The Nephilim appear in only a handful of verses, yet they stir outsized curiosity. Scripture introduces them in a dark chapter of the world’s story, a time when human wickedness surged and violence filled the earth (Genesis 6:5, 11). The text calls them “the mighty men who were of old, men of renown,” linking their rise to the troubling union of the “sons of God” and the “daughters of men” (Genesis 6:1–4). That short description has launched long debates, but the Bible’s larger purpose is not to satisfy our curiosity about giants. It is to show how God sees, judges, and saves, and how He keeps a line of promise alive in a world that keeps trying to smother it (Genesis 6:8; Genesis 9:1).
Christians who approach this passage with care find both mystery and warning. The mystery lies in the identity of the Nephilim and the “sons of God.” The warning is plain: when people cross God-given boundaries and celebrate power without holiness, corruption multiplies and judgment draws near (Genesis 6:3, 12–13). Reading this account inside the bigger story helps us keep our balance. The Lord who judged the world by the flood also remembered mercy, preserved a family, and carried forward the promise that would one day bless all nations through the Seed He chose (Genesis 9:8–11; Genesis 12:3).
Words: 2600 / Time to read: 14 minutes
Historical and Cultural Background
Genesis places the Nephilim at the end of the earliest period of human history, just before the flood. The world had grown, families had spread, and sin had matured from a bitter root into a choking vine. People lived long lives and built cities, but the inward bent of the human heart turned good gifts into tools of pride and harm. The text says the Lord saw that “every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time,” a sweeping verdict that explains the severe remedy that follows (Genesis 6:5). The Lord’s Spirit would not contend with humanity forever, and He set a limit that warned of a coming reckoning (Genesis 6:3).
The name “Nephilim” itself carries debate. Some translations render it “giants,” reflecting the ancient Greek version’s choice to use a word for large men, while many students of Hebrew note that the root may mean “fallen ones.” Scripture never pauses to give a dictionary entry. Instead it sketches their reputation as powerful figures who became famous in a time when fame often meant force (Genesis 6:4). The point is less about height than about might and renown in a culture where strength outran righteousness. The very next lines describe a world soaked in violence, a world where the Lord grieved over what His image bearers had become and determined to act (Genesis 6:11–13).
From a dispensational view, this scene sits before Sinai, before Israel’s calling as a nation, and before the Church. It belongs to the era when God left humanity with conscience and the witness of creation while still ruling with patience and warning (Romans 2:14–15; Romans 1:20). The flood closes that chapter and opens the next, in which God entrusts human government with the task of restraining bloodshed and preserving life (Genesis 9:5–7). Reading the Nephilim against that backdrop keeps us from lifting them out of the story the Lord is actually telling: a story that moves from creation, to judgment, to new beginnings, and then toward the calling of Abraham through whom blessing will reach the world (Genesis 12:1–3).
Biblical Narrative
The core passage is brief. “The sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose,” Genesis says, and then adds, “The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward” (Genesis 6:2, 4). The “mighty men” that rise in that context stand as a symptom of a deeper disease, the kind of celebrated power that often tramples what God calls good. Noah enters the story as a bright contrast: “Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord,” walked with God, and obeyed every command given to him (Genesis 6:8–9; Genesis 6:22). The flood that follows is not a mythic reset but a moral verdict and a merciful rescue rolled into one, a judgment that wipes away a culture of violence while preserving a family through whom God will keep His promises (Genesis 7:1; Genesis 8:1; Genesis 9:8–11).
After the flood the name “Nephilim” reappears in a scene charged with fear and unbelief. Twelve men scout the land of Canaan; ten return saying, “We saw the Nephilim there… We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them” (Numbers 13:33). The report mentions “the descendants of Anak” and ties them to the Nephilim, language that could reflect actual size or the way fear magnifies an enemy. What the text emphasizes is not a careful height chart but the effect of that report on the people: panic overrode faith, and the congregation rebelled against the Lord who had promised the land (Numbers 14:1–4). Joshua and Caleb plead for trust in the Lord’s strength, not terror at the strength of men, but the crowd rejects their counsel and suffers the judgment of wandering (Numbers 14:6–10, 28–35).
Elsewhere the Old Testament introduces other terms for large or formidable peoples. The Anakim and Rephaim appear in the conquest and kingdom narratives, and the text names individuals whose size made them stand out. Og of Bashan is remembered by his iron bed, “more than nine cubits long and four cubits wide,” a detail that says as much about his status as about his stature (Deuteronomy 3:11). In David’s day a towering warrior from Gath terrified Israel until a shepherd stepped forward and declared that the battle belongs to the Lord; Goliath fell because the Lord delivers “not by sword or spear,” but by His own hand (1 Samuel 17:45–50). Later records point to other large warriors among the Philistines who were defeated during David’s reign, a reminder that faith often must face down fear more than once (2 Samuel 21:15–22).
The narrative arc is clear even when the details are debated. Before the flood, celebrated strength went hand in hand with spreading corruption and a world ripe for judgment (Genesis 6:11–13). After the flood, fear of formidable foes tempted God’s people to refuse His promise (Numbers 13:31–33). In both settings the Lord called for trust, obedience, and courage grounded not in human size but in divine faithfulness (Deuteronomy 7:17–19; Joshua 1:9).
Theological Significance
Much of the debate gathers around the identity of the “sons of God” in Genesis 6. Some read the phrase the way Job uses it, as a reference to angelic beings, and then link that reading to later passages that speak of angels who sinned and were held for judgment (Job 1:6; 2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6). Others read “sons of God” as a way of describing powerful human rulers who took any women they desired, turning marriage into a tool of domination and crossing moral lines set by God (Genesis 6:2). A third view sees a breakdown between the family line that called on the name of the Lord and those who did not, a mixing that eroded devotion and accelerated wickedness (Genesis 4:26).
Scripture does not settle the question in a single sentence, and wise readers show humility where the text is spare. If the angelic view is correct, the “sons of God” language would describe a boundary-breaking rebellion that God swiftly judged, and it would highlight how far the spiritual conflict can reach when restraint is thrown off (2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6). If the human-ruler view is right, Genesis 6 shows how pride in power corrupts marriage, families, and whole cultures when men exalt themselves and refuse God’s rule (Genesis 6:2, 5). If the mixed-line view is right, the passage stands as an early warning of what happens when devotion to the Lord is traded for the world’s beauty and ease, a trade that always ends in violence and grief (Genesis 6:11–12). In any case, Jesus’ teaching that in the resurrection people “neither marry nor are given in marriage” like the angels in heaven cautions us against crude pictures of angelic procreation and pushes us back toward the main point of the chapter: sin escalated and God intervened (Matthew 22:30).
From a dispensational view, the Nephilim account fits into a wider pattern of God governing history in stages while moving steadily toward His promises. The flood does not derail the plan of God; it displays His holy judgment and preserving mercy, clearing the ground for new beginnings and for the later calling of Abraham (Genesis 9:8–11; Genesis 12:1–3). The later reports of giants in the land test Israel’s faith but cannot cancel God’s oath. The Lord binds Himself by promise and keeps covenant to a thousand generations, even when His people waver (Deuteronomy 7:9). In the fullness of time Christ comes, defeats the powers that accused and enslaved, and opens a way for Jew and Gentile alike to become one new people in Him, while God’s gifts and calling for Israel remain in His hand for the future He has appointed (Galatians 4:4–5; Ephesians 2:14–16; Romans 11:28–29).
The Nephilim discussion also brushes against end-times teaching. Jesus said the days before His appearing would resemble “the days of Noah,” days marked by ordinary life pushing God to the margins until judgment breaks in (Matthew 24:37–39). That comparison is not a code to hunt for giants but a call to alertness and faith. Scripture points to a coming surge of rebellion led by a lawless ruler who exalts himself and deceives the nations, yet it also says the breath of the Lord Jesus will end his rule in an instant (2 Thessalonians 2:3–8). The lesson is steady: evil grows bold, God judges right, and the promises stand unbroken.
Spiritual Lessons and Application
First, measure greatness by faith, not by size. The world’s “men of renown” often win applause through force, but Scripture celebrates those who trust, obey, and endure. Noah built when rain was only a word, and his obedience became the doorway through which life was preserved (Genesis 6:22; Hebrews 11:7). Joshua and Caleb looked at the same hills the other spies saw, yet they said, “The Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them,” because the fear of the Lord puts every other fear in its place (Numbers 14:9). In every age God calls His people to walk by faith, not by sight, and He honors those who take Him at His word (2 Corinthians 5:7; Hebrews 11:6).
Second, honor the boundaries God sets. The disaster in Genesis 6 grows where God’s limits around marriage, worship, and justice are brushed aside for desire and pride (Genesis 6:2, 11–12). The Lord gives commands for our good, not to shrink our joy but to guard it (Deuteronomy 10:12–13). When Paul warns believers not to be “unequally yoked,” he is not making life smaller but steering God’s people away from choices that hollow out faith and peace (2 Corinthians 6:14–16). When God says, “Be holy, because I am holy,” He is not calling us to cold distance but to life near Him (1 Peter 1:15–16).
Third, keep your eyes on what is clear. It is fine to study hard texts with care and charity, but speculation can eclipse obedience if we let it. The Bible is not silent about giants of another kind—the proud thoughts, sinful habits, and cultural pressures that loom large in daily life. Those fall not by our strength but by the Spirit’s power as we put on the armor of God, pray at all times, and keep our feet ready with the gospel of peace (Ephesians 6:10–18). The same Lord who numbered the stars numbers our steps and knows how to guard His people in trials and to judge the wicked at the right time (Psalm 147:4; 2 Peter 2:9).
Fourth, take courage from the pattern of God’s faithfulness. The flood cleansed, but it did not end hope; it preserved it (Genesis 8:1; Genesis 9:16). The giants in Canaan looked overwhelming, but the Lord drove them out as Israel trusted and obeyed (Deuteronomy 9:1–3; Joshua 11:21–23). A fearless champion mocked the armies of the living God, but he fell because the battle is the Lord’s (1 Samuel 17:45–47). Again and again the pattern runs: what seems strongest falls when the Lord acts, and what looks small endures because the Lord holds it. That is as true for churches and families today as it was then. “The eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him” (2 Chronicles 16:9).
Finally, live ready for the return of Christ. The “days of Noah” language is a mercy and a warning. It reminds us that history has a finish line, that judgment is real, and that salvation is offered now to all who turn and believe. Jesus tells us to watch, to be faithful in small things, and to keep our lamps burning while we wait for the Bridegroom (Luke 12:35–37; Matthew 24:42–44). The powers that frighten and the mysteries that puzzle cannot overturn His promise. He will come, He will reign, and He will make all things new (Revelation 21:1–5).
Conclusion
The Nephilim step onto the page in a few sentences and then step back off, but the truths around them keep speaking. The Bible does not satisfy every curiosity, yet it gives all we need for faith and life. It shows how celebrated strength without holiness becomes cruelty, how fear can overwhelm a whole people, and how God judges with equity and saves with mercy. It shows a line of promise that no flood can drown and no giant can stop, a line that runs through Noah, through Abraham, through David, and finds its center in Jesus Christ, the Son who came in the fullness of time to bear sin, break death, and bring many sons and daughters to glory (Galatians 4:4–5; Hebrews 2:10).
So study hard where Scripture is hard, but hold fast to what is plain. The Lord is holy, just, and kind. He sets good boundaries. He keeps His promises. He lifts the humble and brings down the proud. He teaches us to fear no giant and to bow to no idol. And He invites us to walk with Him until the day when faith becomes sight and the kingdoms of this world become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Messiah, and He will reign for ever and ever (Revelation 11:15). Until then, let us trust, obey, and hope, knowing that “the Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love” (Psalm 147:11).
“But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.” (2 Thessalonians 3:3)
All Scripture quoted from:
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.