The sons of God began to come in to the daughters of men
Sons of God - (ancient Hebrew בני האלהים ; ancient Greek υἱοὶ τοῦ θεοῦ ) - generalized minor characters of Genesis, which are discussed in two verses of the sixth chapter of the first book of the Pentateuch of Moses.
The sons of God and their interactions with men have been the subject of much commentary. Today we turn to the book of Genesis:
2 Then the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were beautiful, and they took [them] for themselves as wives as anyone chose. 3 And the Lord said, My Spirit will not forever be despised by men; because they are flesh; let their days be a hundred and twenty years. 4 At that time there were giants on the earth, especially from the time when the sons of God began to come in to the daughters of men, and they began to give birth to them: these are strong people, glorious people of old. (Gen.6:2-4)
Who are they, the sons of God?
There are quite a few answers to this question. Some argue that these are heavenly creatures - angels, while others argue more down to earth, based on the genealogy of Adam.
Related Article: False Revelations and Theories
We will try to present both theories in the light of our question. If you have anything to add to the study of our topic, please leave comments after the article.
Ministry of the Daynals in the Local Universes
20:8.1 (231.1) The Spiritual Sons of Paradise are unique beings of Trinity origin, the only Trinity creatures so closely associated with the leadership of dual-origin universes. Dainals serve faithfully as teachers of mortal creatures and the lower orders of spirit beings. Beginning their work in local systems, they, depending on experience and success, move towards the center and, through service in the constellations, ascend to the highest work in the local creation. After certification, Daynal can become a spiritual messenger, a representative of the local universe where his service took place.
20:8.2 (231.2) I do not know the exact number of the Teacher Sons of Nebadon; they number in many thousands. Many deans in the Melchizedek schools fall into this category; These Sons are also part of the more than one hundred thousand staff of the permanent Salvington University. A large number of Daynals are stationed on various preparatory morontia worlds, where, along with the spiritual and intellectual development of mortal creatures, they are engaged in training the seraphic and other beings native to local creations. Many of their assistants come from the ranks of trinitized creatures.
20:8.3 (231.3) Teacher Sons are those teachers who administer all examinations and tests for the qualification and certification of all lower grades of universe service, from outpost guardians to star explorers. They carry out a broad and centuries-old training program that begins with planetary courses and culminates in the supreme Institute of Wisdom on Salvington. Recognition commensurate with effort and achievement is assured to all who complete these journeys into wisdom and truth—whether ascending mortal or aspiring cherub.
20:8.4 (231.4) Throughout the universes, all Sons of God are grateful to these ever-loyal and active Trinity Teacher Sons. They are the exalted teachers of all spiritual persons, tried and true teachers even of the Sons of God themselves. But I can hardly tell you the countless details of the duties and functions of the Teacher Sons. The vast field of activity of the sonship of the Daynals will be better understood on Urantia when you have reached a higher intellectual development, and also after the spiritual isolation of your planet has been completed.
Sons of God Gen. 6:2-4
Let's begin our study of the topic with places where in the Bible you can find mention of the phrase “sons of God.”
There are several bright places from which to start reading.
First point of view
6 And there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord; Satan also came among them. (Job 1:6)
1 There was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord; Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord. (Job 2:1)
7 When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? (Job 38:7)
Sons of God - in the book of Job definitely means Angels.
Could this phrase have the same meaning in Genesis 6:2-4?
25 For when they rise from the dead, [then] they will neither marry nor be given in marriage, but will be like angels in heaven. (Mark 12:25)
Since Angels do not marry, there is something different under the sons of God in the book of Genesis.
Perhaps this place refers to the descendants of Shem (Semites, ancestors of future Jews):
1 You are the sons of the Lord your God; You shall not make any cuts [on your body] or cut off the hair above your eyes for the deceased; (Deut. 14:1)
15 [But] if I had said, “I will reason thus,” then I would have been guilty before the generation of Your sons. (Ps. 72:15)
6 I will say to the North: “Give it back”; and to the south: “do not hold back; bring My sons from afar and My daughters from the ends of the earth (Isa.43:6)
10 But the number of the children of Israel will be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or numbered; and where they said to them, “You are not my people,” they will say to them, “You are the sons of the living God.” (Hos.1:10)
In contrast to the descendants of Cain, whose daughters (in verse 4) are called daughters of men.
In the New Testament, the sons of God are believers. (See children of God)
36 and they can no longer die, for they are equal to the angels and are the sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. (Luke 20:36)
Second point of view
The sons of God are the descendants of Seth (the third son of Adam is a righteous man, born instead of Abel). The daughters of men are the descendants of Cain (granddaughters and great-granddaughters). The descendants of Cain did not follow the Lord, and when they married the righteous descendants of Seth, they corrupted them. This was objectionable in the eyes of God, after which He limited the life of man to 120 years.
We will develop this idea below, but for the overall picture it is best to remember the context of chapter 6 of the book of Genesis.
Other children of Mars
Another son of the war god Mars in Roman mythology is a god named Picus. His cult was not so well known, and the name of the mother of this deity is also unknown. It is only indicated that Mars is his father. Peak was revered as the patron of forests and fields; he was also knowledgeable in predictions and could help with them. His house was located in a grove near one of the seven hills of Rome, the Aventine , the most picturesque.
Mars is also known as the god of the god Cupid. In this regard, Mars and Ares are very similar, because Ares was also the father of Cupid, the god of love. Cupid (Cupid), who was fathered by Mars, and Eros, whose father was Ares, were both the embodiment of love, passion.
Mars or Ares was not always mentioned as the father of Eros. But most often, Cupid’s parents were Mars and Venus, the patrons of war and love. Sometimes Mars was not mentioned, only Venus. In other versions, Cupid was born one of the first gods, only after his appearance did love arise, the birth of children from women and men. Sometimes Vulcan (in Greece - Hephaestus) became the father of god.
In the classical tradition of the West, Cupid’s parents are still Venus and Mars, moreover, as the embodiment of the union of Love and War.
Also, parents such as Mars and Venus leave an imprint on the perception of Cupid himself. Then he is the personification of the union of earthly and spiritual love.
Studying Genesis 6
Antediluvian corruption. Life 6:1-8.
Article on the topic: Satan, the devil - the enemy tempter (Gospel of Matthew, chapter 4)
- By “Sons of God” we mean either angels or the heads of the Shem families who married the godless descendants of Cain. These abnormal marriages, whatever their justification, filled the earth with corruption and violence.
- Jesus Christ recognized the flood as a historical fact, and equated the time of His coming again to the days of Noah (Matthew 24:37-39). Everything that is happening in the world now makes us think, is this time approaching again?
- “One hundred and twenty years” (6:3) could mean a temporary delay of the flood. They could also mean a reduction in the duration of human life, which is discussed in chapter five.
Generations of Noah, 6:9; 9:28
Related article: Life expectancy of the patriarchs from Adam to Joseph
- The Life of Noah is the fourth document that makes up the book of Genesis. This story mentions a flood, possibly recorded by Noah himself and transmitted by Shem to Abraham.
Noah and the Ark. Life 6:9-18.
- The Ark was approximately 135 m long and about 20 m wide.
- It had three decks, divided into sections, with windows around the upper deck. This ship was very close in size and proportions to the ocean-going ships of our time. Living on the banks of great rivers, shipbuilding was one of the achievements of early man. Cuneiform records say that from ancient times the inhabitants of Babylon were engaged in shipping.
- Noah's residence, according to Babylonian records, was Farah, on the Euphrates River, 110 km away. from the Garden of Eden. Therefore, river navigation and shipbuilding were probably known to Noah from childhood.
Animals. Life 6:19; 7:5.
- Chapter 6:9-21 and 7:2 explain that seven pairs of clean animals and only one pair of others were taken into the ark. Someone calculated that the ark had enough space for 7,000 species of animals.
- Building the ark, stocking up on food and collecting animals was a gigantic undertaking in itself. It is unlikely that Noah and his three sons could have done this. Being the grandson of Methuselah and the great-grandson of Enoch, according to Babylonian customs, Noah could be the king of the city and could use thousands of workers for this task. And the better part of 120 years was spent on this enterprise (6:3). It is safe to assume that Noah was the subject of constant ridicule during this time, but he remained steadfast in his purpose and faith.
5 and if he did not spare the first world, but preserved in eight souls the family of Noah, the preacher of righteousness, when he brought the flood upon the world of the wicked; (2 Peter 2:5)
7 By faith Noah, having received a revelation of things not yet seen, fearfully prepared an ark for the salvation of his house; by it he condemned (the whole) world, and became heir of the righteousness of faith. (Heb. 11:7)
In light of the events of chapter 6, we can safely identify the cause of the conflict - corruption, which caused the wrath of God and imposed a limit of 120 years: on the average age of a person's life or on the exact date of the future flood.
Genesis chapter 6 tells us about the events that took place immediately before the flood. It is obvious that these events are directly related to the cause of the flood. We must not omit anything important that could shed light on the subject of our study.
- Who are the “Sons of God”?
- How could these creatures take the daughters of men as wives?
- And how could they give birth to children from them?
- How should we understand the word “giants”?
- What is the meaning of the word “blameless” when used in relation to Noah and his genealogy?
The first thing worth paying attention to in our study is the word “started”:
“When people began to multiply on the earth” (Gen. 6:1).
The word translated “began” corresponds to the Hebrew word chalal , in which the meaning of “beginning” is secondary.
Genesis 4:26 Chalah
Chalah primarily means “to bore, to pierce,” hence “to wound.”
22 For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me. (Ps. 109:22)
5 But He was wounded for our sins and bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace [was] upon Him, and by His stripes we were healed. (Isa.53:5)
From this primitive meaning comes the more complex “to expose, open, make unprotected, open a passage” and, finally, “to desecrate”, for example, a shrine,
8 Whoever eats it will bear sin, for he has profaned the holy thing of the Lord, and that soul will be cut off from among his people. (Lev.19:8)
and also “defame the seed.”
15 He shall not profane his seed among his people, for I am the Lord who sanctifies him. (Lev.21:15)
Chalah can be translated as “to spoil, corrupt, defile, fornicate.” Chalah occurs only 8 times in Genesis. And we give a list of all references so that you can better understand the meaning of this word:
Genesis 4:26 Chalah:
- 4:26 “Then they began to call on the name of the Lord”
- 6:1 “When people began to multiply on the earth”
- 9:20 “Noah began to till the land and planted a vineyard.”
- 10:8 “Nimrod began to be mighty on earth.”
- 11:6 “This is what they (i.e., the Babylonians who built the tower) began to do.”
- 41:54 “And seven years of famine came”
- 44:12 “He (i.e. Joseph) searched, beginning with the eldest”
- 49:3,4 “Reuben... you have defiled my bed”
One time in Genesis the word is translated “to defile.” It refers to Reuben, who committed wickedness towards the “father”, thus losing the superiority of the firstborn. Here we clearly see an attempt to defile the seed, and as one of the many attempts mentioned in Genesis.
The mention of this word in Genesis 6:1 shows that this multiplication of people also led to the desecration of the seed by the “sons of God.”
Giants are super people
It is most obvious that “God’s” in the phrase “sons of God” is contrasted with the definition of “human” - in the phrase “daughters of men.”
The offspring of this connection of the sons of God with the daughters of men are called "giants", Hebrew Naphilim , which literally translates as "fallen".
They were monsters of vice and supermen in size and sinfulness. One of the main purposes of the flood was their destruction. Only Noah's family retained their genetic ancestry from Adam.
“This is the life of Noah: Noah was a righteous man and blameless in his generation; Noah walked with God” (Gen. 6:9).
“Noah was blameless” in the sense of blameless in terms of offspring and heredity. All the rest were perverted, that is, their heredity was destroyed (like the descendants of Adam).
Related article: I said: you are gods...
It should be noted that the word “life” is a translation of the Hebrew word toledoth , which means “family history.” It can talk about either ancestors or descendants. Another word for "generation" is a translation of the Hebrew word dor , which refers to Noah's contemporaries, the people who lived with Noah at the same time.
Compared to his contemporaries, Noah was “blameless.” This Hebrew word tanim originally refers to physical, but not moral, perfection. It is very, very often used to describe a blameless animal being sacrificed.
3 If his sacrifice be a burnt offering of herds, he shall offer it a male without blemish; let him bring her to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, that he may find favor with the Lord; (Lev.1:3)
5 If she gives birth to a female child, then at the time of her purification she will be unclean for two weeks, and she must sit for sixty-six days, cleansing herself from her blood. (Lev.12:5)
So, Genesis 6:9, first of all, indicates that Noah was undefiled in relation to his genealogy. And thus the channel through which the Seed of the woman was to come was preserved in the midst of general corruption.
Why did this happen?
The sons of God began to come to the daughters of men.
Let's try to answer the question: “Why did this happen?”
Let’s make a reservation in advance: this is just an assumption, and we do not at all claim to have the full truth in this difficult issue.
- In breeding there is such a concept - inbred lines . What it is? These are lines of animals that are bred through repeated inbreeding. This is done to consolidate certain qualities of a given breed (for example, milk production).
- Now let's introduce another concept - heterosis . This interesting phenomenon occurs when representatives of two inbred lines are crossed. It is characterized by an increase in the size of the offspring, an increase in overall vitality and the presence of many other positive qualities (for the breeder).
I agree that the sons of God are Sethites , and the sons of men are Cainites .
Taking into account all of the above, it can be noted that in these two genera, over the course of generations, typical inbred lines (through the marriage of close relatives). And when representatives of these two inbred lines entered into marriage, a typical manifestation of heterosis occurred - the appearance of giants.
By the way, heterosis gradually weakens over a further series of generations (a possible explanation for the decrease in life expectancy, although rather controversial and incomplete).
Children of Ares and the goddess Aphrodite
The most famous was the legend about the love affair between Mars and the goddess of love Aphrodite. The latter's husband was the blacksmith god Hephaestus , but Ares visited her when Hephaestus was away. And yet, one day Helios noticed how Ares indulged in passion with Venus in her chambers. The sun god told his deceived husband about everything. Hephaestus prepared a trap and when Ares came to his beloved again, they were both caught in a thin golden net. Ares and Aphrodite ended up enduring a lot of ridicule from the other gods. But still, the god of war Ares and the patroness of passion became parents for a whole host of gods.
Deimos and Phobos
The gods Deimos and Phobos are the children of the god Ares, better known as his companions in war and battles. Their mother was also Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty. But it is Deimos and Phobos who, of all the children of this couple, are considered the darkest, most cruel gods. They did not inherit from their parent any connection with the sphere of love and passion.
These children that Ares had with Aphrodite were similar in function, but still differed in some ways:
- Phobos is the embodiment of the fear that overcomes a person during war. The word “phobia” comes from his name. When Ares appears on the battlefield, Phobos causes confusion and disorder. Phobos is practically not an independent character.
- Deimos – fear and horror in the face of battle. He, too, brings chaos to the battlefield and inspires despair. Together with him, Ares spreads panic among the warriors.
Both gods helped Mars in battle and could take him out of the battlefield.
Gods of love
Cupid, also known as Eros (Eros), is also the son of the god of war Ares. Eros is one of the main gods of love, the child and companion of Aphrodite, often appearing in images with her. This god was revered not just as the embodiment of love, passion, and attraction. Cupid was the embodiment of life, which cannot exist without love. His power caused people to fall in love, marry, and produce children.
Mars and Cupid. Czech Republic. Prague.
The son of the god Ares Eros in different traditions and eras was depicted in different ways, at different ages:
- in early times among the Greeks, Cupid is shown as a mature young man, beautiful and winged, the embodiment of vitality, sexuality, passion;
- at a later time, satirical poets already appear in their works as a child, Cupid, plump and funny, blindfolded; this Cupid later moved into Renaissance ;
- among the Romans Cupid often appears in the form of a young man, not yet a man; he embodies the transitional period when a young man matures, gains experience, and moves into adulthood.
Venus, Mars and Cupid. Dulwich College Picture Gallery. London.
In the art of the Renaissance, Baroque and Rococo, images of Cupid in the form of a naked child were called putto or putti and were placed on ceilings, much less often on walls.
Regardless of the era and age of Eros, he was almost always a very beautiful child or young man. Its distinctive feature is the snow-white wings behind its back. It was with them that he entered world culture. However, Cupid could have different attributes in his hands. In early eras it is a lyre and flowers , in later eras a bow and arrows , and sometimes Eros with a flaming torch . The latter perhaps depicts passionate love.
Sometimes Eros is an ancient god, one of the very first, the creator of the Universe. Later, he acquired the traits of a mischievous deity who, against his will, makes people and gods fall in love with each other.
Also, the sons of Ares were Anteros (the god who punishes those who did not respond to the feelings of lovers) and Himeros (the embodiment of love attraction, longing).
Goddess Harmony
Perhaps the most famous daughter of the god of war Ares is the goddess Harmony. Harmony was revered as the goddess of harmony, a happy marriage in which mutual understanding and sincere love reigned between spouses. She was born to Ares by the goddess of love Aphrodite. But, like other children of the goddess of love and the god of war, Harmony was also not a goddess, in the legends of which only love and happiness reign.
Harmony married Cadmus, the founder of Thebes . Before founding the city, Cadmus killed the sacred serpent, which was fathered by Ares (or it was dedicated to Mars). As a result, Ares took revenge on Cadmus. Cadmus was even forced to atone for his guilt by serving. But in the end, apparently, Ares never forgave the king. Cadmus's children died, and he himself asked the gods to turn him into a snake. Harmony prayed for the same fate. Through Cadmus and Harmony, Ares is considered the founder of Thebes.
Church members adopted as sons of God through Jesus Christ
The Son of God becomes man, as we say in the Creed, “for our sake as man and for our salvation.” This salvation includes not only deliverance from sin, but also something incomparably greater - adoption to God, inclusion in His family through faith in Jesus Christ and Holy Baptism. As the Apostle John says, to those who received Him, to those who believe in His name, He gave the power to become children of God, who were born neither of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God (John 1 :12-13) . The Apostle Paul speaks about the same thing: For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus (Gal 3:26 ).
Moreover, we are called to partake of that authentic life that only God himself possesses. As the holy Apostle Peter says, we must become partakers of the Divine nature (2 Pet. 1:4).
Therefore, through faith and Baptism we are sons and daughters of God; but unlike Jesus Christ, who is the Only Begotten Son of God, we are adopted children. As the holy Apostle Paul says, when the fullness of time had come, God sent His (Only Begotten) Son, who was born of a woman, subject to the law, to redeem those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And since you are sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying: “Abba, Father!” Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Jesus Christ (Gal. 4:4–7).
The screensaver uses a fragment of the painting “Give the children to come to me (Mark 10:14)”, Carl Christian Vogel von Vogelstein, Gallery of Modern Art, Florence
