Question of the Week - Who were the Nephilim?

A: Genesis 6 and Numbers 13 (pre-Flood and post-Flood) list the term “Nephilim” that has been the center of discussion for many years. At this point, the identity of the Nephilim and the sons of God is still being debated in Christian circles. There is a popular unbiblical view that the Nephilim are space aliens. Of course, most creationists rightly reject this particular view for multiple reasons.

Of the views with some biblical support, some believe that fallen angels bred with women and resulted in giants called Nephilim. Some believe the sons of God were the result of fallen angels who overtook ungodly men to breed with women.

Some believe they were the Sethites (descendants of Adam’s son Seth). There are some minor views as well, such as kings, rulers, or heads of leading family groups as being godly from Psalm 82. This view has many similarities to the Sethite view but eliminates many of Seth’s descendants and merely keeps with the leaders/kings (as well as some other leaders of other tribes) as godly. Another variation of the Sethite view is that these godly men had relations with ungodly women, and the offspring followed after other “gods” as opposed to God—and “fell away” in tremendous ways. This is called the “fallen men” view.

There is a great deal of confusion over the word Nephilim. No one today really knows what it means. It is related to the verb series “to fall” (naphal) in Hebrew, which is why some direct this to fallen angels or more appropriately, the offspring thereof. However, this also gives strong support to the view that men had fallen away from God. It was these two concepts that helped give rise to the various views mentioned above.

Many have associated the Nephilim with giants. Giant traits may not have been limited to Nephilim alone: Goliath, a giant, was not considered Nephilim. As mentioned, the term Nephilim is unclear in definition. It is related to the verb “to fall” and the King James Version translates it as giants from the influence of the Latin Vulgate’s (early Latin translation by Jerome) term gigantes as well as the context from Numbers 13. The context of Genesis 6 does not reveal they were giants. There may have been some influence on the Latin Vulgate by the Septuagint’s (Greek translation of the Old Testament about 200–300 years before Christ) use of Greek word gigentes.

Don’t miss the rest of this fascinating study on our website: Who Were the Nephilim?

News to Note Quick Look

Flat Find: Scientists have discovered yet another missing link—this one supposedly showing the origin of flat fishes. But like other missing links, this one strikes us as a little fishy. Read more.

Scripted: An ancient stone tablet covered with Hebrew text has created a “quiet stir” in biblical and archaeological circles, reports the New York Times. Does this tablet disprove Christ’s resurrection—or should we read between the lines? Read more.

Also: atypical planet, a caveman in Paris, seeing the light, scaling new heights, and questioning answers. Read more.

Expose Earth Science

The earth science textbooks used in public schools today teach that the universe began with a big bang and that the earth, and life on it, slowly evolved over billions of years. In this follow-up to the best-selling Evolution Exposed: Biology, author Roger Patterson shows students how to respectfully counter the evolutionary bias and indoctrination in astronomical and geological evolution. Students are equipped with a side-by-side comparison of the biblical and evolutionary views. Illustrations, charts, tables, and key definitions help students easily grasp the material so that they can bring truth to the science classroom. Whether writing research papers, engaging in classroom discussions, or interacting with friends and teachers, students will have the information they need to stand firm in this battle of today’s culture war.

Find out more

This information was provided by Answers In Genesis, an excellent source of material relating to Creation and evolution. Please visit their website using the link in the upper left.