Who were the sons of God mentioned in Genesis 6?
Genesis 6:1-3 (KJV)
[sup]1 [/sup]And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,
[sup]2 [/sup]That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
[sup]3 [/sup]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.
[sup]1 [/sup]And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,
[sup]2 [/sup]That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
[sup]3 [/sup]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.
In order to get a better understanding of who these sons of God were we need to go to Genesis 4:26 and it says, And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD. (KJV)
Two quotes from Adam Clark
Then began men to call upon the name of the Lord—The marginal reading is, Then began men to call themselves by the name of the Lord;
— Adam Clarke's Commentary
It must not be dissembled that many eminent men have contended that הוחל huchal, which we translate began, should be rendered began profanely, or then profanation began,
— Adam Clarke's Commentary
In other words, wicked men began to call themselves sons of God. They profaned God's name by calling themselves sons of God while still being wicked.
These are the same men that the Bible mentioned in Genesis 6:1-3 as the sons of God.
They were wicked or sinful men that knew that God created their parents, Adam and Eve. They no doubt knew what happened to them (stories handed down to them from Adam and so on), and that they were driven from the Garden and cut off from God.
So they thought that by calling themselves sons of God they would get special favor with God, though they still practice and lived in sin, as it says in Genesis 6:5 (KJV)
[sup]5 [/sup]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.
[sup]5 [/sup]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.
Notice that it says “the wickedness of man was great…..” It does not say the wickedness of angles or demons…….man was wicked. These men that called themselves by God’s name were wicked in every way.
The word man in verse 5 Genesis 6 is translated from the Hebrew word אָדָם = aw-dawm', and means ʾādām. These men were sons of Adam/human beings. Besides for the fact that it is utterly impossible for demons or angels to have sexual intercourse, if fallen angels were these men’s father they would not be called ʾādām because Adam would not be there father….there lineage would be traced to another. Another reason why it would not be possible is that God would not allow it, for it would be a violation of what God said. God said that man(kind) is to dominate the Earth not spirit/angels or demons……they have no authority on the Earth over man. Even God Himself when He has something to say or wants to do something does it through man….including when He hinted that a Savior for mankind would come, and is mentioned in Genesis 3:15. A descendant of Eve would come and crush the head of Satan…..that man was the Godman Jesus.
In Genesis 6:4 (KJV) mighty men translated from the Hebrew גִּבּוֹר = gibbôr and means hero.
From the Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament
1393 נפל (npl) II. Assumed root of the following.
1393a †נְפִילִים (nepîlîm) <H5303> giants, the Nephilim (Genesis 6:4; Numbers 13:33, only).
While some scholars attempt to relate this term etymologically to nāpal I via the noun nēpel "untimely birth" or "miscarriage" (as productive of superhuman monstrosities), a more likely reconstruction is the proposal of a root nāpal II, akin to other weak verbs, pûl II "be wonderful, strong, mighty," pālāʾ "be wonderful," and even pālâ "separate, distinguish," pālal "discriminate." This pattern of semantically related groups of weak verbs with two strong consonants in common is a notably recurrent phenomenon in Hebrew lexicography. Actually, the translation "giants" is supported mainly by the LXX and may be quite misleading. The word may be of unknown origin and mean "heroes" or "fierce warriors" etc. The RSV and NIV transliteration "Nephilim" is safer and may be correct in referring the noun to a race or nation.
— Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament
Genesis 6:4 (KJV)
[sup]4 [/sup]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.
Hero
Usage Number: 1
Part Of Speech: Noun
Strong's Number: <H1368>
Original Word: גִּבּוֹר, gibbôr
Usage Notes: "hero." This word appears 159 times in the Old Testament. The first occurrence of gibbôr is in Gen. 6:4: "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."
In the context of battle, the word is better understood to refer to the category of warriors. The gibbôr is the proven warrior; especially is this true when gibbôr is used in combination with ḥayil ("strength"). The kjv gives a literal translation, "mighty men [gibbôr] of valor [ḥayil]," whereas the niv renders the phrase idiomatically, "fighting men" (cf. Josh. 1:14). David, who had proven himself as a warrior, attracted "heroes" to his band while he was being pursued by Saul (2 Sam. 23). When David was enthroned as king, these men became a part of the elite military corps. The phrase gibbôr ḥayil may also refer to a man of a high social class, the landed man who had military responsibilities. Saul came from such a family (1 Sam. 9:1); so also Jeroboam (1 Kings 11:28). The king symbolized the strength of his kingdom. He had to lead his troops in battle, and as commander he was expected to be a "hero." Early in David's life, he was recognized as a "hero" (1 Sam. 18:7). The king is described as a "hero": "Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most Mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty" (Psa. 45:3). The messianic expectation included the hope that the Messiah would be "mighty": "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace" (Isa. 9:6).
— Vine's Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words
And finaly; here’s another proof from the scriptures that spirit and human beings cannot mix/produce offspring.
Daniel 2:43 (ASV)
[sup]43 [/sup]And whereas thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men; but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron doth not mingle with clay.
[sup]43 [/sup]And whereas thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men; but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron doth not mingle with clay.
Daniel was inspired and prophesied of the last world ruling Empire (the Roman Empire) before the return of Jesus, in which something not human will possess or try to join with the leaders (seed of men): those that orchestrate that system. They will not be able to mix the same way iron and clay cannot mix.
So we can see that not only is it impossible for demons or fallen angels to produce offspring with human beings, but also God would not allow it.