Genesis 6 Footnotes

6:2-4 The “sons of God” and the “Nephilim” are not evidence of polytheism or mythical lore about a race of giants. On the contrary, the account repudiates the pagan belief concerning a race of giants by insisting that the children born to “the sons of God” were no more than “men” (v. 4)—not semi-divine beings. These were perhaps the warrior class, infamous for their acts of violent oppression in this decadent period (vv. 5-8). The “sons of God” have been traditionally identified either as fallen angels (Jb 1:6; 2:1) who had intercourse with women (1Pt 3:19-20; 2Pt 2:4), or the favored descendants of Seth (Dt 14:1; Jn 1:12-13) who intermarried with the wicked Cainite women (see the two genealogies in Gn 4–5). The Nephilim of Moses’s day could not have been descendants of the same Nephilim, since these were destroyed in the flood. The Hebrew spies exaggerated (“we seemed like grasshoppers,” Nm 13:33) in their allusion to the “Nephilim” because of their ancient reputation for violence.

6:6-7 Although “regretted” is the customary translation of the Hebrew verb in v. 6, its basic meaning is to “be pained.” This is the sense here, as suggested by the parallel “was. . . grieved.” As it hurts a loving parent to see the disobedience of his children, so it pained God to see how wicked men had become. Human regret arises from one’s inability to foresee or alter the effects of one’s actions. But because of God’s perfect knowledge and unlimited power he is not subject to these human limitations. The correspondence between human emotions and the heart of God provides insight into the mystery of God’s nature.

6:9–8:22 The story of Noah and the ark testifies to the Bible’s reliable memory of this catastrophic event. Other ancient cultures had similar stories, including the Sumerian account of Atrahasis and the Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh. The Bible’s resemblance to these accounts can be attributed to a shared memory rather than to borrowing. Although some remarkable parallels exist (such as the kind and purpose of the released birds, 8:7-12), the differences in detail and purpose are substantive. For example, in the Gilgamesh story the ark is a perfect cube of about 197 feet; such a vessel would capsize and sink in turbulent water. Noah’s ark possessed a seaworthy shape of a long rectangular barge (450 ft. by 75 ft.). More importantly, the pagan accounts are typically polytheistic, and the purpose of the flood is to rid the earth of pesky and noisy humans whose explosive population disturbs the sleep of the gods. Also, the survivor receives immortality from the gods. By contrast, the biblical account presents a high moral motivation for the flood, through which God judges sin and also purifies the earth. Moreover, Noah is decidedly mortal, and God preserves the human family out of his grace. The lessons of the flood account are Noah’s obedience to God’s word and the perpetuation of God’s blessing for humanity and the world.