In Genesis 6, we see that there is a rapid increase in sin. We don’t know what the actual population of the world would have been at this point in time.
Human beings began to increase in number, and daughters were born to them, Genesis 6:1. If you read through Genesis 4-5, you’ll clearly see that the ‘sons of God,’ Genesis 6:2, weren’t ‘fallen angels’ as some like to suggest.
When the New Testament speaks of angels leaving their proper place, 2 Peter 2:4 / Jude 6, it refers to their fall with Satan, not to cohabitation with women. Nowhere in the Bible are ‘bad’ angels called ‘sons of God’.
We must remember that angels are without sexual orientation, which implies that they aren’t male or female. Angels do not have physical bodies, although there are times when they appear in human form, Genesis 18:22 / Genesis 19:1, but nowhere in Scripture are we told that they were capable of procreation to have human children, Matthew 22:30 / Luke 20:36.
Demons and angels do not have the power to create, so they could not have re-created or reproduced with human beings. Note in Genesis 6:9, we are told that God was bringing judgment on ‘man’ not angels or fallen angels.
The daughters of men are the daughters of the children of Cain, whose family is listed in Genesis 4:16-24. Seth’s family is then listed in Genesis 4:25-5:32. So, you have two families represented up to this point.
Cain’s line is recounted in Genesis 4, and this line displays a huge growth in wickedness, capped by Lamech, who was the first polygamist, Genesis 4:19, and who rejoiced in the murderous, vengeful use of the sword, Genesis 4:23-24.
The line of Seth is traced in Genesis 5 and displays righteousness. This line includes Enoch, who ‘walked with God’, Genesis 4:24, and Noah, who was ‘a righteous and blameless’ man, Genesis 6:9. There are ‘the sons of God’ represented in the family of Seth, and there are ‘the daughters of men’ who are the female offspring of the children of Cain and his family.
It’s true that angels are called ‘sons of God’ in Job 1:6 / Job 2:1 / Job 38:7, but as we mentioned above, ‘bad’ angels are never called ‘sons of God. Righteous people are also called ‘sons of God’ in Hosea 1:10. Even in the New Testament, we find that Christians are called ‘sons of God’ through faith in Christ, Galatians 3:26.
The term ‘sons of God’ simply refers to those who were obedient to God, but those who joined themselves to, that is, married, those who weren’t faithful to God, that is, ‘the daughters of men’. Seth’s godly descendants married the descendants from Cain, and so marrying those who’d rejected God and leading to greater wickedness.
The ‘sons of God’ were those who loved God, and the ‘daughters of men’ were those who didn’t love God. So, we simply have people who served God and people who served themselves. We see two lines, one obeying God and the other wilfully disobeying Him.
Because of intermarriage, Genesis 6:1-2, the people who belonged to the line of Seth came down to the level of those who didn’t love God. In other words, the godly became ungodly.
It’s clear that God was upset because the people left Him, and despite having one hundred and twenty years to repent, Genesis 6:3, they didn’t, and so, God announces His judgment and man is to be judged, Genesis 6:3 / Genesis 6:5-7 / Romans 1:24 / Romans 1:26 / Romans 1:28.
The Nephilim existed before and after ‘the sons of God’ married ‘the daughters of men,’ Genesis 6:4. They were a vicious and dominant people who dominated civilisations by populating the earth through the ‘daughters of men,’ and so they brought wickedness upon the earth.
Notice some translations use the words ‘giants’ and ‘mighty men.’ In Numbers 13:33, we find a description of them; they were a group of big, strong people. Here in Genesis 6:4, this can be read one of two ways. They were either physically large or they were giants among men in the sense of leaders. The Nephilim were powerful and influential men, but not necessarily good.
Notice they were ‘heroes of old and men of renown’, Genesis 6:4. The Hebrew word ‘gibbor’ is translated as ‘heroes’ in the NIV, but this is misleading because most other translations use the words ‘mighty men.’
This is important because a ‘hero’ is good, but a ‘mighty man’ can be good or evil. These ‘mighty men’ were so evil, the result of their wicked culture led to the degeneration of mankind. Mankind’s strength wouldn’t save them, and so the people put their faith in the Nephilim, giants, mighty men, instead of God, Matthew 23:12.
The word ‘Nephilim,’ often translated as ‘giants,’ means people who were physically bigger than typical men or who were of outstanding skill. The giants existed before, and after the sons of God married the daughters of men, Genesis 6:4.
In other words, before the flood, there was a population of physically large men or very skilled men. After the flood, we see the same word, ‘Nephilim’, being used, and again it is translated as ‘giants.
Notice in Numbers 13:33, it refers to their physical stature. Anak was an exceptionally large man, as were his descendants, the ‘Anakites’ NIV or as the ‘Anakims’, as the KJV translates the word, Deuteronomy 1:28.
We must note that they weren’t the only large people living after the flood. The ‘Emites’, NIV or the ‘Emims’ as the KJV translates the word, are also described as being tall, as tall as giants, as tall as the ‘Anakim’, NIV, or the ‘Anakites’ as the KJV translates the word, Deuteronomy 2:10-11.
The point is, when we read the word ‘Nephilim’ in our Bibles, we’re not to think of a race of people but rather a characteristic of some people. They were tall, they were strong, they were mighty men, Genesis 6:4.