Genesis 6:1-8

Sons of God and Daughters of Men

1 When mankind began to multiply on the earth and daughters were born to them,

2 the sons of God^[a] saw that the daughters of man^[b] were beautiful, and they took any they chose as wives^[c] for themselves.^[d]

3 And the Lord said, "My Spirit will not remain^[e] with^[f] mankind forever, because they are corrupt.^[g] Their days will be 120 years."

4 The Nephilim^[h] were on the earth both in those days and afterwards, when the sons of God came to the daughters of man, who bore children to them. They were the powerful men of old, the famous men.

Judgment Decreed

5 When the Lord saw that man's wickedness was widespread on the earth and that every scheme his mind thought of was nothing but evil all the time,

6 the Lord regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.

7 Then the Lord said, "I will wipe off the face of the earth: man, whom I created, together with the animals, creatures that crawl, and birds of the sky-for I regret that I made them."

8 Noah, however, found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

Genesis 6:1-8 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO GENESIS 6

This chapter gives an account of the wickedness of the old world, both among the profane and the professors of religion, which was taken notice of and resented by God, upon which he determined the destruction of it, Ge 6:1-7 only one man, Noah, is excepted, who found favour with God, and whose character is given, Ge 6:8-10 and to whom was observed by God the general corruption of the earth, Ge 6:11-13 and to whom he gave orders and directions for the building an ark for himself, and his family, being determined to destroy the earth with a flood, and all creatures in it, Ge 6:14-17 only he would preserve him and his wife, his three sons and their wives, and two of every living creature, for which, and for himself and his family, he was to take food into the ark when built, Ge 6:18-21 and the chapter is concluded with observing, that Noah did as he was commanded, Ge 6:22.

Footnotes

• [a]. Jb 1:6; 2:1; 38:7
• [b]. Or the human women
• [c]. Or women
• [d]. 1 Pt 3:19-20; Jd 6
• [e]. Or strive
• [f]. Or in
• [g]. Lit flesh
• [h]. Possibly means "fallen ones"; traditionally giants; Nm 13:31-33