MC Lesson 2.22.26

Genesis 6:1-8

Background of the Text

One of the most difficult texts to interpret within the Pentateuch.

Who are the “Sons of God” and the “daughters of men”?

Early Church Interpretations: “Sons of God” = Angels (certain manuscripts of the XII lend this)

Rabbinical Circles: “Sons of God” = Human Judges (cursed if the angel position was taken, Genesis Rabba 26.5)

Medieval Period/Roman: “Sons of God” = Cainites & “Daughters of Men” = Sethites

Also held by Augustine, Calvin and Luther; “Sons of God” = faithful followers of God whereas “Daughters of men” = everyone else

Critical Scholarship: “Sons of God” = Lesser gods in the heavenly pantheon, remnant of a Canaanite myth

In connection with Gen. 5:1, these eight verses are part of the “Book of Adam” (toldot) and so continue the theme of death as punishment for sin.

The Text Itself

Two part:

“seeing” and “taking”

“Sons of God saw”: Vs.2

Similar to Eve in Gen. 3:6

“the Lord saw”: Vs. 5

Intervention of God

This pattern can also be seen in Gen. 12:10-20 (Sarai and Pharaoh) & in 2 Sam. 11-12 (David and Bathsheba).

Humans cannot seize divinity; they cannot overstep their bounds and blur God’s distinctions. Such evil must be brought to a halt by divine intervention” (Allen P. Ross, Creation and Blessing)

Verses 1-4: Beings overstepped their bounds, God withdraws his protection

Wickedness: Saw beauty and took it for themselves

Oracle: The divine Lord placed a limit of human life

Qualification: The Nephilim came after these marriages

Verses 5-8: God was determined to destroy all living creatures seeing the wickedness, except for Noah.

Wickedness: All of humanities thoughts and actions were evil all the time

Oracle: God was grieved over mankind, determined to destroy all living things

Emotional & Volitional

Qualification: Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.

Theological Truths

Central Focus: The human race is wicked and death is the punishment.

“the passage as a whole is clearly portraying how wicked the human race had become and indicating that death would be the punishment.” (Allen P. Ross, Creation and Blessing)

“God had made human beings by design (yāṣar), but they had taken their God-given capacities and devised evil continually. There is hardly a stronger statement in the Bible about the evil of the human heart. The knowledge of good and evil has led to this low point.”

God grieves over sin and this is an important piece of divine judgment.

Anthropomorphic language is used. Human sin brought sorrow not only to humankind but also to God.

“This anthropomorphic description of God’s response to sin underscores the point of the passage: men and women are so desperately wicked that they grieve God’s heart to the extent that, rather than comfort them, God will destroy them.”

Grace is shown to Noah. Its not just about Noah’s own righteousness, but the graciousness of God.

Noah did not earn God’s favor but is said to have found it.

Mankind wishes to see itself as divine and supersedes the boundaries that God has placed.

Grace is a common theme here at the end of such stark condemnation. Connection to Matt. 24:37-39

“The point of the passage is that the wickedness of pagan idolatry and fornication (in spite of their claims) brings pain to God and judgment to the world, a judgment that can be escaped only by God’s grace.”

Addressing the Obstacles

The “sons of God” and “daughters of men”

Four major interpretations

Line of Seth, the godly line

Fallen angels

lesser gods within the pantheon

despots, powerful rulers

A Combined View?

Fallen angels and powerful rulers/great ones of earth

Not JUST angels… Since Jesus implies they cannot marry (Matt. 22:29-30) and why would God declare punishment on humans for the actions of angels?

Daniel 10:13, 20 suggests that great kings and Kingdoms of the earth had “princes” ruling behind them.

For the ANE culture, great leaders were commonly seen as gods, half-divine or demigods.

Job 1:6: The “sons of God” are referred closely with Satan

“Rather, the “sons of God” were basically human beings. There may have been demonic or spirit activity or power behind them, but they were just another low order of humans. Their taking any women they wished (the origin of harems?) was an attempt to satisfy their baser instincts. The offspring of these marriages may have been famous and powerful but, contrary to popular thinking, were not god-kings. They were flesh, as the text states; they would die, in due course, like all members of the human race. When God judged the world, as he subsequently did, no giant, no alleged deity, and no pagan ideology would have power against him. God simply allotted the days and announced the end.” (Allen P. Ross, Creation and Blessing)

The Faithful Worshippers vs. the Unfaithful

Exemplified beyond just “Sons of Seth” and “Daughters of Cain” to show a general characterization of the faithful and unfaithful.

120 Years

Reduction of lifespan

Not likely as Abraham, Isaac and Jacob live past this age.

Grace period before God would pour out His wrath on humankind

Does this as well in Jon. 3:4

The Nephilim

There is assumed understanding by the author to the audience of who the Nephilim are

Intermarriage did not affect them, since they were also around afterwards.

Num. 13:33 claims that the spies saw the Nephilim living in Canaan centuries after the flood

This was likely exaggeration, but lends to the belief that the Israelites at the time