Sermon Tone Analysis

Genesis 6:1-8 Setting the Stage for a Restart

Genesis 6:1-7 The Setting for Judgment

Establishing the time frame

Now it came about...Moses proceeds to explain the conditions of man prior to the judgment of God through the flood.

Chapter 6 deals with what comes before the flood and the reason for the flood.

when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, The following takes place during and after chapter 5.

When men began to multiply...Gen 5:4, 7, 10, 13, 16, 19, 22, 26, 30

The multiplication of men took place over several generations.

Establishing the characters

that the sons of God... Sons of Elohim.

There are differing views on the meaning.

Methods of Translation

Literal translation.

Attempts to keep the exact words and phrases of the original.

It is faithful to the original text, but sometimes hard to understand.

Keeps a constant historical distance.

Examples: King James Version (KJV), New American Standard Bible (NASB).

Dynamic equivalent (thought for thought) translation.

Attempts to keep a constant historical distance with regard to history and facts, but updates the writing style and grammar.

Examples: New International Version (NIV), Revised English Bible (REB).

Free translation (paraphrase).

Translates the ideas from the original text but without being constrained by the original words or language.

Seeks to eliminate historical distance.

Readable, but possibly not precise.

Examples: The Living Bible (TLB), The Message, NLT

View 1: Sons of princes,

though this is the position of orthodox Judaism, it is completely unbiblical.

View 2: Angels

in heaven Job 38:7,

Not Satan Job 2:1

fallen angels are not called sons of God.

View 3: a group called by God

Of the mighty Psa 29:1,

Generations of thy sons Psa 73:15,

His children Dt 32:5,

His sons Psa 80:17,

Sons of the living God Hos 1:10,

Sons of the kingdom Matt 13:38,

Peacemakers Matt 5:9

Magistrates Psa 82:6,

Christians (church age saints) children of God Jn 1:12, Rom 8:16,

Isaiah prophesied the Gentiles would be made sons Rom 9:25-26

Spiritual believers are mature sons of God Rom 8:14

Therefore we conclude the meaning of sons of God must be understood by its context.

The question whether the “sons of Elohim” were celestial or terrestrial sons of God (angels or pious men of the family of Seth) can only be determined from the context, and from the substance of the passage itself, that is to say, from what is related respecting the conduct of the sons of God and its results.

Is the context of Genesis 6 referring to angels or men?

Some say these are angels.

Problems with this view:

God says he will destroy all flesh but no mention is made of angels.

Yet man is mentioned 9 times in 7 verses.

Jude 1:6 and 2 Peter 2:4 do not say that angels fell specifically at this point.

Rather, it does say that one third of the angels rebelled with Satan.

Rev 12:4

If God was destroying the Nephilim, why do we continue to see them after the flood?

The text tells us they were giving in marriage, not just sexual relations.

However, Jesus stated that angels cannot marry.

Matt 22:30

Sons of God never refers to fallen angels.

A better interpretation is that the ‘sons of God’ in this context is talking about man.

It seems safe to say, based on the context, that these refer to men from Seth’s line as apposed to Cain’s line (daughters of men).

Seth’s line who boasted of God’s name and Cain’s who boasted of themselves.

Seth’s line as seen in Genesis 4:26 are those who call themselves sons of God or at least those who called on the name of God.

Establishing the Plot

Saw that the daughters of men were beautiful… These men looked at the daughters of men that they were ‘good’ filled with charm, pleasurable, aesthetically a delight to the eyes.

instead of looking in their own ‘camp’, they went to the world and became unequally yoked.

and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose.

Like Lamech did.

(to take a wife) is a standing expression throughout the whole of the Old Testament for the marriage relation established by God at the creation, and is never applied to πορνεία, or the simple act of physical connection.

This is quite sufficient of itself to exclude any reference to angels.

because he also is flesh; the reason God gives for not striving with man is because he is flesh.

It can also mean in his going astray he is flesh.

Not physical flesh.

It does not follow to say because man is physical I will destroy them.

From Adam to Noah all had bodies of flesh.

Enoch was taken away by God even though he had a physical body.

It is referring to carnality, a fleshly mind.

Judgment was coming because... the people were fleshly.

It could be referring especially to the sons of men who were ‘also’ as the world.

Nevertheless ( or therefore) his days shall be hundred and twenty years.

God is merciful to delay his judgment.

The life of Methuselah (969) is a living testimony to God’s patience before judging man.

Validating the time period

The Nephilim were on the earth.

Who or what were they?

Many answers have been suggested.

We will discuss two of them.

The Nephilim are the offspring of angels and women

The text however says the Nephilim were on the earth in those days and also afterward.

The Nephilim were giants.

Giant in stature

Giants in power, (tyrants who came down on peopl - Luther, bullies).

were on the earth in those days...This destructive spiraling down and judgment (the flood) occurred at the time when Nephilim were on the earth.

At the time when God pronounced judgment.

This would help give a time era to the Israelites about when it happened.

It would be common knowledge (oral tradition) to speak of such people.

It would help explain the historical period when it took place.

and also afterward...Nephilim were on the earth after the flood.

This poses a problem for those who think the sons of God are angels and that the flood is about destroying these cross-flesh monsters.

The sons of Anak were Nephilim (Num 13:33)

Joshua destroyed most of them (Josh 11:21-23) and those that escaped went to Gath where Goliath was from