Who Were the Nephilim? | 2 Views on the Nephilim

Type of Doctrine: Tertiary

"The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown."

-Genesis 6:4 ESV

Why does it matter?

The word "Nephilim" appears three times in two verses in the Bible. It describes giants who lived on the earth. Who were the Nephilim? Various interpretations have been given (which will be covered in the section below).

This subject is typically considered a tertiary issue since it doesn't impact any primary doctrine or secondary doctrine (which would affect church practice). Therefore, believers can disagree and still stay within the same church.

What is it?

The Hebrew word translated "Nephilim" appears in the following two verses.

Genesis 6:4 - "The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown."
Numbers 13:33 - "And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them."

It is also possible that Jude is referring to the Nephilim in Jude 6-7, "And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day-- just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire." In these verses, Jude talks about angels who left their own "proper dwelling" and are being held in prison until judgment day. Intriguingly, immediately after he refers to Sodom and Gomorrah "which likewise indulged in sexual immorality"; this is similar to the issue in Genesis 6.

What is clear is that they were mighty, giant people who lived both before the flood (Gen. 6) and after the flood (Num. 13:33). But from where did they come? Were they good or bad? Were they demonic in origin or not? Or perhaps they were humans, but they were demon possessed? Theologians have given different interpretations. (A related subject and another good Bible study is concerning the "sons of God." The sons of God are mentioned in the Genesis 6 passage in reference to the Nephilim. This will be the subject of another article later.) Stretching back to the early church, both views below are represented.

Here are the two main views concerning the Nephilim.

2 Views of the Nephilim

View	Defined	Supernatural?
Offspring of Fallen Angels (i.e., demons)	The phrase "sons of God" typically means angels (e.g., Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7). Genesis 6 shows that fallen angels produced offspring with human woman. The evil of this act grieved God and led to the flood afterwards. Thus, the Nephilim were actually giants due to being part demonic.	Yes
Mighty Men	The phrase "sons of God" in Genesis 6 means that they are humans. Some understand the Nephilim as giants literally while others interpret it as a metaphor. Many claim that they are descendants of Seth (the godly line). They chose to marry ungodly women (some say from Cain's line). There are many variations of this view. Some say they were descendants of Seth; others say they were demon-possessed men; still others claim they were rulers that have gone rogue.	No

Application:

We should always seek to understand God's revealed will by reading Scripture, and we should seek to obey it. Regardless of one's view on the Nephilim, they were unfaithful and disobedient to the Lord. Let us seek to be faithful and obedient to him!

Where can I learn more?

Bibliography:

-Grudem, Wayne. Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. 2nd ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2020.

-Frame, John M. Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Christian Belief. Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R, 2013.

-MacArthur, John, and Richard Mayhue, eds. Biblical Doctrine: A Systematic Summary of Bible Truth. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2017.

-The online version of the Britannica has an excellent brief article on the Nephilim as well (click here to read it).