Who are the Sons of God in Genesis 6?

The phrase “sons of God” appears ten times in the Bible; five in the Old Testament (Genesis 6:2; 6:4; Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7) and five in the New Testament (Matthew 5:9; Luke 20:36; Romans 8:14; 8:19; Galatians 3:26). The New Testament use is evident – it refers to the people of God, to Christians.

Notice:

• Galatians 3:26, “…you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus…”
• Matthew 5:9, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”
• Romans 8:14, “…as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God.”

Obviously, the Old Testament use is not about Christians. Neither is it about the people of Israel, for every instance of it appears before the formation of national Israel. So, who are the sons of God in these Old Testament texts, and specifically in Genesis 6? Here is the text in question:

Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose. And the LORD said, ‘My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.’ There were giants on the earth in those days and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown. (Genesis 6:1-4, NKJV)

There are 4 major views concerning the sons of God in this text. We will mention three of them briefly and then pursue in detail the interpretation which this author believes to be correct.

A FEW POSSIBLE INTERPRETATIONS

1. A modern theory (mid-to-late 19^th century) is that the text is mythological, showing the mating of gods and humans, as can be found in various pagan religions. The Bible presents it as a reality, something that indeed happened. If it is merely a myth, what else in the Bible can be conveniently written off as myth?
2. Some teach the sons of God are the descendants of Seth (the godly line) and the daughters of men are the descendants of Cain (the ungodly line). This view was held by Augustine and later church fathers. First, it seems problematic to focus on Cain and Seth alone, as though their descendants were the only people on earth. They were not. Adam and Eve had other children (Genesis 5:4). And on what basis should we conclude that all of Cain’s descendants were evil and all of Seth’s descendants were godly? When the flood came, any of Seth’s descendants who were alive perished, except for Noah and his immediate family. Also, to identify people as good or evil based on the deeds of their father violates God’s message in Ezekiel 18:20, among other places. Additionally, this explanation fails to adequately address why the offspring of the sons of God and daughters of men would be Nephilim (giants).
3. Others teach the sons of God in Genesis 6 were powerful men (kings, rulers, nobles) who took women by force. There is no evidence of this view in Jewish writing or early Christian writings. It appears to have arisen in the middle-ages. While it presents a scenario which no doubt took place at various places and times throughout history (Artaxerxes pursuit of a wife comes to mind as an example), there is nothing concrete in Genesis 6 or elsewhere in support of this being the legitimate explanation of Genesis 6. Like the Sethite theory, this also fails to address why the offspring of rulers and captive women would be Nephilim (giants).

DISOBEDIENT SPIRIT BEINGS (ANGELS)

A fourth possibility, and the one which I believe best addresses the text and finds support elsewhere in Scripture, is that the sons of God in Genesis 6 are unfaithful angelic beings. Granted, there is nothing in the immediate text which would lead to this conclusion, but that is the case with the other theories as well. Let’s consider the bulk of evidence for this interpretation.

A Historical Interpretation
While the other theories mentioned above are all reasonably new (the Sethite explanation seeming to be the oldest), the sons of God being disobedient spirits is the historical interpretation of the text. Some manuscript copies of the Septuagint (LXX) read “sons of God” while others read “angels of God.” The Septuagint is the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, dated to 250 BC. Basically, all English translations draw from the Hebrew Masoretic text (200 AD) for the Old Testament, thus the reading “sons of God.”

In the Intertestamental Period (430 BC – 30 AD), there are documents which identify these “sons of God” as angels. These are uninspired writings by the Jews, not Scripture. But, they reveal what the ancient Jews believed about the text.

• 1 Enoch 6:2-3, “The angels, the children of heaven, saw and lusted after them, and said to one another: ‘Come, let us choose us wives from among the children of men and beget us children.’”
• 1 Enoch 15:3-10, “Wherefore have ye left the high, holy, and eternal heaven, and lain with women, and defiled yourselves with the daughters of men and taken to yourselves wives, and done like the children of the earth, and begotten giants (as your) sons? … you were formerly spiritual, living the eternal life, and immortal for all generations of the world. And therefore I have not appointed wives for you; for as for the spiritual ones of the heaven, in heaven is their dwelling…”
• Jubilees 7:25-26, the text describes “…the fornication wherein the Watchers against the law of their ordinances went a whoring after the daughters of men…”
• Documents found in the Dead Sea Scrolls (the “Genesis Apocryphon” and the “Damascus Document”) refer to these “sons of God” as “Watchers” and “fallen from heaven.”

Evidence indicates the Jews in the first century as well as the early Christians believed these were angels. Philo of Alexandria, a Hellenistic Jewish philosopher who lived in the latter half of the first century AD cited Genesis 6 in his work, “On the Giants,” identifying the “sons of God” as “angels.” He indicated some other philosophers called them “demons,” but Philo affirmed Moses spoke of angels. Josephus, a first century AD Jewish priest and Roman historian, identified the “sons of God” as “angels of God” (Antiquities, Book 1, Chapter 73).

In the first century, Christian apologist Clement of Rome said of the “sons of God” in Genesis 6, “…having assumed these forms, they convicted as covetous those who stole them, and changed themselves into the nature of man…” (Homily 8:13). Of their offspring, he wrote, “…they were sprung of angels; yet less than angels, as they were born of women” (Homily 8:15). In the second century, Justin Martyr wrote, “…the angels transgressed this appointment, and were captivated by love of women…” (The Second Apology, ch. 5). Also in the second century, Irenaeus wrote, “…for a very long while wickedness extended and spread, and reached and laid hold upon the whole race of mankind, until a very small seed of righteousness remained among them and illicit unions took place upon the earth, since angels were united with the daughters of the race of mankind…” (Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching, section 18). There are also quotes from Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, Commodianus, Athenagorus, Lactantius, Ambros, Julius Africanus, and more. This was the view of the early church. That doesn’t make it true, but it does establish the long acceptance of the view.

Sons of God in the Other Old Testament Texts
Since there is question about the meaning of the phrase in Genesis 6, we should look at Job 1, 2 & 38 to see how it is used there. The context of Job 38 is about creation. Verses 6-7 read, “To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” These were not humans, Sethite or otherwise. There were no humans present to watch and shout for joy as God laid the foundation of creation. But the angels were present.

Job 1:6 says, “…there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them.” The next chapter begins, “…there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD.” These texts are not about believers assembling to worship God. There is no evidence of such assemblies from this early in human history. Further, whatever these “sons of God” were doing, Satan also did (2:1, “…Satan came also … to present himself before the LORD.”). The idea is they were giving account of themselves. I suggest these are angels giving account of themselves before the LORD.

What are they giving account concerning? There is no way for us to know the exact details. But Scripture indicates that certain angels were charged with responsibility over the nations. Deuteronomy 32:8 reads, “When the Most High divided their inheritance to the nations, when He separated the sons of Adam, He set the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the children of Israel.” What does that mean? God set the boundaries of the nations according to “the number of the children of Israel”? The ESV reads differently. It says, “…he fixed the borders of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God.” Why the difference?

The NKJV and most other translations rely upon the Masoretic text, produced at the end of the 2^nd century AD. The Jewish rabbis tried to counter the common teaching at the time that “sons of God” were angelic beings. In Deuteronomy 32:8, it seems they removed the reference to “sons of God,” choosing to use “sons of Israel” or “children of Israel” instead. The Septuagint, which dates to 250 BC, reads, “…he set the bounds of the nations according to the number of the angels of God.” The ESV rendering of Deuteronomy 32:8 is based upon the Septuagint and documentation found in the Dead Sea Scrolls rather than the Masoretic text, using language consistent with references in Job and Genesis. And of course, the verse makes much more sense as “sons of God” or “angels of God” rather than “children of Israel.”

New Testament References
There are three New Testament references which specifically mention disobedient angelic beings. In 1 Peter 3, the apostle spoke of the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus. In verse 19, we read, “…He went and preached to the spirits in prison…” Who are these spirits, and why are they in prison? Verse 20 sets a limited timeframe, taking us back to Genesis 6, “…in the days of Noah…” Certainly, Genesis 6 speaks of the wickedness of man, but Peter is not speaking about men. He is referring to the disobedient spirits of Genesis 6:2-4.

Again, notice 2 Peter 2:4-10. There is a lot going on in this text. Peter gave three examples of God’s judgment: verses 6-7, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in Lot’s time (Genesis 19); verse 5, the destruction of the ancient world in the flood (Genesis 7-9); and verse 4, the casting down and imprisoning of angels who sinned. If that’s not a reference to Genesis 6, then I am not sure what it is. It is the same circumstance which Peter spoke of in 1 Peter 3, set in the timeframe of “…in the days of Noah.”

Finally, Jude 5-7. Like Peter, Jude also gave three examples of the Lord judging the wicked. In verse 5, he wrote of the exodus generation, who perished in the wilderness. In verse 7, he wrote of Sodom and Gomorrah, who were given to sexual immorality. And in verse 6, “…the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode…” The language is the same as used in 1 Peter 3 and 2 Peter 2. He specifically identified them as “angels” and reveals at least in some detail what they did – “…they did not keep their proper domain…” They departed from their God given role and realm to do what was not theirs to do. Again, they “…left their own abode…” (NKJV). Other translations say they left their “proper habitation” (ASV), “proper dwelling” (ESV), or “abandoned their assigned place” (ISV). They left the spirit realm and lived upon the earth as though they were men. There is a connection between verses 6 and 7. Of Sodom and Gomorrah, Jude said, “…in a similar manner to these…” (verse 7). What did Sodom and Gomorrah have in common with the angels who left their proper domain and abode? Sexual sin. For Sodom and Gomorrah it was homosexuality; for the angels it was marrying human women and mating with them.

Some may protest – angels don’t marry – Jesus said so (Matthew 22:30). Indeed, there is no marriage in heaven. But that’s the key – in heaven. These angels mentioned in Jude 6, 2 Peter 2:5 and 1 Peter 3:19-20 left heaven and dwelt upon the earth as though they were humans. Angels were not created to marry and have children. Humanity was created and told to be fruitful and multiply. However, don’t assume that because they were not intended to marry and have children that they could not do so. Angels were not made to eat human food, but they did so at times (Genesis 18:8; cf. Hebrews 13:2).

CONCLUSION

The phrase “sons of God” in Genesis 6 has long been debated, and while alternative views exist, the testimony of Scripture, Jewish tradition, and early Christian writers consistently points to disobedient angels as the best explanation. This perspective harmonizes with the use of the phase elsewhere in the Old Testament, accounts for the New Testament references to imprisoned spirits, and explains the unique offspring described in the text.

Ultimately, the lesson is not just about angels or ancient history. Genesis 6 reminds us of the seriousness of sin, the reality of God’s judgment, and the danger of leaving the place God has assigned. Whether it be angels who abandoned their domain or humans who ignore God’s will, the result is destruction. Yet, Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord (Genesis 6:8). Why? Because “Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God” (verse 9). Friend, let us walk faithfully with God, trusting in His grace and staying within the boundaries of His word.

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October 2025 | GROW magazine
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