Nephilim

The Nephilim were a mysterious race of supernatural beings briefly mentioned in the biblical Old Testament, and described in greater detail in an apocryphal work that was not included in the Bible. From the Hebrew word naphal, meaning “to fall,” Nephilim are first described in Genesis as the offspring of fallen angels who came down to earth to have sexual intercourse with human women. That idea was later expanded upon in the Book of Enoch, a work of apocalyptic literature believed to have been written after the third century BCE. According to Enoch, rebellious angels known as the Watchers came to earth and fathered the Nephilim, a race of destructive giants. The actions of the Watchers and the Nephilim brought corruption into the world, causing an angry God to send a great flood to destroy humanity.

Background

The Hebrew Bible consists of twenty-four books that were later incorporated into the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. Scholars believe the earliest of the Old Testament books were written sometime in the seventh or eighth centuries BCE. Many of the books were heavily influenced by a period known as the Babylon Exile, which lasted from about 597 to 538 BCE. During this time, Babylonian forces conquered the Jewish homeland, destroyed their holy temple, and forced many Jews to relocate to Babylon.

Scholars believe most of the books of the Old Testament were written during the period of exile or in the centuries immediately after. Some religious leaders attribute authorship of the first five books of the Bible—Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy—to Moses and date the work prior to 1400 BCE. However, modern experts believe the books were more likely written about the fifth or sixth centuries BCE.

Chapter 5 of Genesis contains a family history tracing the line of Adam down through Noah. Among the lineage is Enoch, who was the father of Methuselah, the grandfather of Noah. Enoch was said to have lived for 365 years and “then he was no more, because God took him away.” In Biblical language, this meant that Enoch did not die, but was rather taken up into heaven by God.

The small passage in Genesis is the only reference to Enoch in the Old Testament, but it was enough to inspire future writers to use Enoch’s name as the author for their own works. This practice, known as pseudepigrapha, was common in ancient literature. The oldest chapters in the Book of Enoch were written sometime in the third century BCE, while the later chapters were written about 100 BCE.

The Book of Enoch is notable for being a work of apocalyptic literature and contains images that were later used in other apocalyptic works, such as the Book of Revelation. Enoch is the first book to use the phrase “Son of Man” to describe the future Messiah. New Testament Christian writers would use that term in reference to Jesus Christ.

The book was very popular among Jews and early Christians, although it was never included as part of the Hebrew Bible. It was not included as part of the Christian Bible either, but it was read by early Christian leaders and was mentioned in the New Testament’s Epistle of Jude. By the fourth century CE, the Book of Enoch was declared heretical by the Christian Church, but it was included in the sacred texts of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.

Overview

Immediately after the account of Noah’s family tree in Genesis chapter 5, chapter 6 opens with four verses that describe the “sons of God” who observe the beauty of the “daughters of humans.” These sons of God come down from heaven to marry and procreate with the earthly women. The New International Version of Genesis 6:4 says that the children of these unions were known as the Nephilim who were the “heroes of old, men of renown.” In the King James Version, the beings are referred to as giants. The term Nephilim comes from the Hebrew word naphal, or “to fall.” As a result, the term Nephilim is sometimes translated as “fallen ones.”

Genesis 6:4 contains the only mention of the Nephilim in the entire book. They are later briefly mentioned in Numbers 13:33 after the Israelites come upon the promised land of Canaan. The Israelites send out scouts to explore the land. When they return, they say the land is inhabited by the descendants of the Nephilim to which the Israelites “seemed like grasshoppers.”

Experts theorize that the story of the Nephilim in Genesis could have originally been longer, but was lost or cut out over time. Another theory is that the story was so well-known among the ancient Hebrews that there was no need to include it.

A more expansive tale of the Nephilim and their role in the great flood of Noah was included in the first section of the Book of Enoch. In chapter 6 of this section, entitled Book of the Watchers, a group of angels—the sons of God—look down upon the earth and are filled with lust over the beauty of its women. The angels decide to go down to earth and “make wives” of the women and father their children. The angels’ leader, Semjaza, knows that doing so would be a rebellion against God, so he makes a deal with the other angels that they will stick together and follow through with their intentions.

Semjaza leads a group of two hundred angels, known as the Watchers, to Earth, where they mate with the women they find there. The Watchers also teach the men of Earth the art of metalworking and how to make weapons of war. They introduce women to bracelets, makeup, “costly stones,” and how to use roots and plants to perform sorcery.

The children fathered by the union of the angels and mortal women were the Nephilim. They are described in Enoch as being giants “whose height was three thousand ells,” an ancient unit of measurement equal to about 18 inches (46 centimeters) long. This would make them about 4,500 feet (1,370 meters) tall, although some scholars think the number was a textual error and the Nephilim were about three hundred ells tall, or 450 feet (137 meters).

The actions of the Watchers and the Nephilim spread corruption across the earth. The Nephilim were particularly lawless and consumed the food and possession of humans. When these were no longer enough, the Nephilim began to devour humans themselves. According to the Book of Enoch, the Nephilim also committed crimes against the creatures of nature and cannibalized each other.

When God became aware of the suffering and corruption on Earth, he decided to destroy the world by sending a great flood. He sends an angel to tell Noah of the impending disaster, and instructs other angels to imprison the Watchers and force the Nephilim to battle each other to the death. The flood is intended to wipe away the last traces of evil and corruption from the Earth, including the Nephilim, which God considers an abomination resulting from the illicit union of angel and human.

Fundamentalist Christians who hold a more literal view of the Bible only accept the references to the Nephilim from Genesis and Numbers. Some believe that the Nephilim were, in fact, born from the union of fallen angels and mortal women. Their children were a race of actual giants, although the heights of these beings were more reasonably placed in the range of about ten or so feet. The reference to the Nephilim in Numbers suggests the beings somehow survived the great flood to leave behind descendants. Another idea holds that fallen angels possessed human men, who then mated with women to create the Nephilim.

One view that has gained some acceptance among modern religious scholars is that the term “sons of God” in Genesis chapter 6 is a reference to the descendants of the line of Seth, Adam’s third son. According to Genesis, Adam and Eve had two sons, Cain and Abel. In a fit of jealousy, Cain murdered Abel and was cursed by God and forced to wander the earth. After Abel’s murder and Cain’s banishment, Adam and Eve had another son, Seth. Seth was considered to be a righteous child and a replacement for the virtuous Abel. According to the theory, the sons of God were men from the line of Seth who married women from the cursed line of Cain. By marrying into Cain’s line and reproducing, the virtuous sons of Seth and their offspring became corrupt.

Another theory holds that the sons of God were the descendants of Lamech, who was part of the lineage of Cain. Lamech, like his ancestor, was a murderer and was noted as being the first person in the Bible to practice polygamy. In this scenario, the descendants of Lamech could have continued his legacy and married any women they wished.

Allusions to Nephilim are believed to be included in various books in the Old Testament. For example, some scholars posit Nephilim are also indirectly referenced in Ezekiel chapter 32 as "'fallen warriors," but the translation of the passage is debated.

Bibliography

Antonio, Edward. “Who Were the Nephilim in the Bible?” Christianity, 2 Aug. 2024, www.christianity.com/wiki/angels-and-demons/who-were-the-nephilim-in-the-bible.html. Accessed 20 Nov. 2024.

“Nephilim.” Jewish Virtual Library, 2022, www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/nephilim. Accessed 20 Nov. 2024.

Roos, Dave. “Who Were the Nephilim, the Bible’s Mysterious Race of Giants?” How Stuff Works, 22 July 2024, people.howstuffworks.com/nephilim.htm. Accessed 20 Nov. 2024.

Routledge, Robin. “The Nephilim: A Tall Story? Who Were the Nephilim and How Did They Survive the Flood?” Tyndale Bulletin, vol. 66, no. 1, 1 May 2015, pp. 19–40, doi.org/10.53751/001c.29386. Accessed 20 Nov. 2024.

Schnittjer, Gary. “Who Are the Nephilim in Genesis 6?” Zondervan Academic, 12 Apr. 2018, zondervanacademic.com/blog/who-are-the-nephilim-in-genesis-6. Accessed 20 Nov. 2024.

White, Ellen. “Who Are the Nephilim?” Biblical Archaeology Society, 8 Aug. 2024, www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-topics/hebrew-bible/who-are-the-nephilim. Accessed 20 Nov. 2024.

Williams, Joshua, editor. “Book of Enoch.” Christian Classics Ethereal Library, 1995, www.ccel.org/c/charles/otpseudepig/enoch/ENOCH‗1.HTM. Accessed 20 Nov. 2024.