:33).
In 1 Timothy 4, the Spirit expressly warned that in the latter times some would depart from the (true) faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.
A main kink in all this is:
“The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.” (1 Cor 2:14).
I am a true follower of Christ and he that has a relationship with God, hears truth; He that is not of God, does not hear truth. Know the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. (1 John 4:6)
PRACTICALITY. There are all kinds of people- tall, short, large and small, long-necked and no-necked, big heads and small heads, short torsos and long legged, African American who have white skin and those with two different colored eyes (known as complete heterochromia). Some cultures are known to have relatively short statures and some tall. Some thicker body types and some petite. I could go on and on. We are all different in some way. Some are more noticeable than others. Another significant fact is how the Bible explains people used to live hundreds of years. That is mentioned and in detail a lot of times in Scripture. Of course, that is no longer the case, but that doesn't make those people of old a
supernatural breed. And there also happened to be a race of people in Biblical times that were large and had long necks who were brave and mighty. Maybe not plain or average, but I don't believe angels, either.
This is the difference of ancestry:
I’ve seen many terrific people of God so concentrated on this issue, that they are missing out on much more. It becomes their little project instead of God’s true calling for them. The carnal struggle to be right, to know it all, and to be at odds with our fellow man can easily overcome our spiritual needs. Let's not let our specific fleshly thoughts take from God.
“I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them.” (Rom 16:17)
Throughout the Bible we read what a copycat satan is. Much of what he does is a mirror of what God has done. satan wants to be like God. So, why wouldn't he somehow spin a tale that the fallen angels took park in creating and tainting life? I won't give him the satisfaction of entertaining it.
On a personal note, I am always willing to submit to truth, whatever it may be. I am not perfect and make many mistakes. I do not aim to be right, but to be right with God. With that in mind, topics that bother me such as this one, I have prayed on many times. I have asked God to reveal to me if I am incorrect in my thoughts. I know He will never deny someone seeking knowledge of righteousness or holy wisdom (Matt 7:7, Luke 11:9, John 14:13, John 15:7, Matt 21:22). I have never heard contrary from the Lord on my thoughts on this subject matter, so I do sit with confidence on it and all I have studied out.
Therefore, if anything, I ask that you pray on what I’ve written. Not for me, but for you. The Lord will never deny you seeking wisdom for righteousness’s sake. And pray for me, as well, that is I am incorrect, that the Lord reveals it to me.
And please know if you are offended by this post, that was not my intention whatsoever. Nor is it to debate or argue. I personally do not care of there was a race of half supernatural-half human giants created by demons. What I do care about is truth, and God getting all the glory in our conversations and in our faith- especially the ones pertaining Him.
Fact or not, this subject is not salvational, but this topic is casing point of how perfect God is and how inadequate we are... sadly, we must add the great Nephilim debate to the MANY doctrinal issues among Christianity, and why those who are unsure as what to believe waver in trusting the Word, itself. With Christians at odds and Scripture in question among believers- can we blame them? One thing is for certain: one day we all will have these answers. Until then, lets walk together in unity for our God.
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