Genesis 6:2

Genesis 6:2 . The sons of God — Those who were called by the name of the Lord, and called upon that name; married the daughters of men — Those that were profane, and strangers to God. The posterity of Seth did not keep to themselves as they ought, but intermingled with the race of Cain: they took them wives of all which they chosen — They chose only by the eye. They saw that they were fair — Which was all they looked at.

(2) The sons of God. . . . — The literal translation of this verse is, And the sons of the Elohim saw the daughters of the adam that they were good (beautiful); and they took to them wives whomsoever they chose. Of the sons of the Elohim there are three principal interpretations: the first, that of the Targums and the chief Jewish expositors, that they were the nobles, and men of high rank; the second, that they were angels. St. Jude, Jude 1:6 , and St. Peter, 2 Ep., 2Peter 2:4 , seem to favour this interpretation, possibly as being the translation of the LXX. according to several MSS. But even if this be their meaning, which is very uncertain, they use it only as an illustration; and a higher authority says that the angels neither marry nor are given in marriage. The third, and most generally accepted interpretation in modern times, is that the sons of the Elohim were the Sethites, and that when they married for mere lust of beauty, universal corruption soon ensued. But no modern commentator has shown how such marriages could produce “mighty men . . . men of renown;” or how strong warriors could be the result of the intermarriage of pious men with women of an inferior race, such as the Cainites are assumed to have been. The Jewish interpreters, who well understood the uses of their own language, are right in the main point that the phrase “sons of the Elohim” conveys no idea of moral goodness or piety. Elohim constantly means mighty ones (Exodus 15:11, marg.). (Comp.

Exodus 12:12, marg., Exodus 21:6; Exodus 22:8-9, where it is translated judges; Exodus 22:28, 1Samuel 2:25, where also it is translated judge.) In Job 1:6 the “sons of Elohim” are the nobles, the idea being that of a king who at his durbar gathers his princes round him; and, not unnecessarily to multiply examples, the “sons of the Elim,” the other form of the plural, is rightly translated mighty ones in Psalm 29:1. Who, then, are these “mighty ones?” Before answering this question, let me call attention to the plain teaching of the narrative as to what is meant by the “daughters of men.” It says: “When the adam began to multiply, and daughters were born unto them, the sons of the Elohim saw the daughters of the adam . . . and took them wives,” &c. But according to every right rule of interpretation, the “daughters of the adam” in Genesis 6:1 must be the same as the “daughters of the adam” in Genesis 6:2, whom the sons of the Elohim married. Now, it seems undeniable that the adam here spoken of were the Sethites. The phrase occurs in the history of Noah, just after giving his descent from Adam; Cain is absolutely passed over, even in the account of the birth of Seth, who is described as Adam’s firstborn, such as legally he was. The corruption described is that of the Sethites; for the Cainites have already been depicted as violent and lustful, and their history has been brought to an end.

2 . that the sons of God , &c.] This is one of the most disputed passages in the book. But the difficulty, in a great measure, disappears, if it is frankly recognized, that the verse must be allowed to have its literal meaning. According to the legend which it preserves, intermarriages took place between Heavenly Beings and mortal women. Commentators have often shrunk from the admission that this piece of mythology could have a place in the Hebrew Scriptures. Accordingly, very fanciful explanations have sometimes found favour; e.g. ( a ) “the sons of God” are the men of the upper classes, “the daughters of men” are “the women of the lower classes”; ( b ) “the sons of God” are “the sons of the god-fearing,” “the daughters of men” are “the daughters of the impious”; ( c ) “the sons of God” are “the descendants of Seth,” “the daughters of men” are “the women of the Cainite race.” Such interpretations may be dismissed as arbitrary and non-natural: and they furnish no explanation of the inference in Genesis 6:4 , that a race of giants or heroes was the progeny of these marriages. the sons of God ] Heb. B’nê Elohim , “sons of Elohim,” i.e. beings partaking of the Divine nature. It has been pointed out above (see note on Genesis 1:26 ), that the Israelites believed the Almighty to be surrounded by a court of beings who were subordinate to Him in authority, office, and rank: their dwelling-place was in Heaven; their duty was to perform the tasks appointed them by the Almighty.

They were “angels” or “messengers,” Heb. mal’âkhîm , Gr. ἄγγελοι . The sons of God are mentioned in Job 1:6 ; Job 2:1 ; Job 38:7 , Psalm 29:1 ; Psalm 89:1 , Daniel 3:25 ; Daniel 3:28 . The expression must be judged in accordance with Hebrew, not English, idiom. “The sons of the prophets” ( 1 Kings 20:35 : cf. Amos 7:14 ) are persons who belong to the guild of the prophets, members, as we should say, of the prophet’s calling. No family relationship is implied. Similarly “the sons of God” are not “sons of gods,” in the sense of being their children, but “sons of Elohim” in the sense of belonging to the class of super-natural, or heavenly, beings. There is no reference, on the one hand, to Oriental speculations respecting emanations from the Deity; nor to actual sonship, or generation. The description is quite general. Nowhere do we find in the O.T. mention of the “sons of Jehovah” instead of the “sons of Elohim.” of all that they chose ] i.e. whomsoever they chose. The sons of God are represented as being irresistible. The sons of men could offer no effective opposition. The marriages, contracted in this way, are evidently implied to be wrong, and the result of mere unbridled passion. The men were powerless to defend their women folk.

That the {a} sons of God saw the daughters {b} of men that they were {c} fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. (a) The children of the godly who began to degenerate. (b) Those that had wicked parents, as if from Cain. (c) Having more respect for their beauty and worldly considerations than for their manners and godliness.

The sons of God; either, 1. Persons of greatest eminency for place and power, for such are called gods, and children of the Most High, Psalm 82:6 ; where also they are opposed to men, Genesis 6:7 , i.e. to meaner men. And the most eminent things in their kinds are attributed to God, as cedars of God , all of God, & c. But it is not probable that the princes and nobles should generally take wives or women of the meaner rank, nor would the marriages of such persons be simply condemned, or at least it would not be mentioned as a crying sin, and a great cause of the deluge. Or rather, 2. The children of Seth and Enos, the professors of the true religion. For, 1. Such, and only such, in the common use of Scripture, are called the sons and children of God, as Deu 14:1, Deu 32:19, Isaiah 1:2, Isaiah 45:11, Hosea 11:1, Luke 17:27 , &c. 2. This title manifestly relates to Genesis 4:26 , where the same persons are said to be called by the name of the Lord, i.e. to be the sons and servants of God. 3. They are opposed to the daughters of men, the word men being here taken in an ill sense, for such as had nothing in them but the nature of men, which is corrupt and abominable, and were not sons of God, but foreigners and strangers to him, and apostates from him. 4.

These unequal matches with persons of a false religion are every where condemned in Scripture as sinful and pernicious, as Genesis 26:35 Exodus 34:16 1 Kings 11:2-3, Ezra 9:12, Nehemiah 13:23 , &c.; Malachi 2:11 1 Corinthians 7:39 2 Corinthians 6:14 , and therefore are fitly spoken of here as one of the sins which brought the flood upon the ungodly world. Saw, i.e. gazed upon and observed curiously and lustfully, as the sequel showeth, the daughters of men, of that ungodly and accursed race of Cain. They were fair, i.e. beautiful, and set off their beauty with all the allurements of ornaments and carriage; herein using greater liberty than the sons and daughters of God did or durst take, 1 Peter 3:3 ; and therefore were more enticing and prevalent with fleshly-minded men. Either, 1. By force and violence, as the word sometimes signifies. Or rather, 2. By consent; for the sons of God were so few, in comparison of the wicked world, that they durst not take away their daughters by force; which also proves that they did not take them for harlots, but for wives. They took them wives, possibly more than one for each of them, after the example of those wicked families into which they were matched; of all which they chose, i.e. loved and liked, as the word choosing is taken, Psalm 25:12, Psalm 119:173, Isaiah 1:29, Isaiah 42:1 , compared with Matthew 12:28 .