The Nephilim: Human, or Supernatural?

Were Nephilim - the "sons of God" - really the result of angels interbreeding with the human race, as seems to be a popular teaching; or has the following passage simply been misinterpreted? Let's check it out:

Genesis 6: Genesis 6: 1 In time, when men began to multiply on earth, and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were attractive; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose. 3 ADONAI said, "My Spirit will not live in human beings forever, for they too are flesh; therefore their life span is to be 120 years." 4 The N'filim were on the earth in those days, and also afterwards, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them; these were the ancient heroes, men of renown. 5 ADONAI saw that the people on earth were very wicked, that all the imaginings of their hearts were always of evil only. 6 ADONAI regretted that he had made humankind on the earth; it grieved his heart. 7 ADONAI said, "I will wipe out humankind, whom I have created, from the whole earth; and not only human beings, but animals, creeping things and birds in the air; for I regret that I ever made them."

Many pose the following question: Who are "the sons of God" in Genesis 6:2? Are they demons or humans?

One school of interpretation says they are fallen angels who had sexual relations with women and produced an offspring of giants. However, this is all negated by Matthew 22:30 which tells us that angels are unable to marry because they are not able to procreate:

Matthew 22: 30. For in the resurrection of the dead, men do not marry women, nor are women given to husbands. Rather, they are as the Messengers of Elohim in Heaven.

Read in context, this simply means that the "sons of God" - godly men - intermarried with heathen (ungodly) women....which led to the universal corruption of society and necessitated the flood to morally cleanse the earth.

Angels are HOLY beings. Sex is not in the equation because they are all about YHWH, not themselves. Sex is a human desire which fulfills the command for mankind to "be fruitful and multiply" (Genesis 1:28). Nowhere in the entire Bible will you see YHWH giving that command to angels, nor do we ever see that the number of angels increases or decreases.

If angels at all times 'see the face of my Father who is in heaven" why would they need sex?

Matthew 18: 10. See to it that you do not despise one of these little ones. I say to you, for their Messengers in heaven at all times see the face of my Father who is in heaven. (AENT)

We see many scriptures throughout the Bible that suggest angels (the Aramaic word is actually "messengers") are NOT sexual beings. And have you ever noticed that angels are not a race descended from a common ancestor? Men are called "sons of men," but angels are never called "sons of angels."

Luke 20: 34. Y’shua said to them, The sons of this world marry women and women are given to men. 35. But those who of that world are worthy of the resurrection, that is from the dead, do not marry women nor women given to men. 36. For neither are they able to die again, for they are as the Messengers. And sons are of Elohim because they are sons of the resurrection. (AENT)

The teaching that the Nephilim were fallen angels comes predominately from the extra-biblical book of Enoch. However, the Torah seems to suggest that the righteous line of Adam's son Seth had begun to mix with the unrighteous line of his other son, Cain - and the fruit of this "mixing of seed" was the Nephilim. Although the King James version translates this word as "giants" it may also be understood to be "tyrants", which could also mean that the outcome of this "mixing of the seed" was not a superior race of famous giants, but a world filled with "bad" ungodly people.

This is why YHWH declared: Genesis 6: 3 My Spirit will not live in human beings forever, for they too are flesh; therefore their life span is to be 120 years." YHWH decreed that in 120 years he would stop contending with man and bring destruction upon the earth. Yet, because there was ONE righteous person left (Gen. 6: "8 But Noach found grace in the sight of ADONAI") He spared us complete annihilation. You don't ever hear of angels dying....

During this 120 year period, Noah prepared the ark and preached righteousness. Through Noah's line of Seth, the earth was ultimately repopulated and YHWH eventually brought forth the "seed of the woman" via Yeshua in Israel, who would crush the head of the serpent and liberate us from our fallen condition.

Bottom line: Messengers/Angels don't and can't fornicate; therefore, the Nephilim were NOT angels. For more on this subject, please see this study about angels.