Verses 1-2 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.
This chapter has been the source of many weird discussions, beliefs, and doctrines that have, unfortunately, flooded the Christian establishment churches. So let’s unpack what Moses’ words say versus what some people (including some pastors and Christian writers) are saying he said. No outside sources will be used.
Much of the misinformation comes from extra-Biblical books that are making a resurgence in religious circles today. These books were not adopted into the official collection of 66 books that make up the Bible as they were not considered to be inspired by God. These books include the books of Enoch and the Jubilees. Basically, these books teach by their writings and by taking the Holy Scripture out of context that Genesis 6 teaches that angels saw the pretty women on Earth, lusted after them sexually, and had physical relations with them. The offspring of their union resulted in giants being produced called Nephilim. Therefore, the angels corrupted the Earth and sorcery and other not too desirable practices came about as a result of these half human, half angel beings. Enoch 7:10-11 records, “And the women conceiving brought forth Naphaliym. The Naphaliym brought forth the Nephiliym, and the Nephiliym brought forth the Elioud.” No further discussion of these extra-Biblical books will be discussed here as this is a study of the Bible and not of outside sources, be the sources correct or incorrect.
The word for “men” in verse one is “adam”, the same word for men or Adam. So it is the men who were multiplying on the face of the earth. The word for “daughters” is “bath” and it is translated this way 526 times in the Hebrew text. So far so good as men father daughters as well as sons.
The Hebrew word for “sons” is “ben” and it is translated as such 2978 times in the Hebrew text. This can clearly be seen in the name of Jacob’s son Benjamin which means “son of my right hand”. So the sons referred to in this verse are human, not angelic. Since all people were created by God, they could be referred to as the sons of God. Furthermore, angels are created beings and they are not called sons of God. It should be remembered, however, that God only had one Son, the LORD Jesus Christ. John 1:18 states, “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.” John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” 1 John 4:9 “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.”
The Hebrew word for “fair” is “towb” and can be translated as “good or goodly” or as “better”. The Hebrew word for “wives” is “ishshah” and it is translated as “wife” 425 times and as “woman” 324 times. The Hebrew word for “all” is “kol” and it can be translated as “every thing”, “whosoever”, and “whatsoever”.
So let’s put the passage together using the translations but in a paraphrased form: As time went by adam or human men began to increase on the face of the earth (by having children of both sexes obviously), and daughters were born. These daughters were wives and already married. The male sons who belong to God because He created them saw the daughters of men that were wives and belonging to other men, that they were better and goodly and so they took whosoever they wanted and chose of the daughters that were already wives. Make sense? There was a whole lot of sinning going on involving sexual sin. Marriage partners were not remaining faithful to each other. Perhaps the term, “wife swapping” could be a way of describing the situation. Angels had nothing to do with it. Mankind was corrupting the earth all by themselves.
So what does Jesus say about angels? When He was discussing if there was marriage in Heaven with the religious leaders He told them very bluntly, “Do ye not therefore err (fall into error), because ye now not the scriptures, neither the power of God? For when they (humans) shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven.” See Mark 12:24-25. So angels, who are created spirit beings by God, do not procreate. Luke 20:34-36 says, “And Jesus answering said unto them, The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage. But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world and the resurrection from the dead (Heaven), neither marry, nor are given in marriage: Neither can they die any more for they are equal unto the angels, and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.” To be “as” or “equal to” angels means to be like them. So while in a fleshly or earthly body, mankind is not equal to or like the angels and only becomes equal when in Heaven living in their spiritual bodies. Nowhere in Scripture is there a discussion about angels reproducing baby angels. They are spirits capable of manifesting in a fleshly body. Wicked angels are spirits that are capable of entering into a human body and controlling the person (possession), but they are separate and distinct entities. At the death of the possessed person they have to vacate and go somewhere else which is why demonic or devil possession is often seen in families going from one generation to the next. Jesus cast out devils and sent them into a herd of pigs that ran down a cliff and jumped into the ocean because the pigs were smart enough to know that they did not want to live with these spirits controlling them. My pastor, David Meyer, used to humorously say that this was the first example of deviled ham. See Mark 5:11-16 or Luke 8:32-33. A discussion on angels will be in the topics section when this writer has the time to compose it, and their role in the lives of mankind will be more thoroughly examined.
Verse 3 And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.
The word translated as “spirit” is “ruwach”, pronounced roo akh. The majority of the time the word refers to both “spirit” and “Spirit” with a capital S and so it must be studied in context to know what spirit is being referred to; Father God or another spirit. It can also be translated as wind or breath. Remember that God breathed life into Adam and since He gave breath and life, He can take it away whenever He wishes. In this verse, God is weary of man because of the sin that is occurring on the Earth and it is a foreshadowing of the flood where all living creatures that were not on the ark had their breath taken away by drowning.
Many people believe that the lifespan of man should be 120 years based on the above verse. However, this cannot be true as, after the flood, people still lived more that 120 years. Noah lived 950 years for example. So what was the LORD saying? He was giving the inhabitants of the Earth 120 years to repent and get into a right relationship with Him before He executed judgement upon every living thing on the Earth. God does not bring judgement without first warning the disobedient and giving them opportunities to change. He is a righteous judge.
Verse 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.
The Hebrew word used here for “giant” is “naphiyl” or “naphil” and only occurs three times. This word is where the false teachings of the half human and half angelic beings have their origin. The word giant or giants is found in other Old Testament books, but the Hebrew word used is “rapha” or “raphah” and is referring to an old race of giants called the Rephaim. Tall people are in the world today and could be called giants. They are fully human and are blessed with genes that allow them to be taller than most of the people in their culture or race. God is creative. People are tall and people are small, but they are all people.
Punctuation, verses and chapters were all put in the Bible much later after it was written and compiled. The original texts do not have the breaks in the reading that inserting a passage with punctuation will produce. So if the colons, semicolons, periods, commas, question marks and capitals are removed, how will a passage read? Let’s try the above verse and see if it makes more sense by adjusting the punctuation. After all, it wasn’t there originally. “There were giants in the earth in those days and also after that (after those days) 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.” Now the passage does not read to support the doctrine of the Nephilim giants, does it? Back in these days, the gene pool was still very new and more pure than it is today. It makes sense that the children produced in those days would be strong or mighty.
Verses 5-6 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
The Hebrew word for “wickedness” is “ra”. It is translated as “evil” 442 times and as “wickedness” 59 times. The sin was so bad that God regretted or was sorry that He had created man. This is a very sad passage in Scripture because God was grieved or hurt by the terrible thoughts and actions of the people He loved.
Application: Ephesians 4:30 commands, “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” The believer can cause the LORD hurt by his/her thoughts and actions. Be careful what you say and what you do.
Verses 7-8 And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. 8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
It is also sad to realize that all the critters on the earth and above the earth that were created for man to enjoy were to be destroyed through no fault of their own. They were innocent of transgression and sin and yet had to suffer the judgement of death.
Application: Sin affects everybody and everything in a believer’s life. People may say, “I’m only hurting myself,” but this is never true. There is always a ring of consequences around a person’s wrong behavior and it spreads out like the ripples of water that occur when a pebble is tossed into it.
Have you ever wondered what happened to the whales and the sea creatures that could not be in the ark? Apparently nothing. They were under the water and did not drown. It was only the face of the earth that was to bare the judgement of the flood.
Verses 9-10 These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. 10 And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
The Hebrew word for “generations” is “toladah”, pronounced to led aw. It can also mean descendants, results, and genealogies. The Hebrew word “tsaddiyq”, pronounced tsad deek, occurs 206 times and can be translated as righteous and as lawful. And the Hebrew word “tamiym”, pronounced taw meem, means not only perfect, but without blemish, without spot, or upright. So Noah was a righteous man and not spotted with sin. He had to be perfect in order to be able to walk with a righteous God. Why was Noah perfect and able to walk with God; able to be in His presence and to hear His words? The scripture does not tell us. But somehow Noah was able to not let the sin of the people and culture around him influence his life.
Application: Believers need to not let the sin of the people or of the culture around them influence them in any way. 2 Corinthians 6:17 commands, “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” We need to be like Noah.
In Bible numerology the number 3 means perfection. God gave Noah three sons from which the entire human race descended. It is commonly taught that Shem, Noah’s first son, became the father of the white, European peoples. Ham, Noah’s second son, is believed to have been the father of various people groups that inhabited southern regions including Africa. And Japheth, Noah’s third son, is believed to be the father of people groups that spread from the Mediterranean into Asia. Regardless, all people on the Earth before the flood were destroyed, and anyone alive on the Earth today has to be descended from Noah’s three sons.
Verses 11-12 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
The Hebrew word translated as “violence” is “chamac” and therefore this verse means that the Earth was full not only of violence, but of wrong, cruelty, and injustice.
Application: One must wonder what God sees today when He looks upon the Earth. One must also wonder how bad the misbehavior of people must get before God intervenes again and destroys this Earth by fire. “Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.” See 2 Peter 3:6-7.
Verse 13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
The Hebrew word for “with” is “eth” and can also mean in, upon, or together with. Was God saying He would destroy all flesh in or upon the Earth, or was He saying He would destroy all flesh together with the Earth? Since God only created the Earth once and nowhere in Scripture is it recorded that another Earth was created, it must be decided that the Earth was not destroyed by the flood along with all flesh. However, scientifically it is believed that the tremendous pressure of the water that eventually covered the Earth would have changed the landscape dramatically. Not being a scientist, this writer can only speculate as to all the events occurring to the Earth as a result of the flood. The important thing to remember is that God had it all under control and that Noah, through his obedience to God, also had it all under control.
Verses 14-16 Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch. 15 And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. 16 A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it.
A cubit is thought to have been the length of a man’s arm, or approximately 18 inches. This was going to be one big boat approximately 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet tall! It contained three stories of rooms and the whole thing had to be made by Noah and his sons without power tools. Think about the enormity of this task.
Verses 17-18 And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die. 18 But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee.
When God says something twice, it means that it is established and will not change. By saying “I, even I” He was putting emphasis on the statement so that Noah would know with certainty that this flood was going to happen. Please remember that there had been no rain on the Earth since the creation. The ground was watered by a mist (Genesis 2:6) so at this point it would seem that Noah would not know how this flood was going to occur. He did not have the details, but as the reader will see, he was obedient and by faith he did what the LORD told him to do. And God was going to establish His covenant or an agreement with Noah and save his family from destruction. This is the first reference in the Bible of God making a covenant with man. To find out what the covenant or agreement was, the reader will have to read further in the book of Genesis.
Verses 19-22 And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female. 20 Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive. 21 And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them. 22 Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.
To save His created critters, a male and female of every living thing would be put on the ark. They would be fruitful and multiply and fill the Earth once again when the flood was over. That would include reptiles, butterflies, ants, and everything that breathes air. Think about that task? How long would it take for Noah and his family to catch or trap all these critters? It would be impossible if the relationship between mankind and animals was as it is today. Well, it wasn’t. Animals were not afraid of man and visa versa. There is no reference to man eating animals at this point in human history. They, mankind and animals, were given the herbs or grasses as meat, meat in Scripture meaning food and not flesh as it means today. Man and animals were vegetarian. Don’t believe me? Go back and reread the creation account for verification. So the critters would have no fear of Noah or of his family and God would send them to the ark when it was time to board. Still not sure about the vegetarian status? Another proof is that God commanded Noah to gather all the food he would need for their confinement in the ark. A person does not gather flesh. It is hunted and killed or fished or trapped. Without refrigeration, any flesh would spoil and rot rapidly and be unusable. Only the grasses of the field could be gathered like hay and could last for months on an ocean voyage. So the cougars and bears and wolves etc. had to be grass eaters like horses and cows in order to survive. And the cougars and bears and wolves had to be friendly or they would want to attack and kill Noah, his family, and the other critters on the ark.