Nephilim: The Giants of Genesis
Part 1

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Authored By  :
Bill Kochman

Published On :
April 23, 1997

Last Updated :
June 18, 2022


Popular Images Of Giants, Giants Are In The Book Of Genesis, Theory - Descendants Of Seth Marry Daughters Descended From Cain, Questions About Sons Of Seth Daughters Of Cain Theory, Sons Of God = Irin = Watchers = Holy Ones = Morning Stars, Jesus Is The Bright And Morning Star, Every Knee Shall Bow, Sons Of God Are Angelic Beings, Manifestation Of Sons Of God, Apokalupsis, Jesus Revealed From Heaven With The Holy Angels, Glorious Transformation Of Our Bodies To Be Just Like Jesus, Book Of Enoch, Mastema, Azazel, Semjaza Et Al Lead Rebellion, Fallen Angels Mate With Earth's Women, Half-Human Half-Angel Giants Or Nephilim Are Created, Rape Or Willing Seduction? You Handsome Devil, You!, Nephilim Begin To Devour Humanity, Violent Blood-Thirsty Nephilim Rule, Wickedness Fills Earth, Imprisonment Of Watchers, God Sets A Timetable Of 120 Years, God Sends Great Flood In Noah's Day, All Life Is Destroyed


The mere mention of the word "giants" probably results in a variety of reactions, and creates different images in each of our minds. For some of us, an image of young David and the Philistine giant, Goliath, of Biblical fame enters our minds, while others perhaps think of Jonathan Swift's 1726 tale called "Gulliver's Travels". Of course, in reality, it wasn't that Gulliver was actually a giant, it was that the Lilliputians were rather small in stature, being only one twelfth the size of normal men. Other people may think of one of their favorite classic sci-fi movies -- such as the "Fifty-Foot Woman" or 2005's "The Fallen Ones" -- or maybe of the tale of Apollo in one of the first generation "Star Trek" TV episodes. Then of course we also have the tales of "Jack And The Beanstalk" and "Paul Bunyan", as well as the Jolly Green Giant from the American television commercials. The figures from Roman and Greek mythology -- giant "gods" who allegedly descended from the halls of Mount Olympus -- was the central theme in the 2010 American movie, "Percy Jackson And the Olympians: The Lightning Thief". These are but a few of the many images which have been passed down to us from ancient times up to our current day.

Of course, there are also those people who simply scoff and roll their eyes in disbelief at the mere mention of the word "giants". After all, everyone knows that giants never really existed, and that they are just the product of superstitious ancient cultures, fiction writers and people who have a good imagination, right? If this happens to be your personal view regarding this topic, then you probably won't want to read this series any further. However, if you have an open mind, and are willing to consider other possibilities, no matter how strange they may at first appear to be, then I invite you to continue reading.

As you may possibly already know, the sixth chapter of the Book of Genesis in the Holy Bible offers us some startling proof that giants did in fact roam the Earth millennia ago, before the time of the Great Flood which engulfed our world during the days of the Patriarch Noah. Please consider the following intriguing verses:

"And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown."
Genesis 6:1-4, KJV


The common interpretation of the previous verses, which has been accepted by many orthodox Christians -- at least those who are even aware of them -- is that the phrase "sons of God" is referring to the righteous descendants of Seth -- the third son of Adam and Eve -- who beheld the beauty of the daughters of the descendants of Cain, and thus chose to engage in sexual intercourse with them. According to this interpretation of the previous Scriptures, this sexual union somehow resulted in the birth of a race of great giants, who were known in ancient times as the Nephilim. However, is that what Moses was really describing in the verses from the Book of Genesis? Personally, I don't believe that it is; and I will now explain why I reject the "sons of Seth" doctrine.

If we accept for a moment that the sons of Seth and daughters of Cain interpretation is correct, then the obvious question would be this: If the sons of Seth and the daughters of Cain were normal-sized human beings with normal human genes, then how in the world could their sexual union possibly result in the birth of giant offspring? If the birth of giants was a case of natural genetic mutation -- and on a very large scale no less -- then why haven't we seen any further occurrences of this in our current time? Even if the birth of giants was a sporadic, random event which occurred at widely-dispersed intervals in the historical and genetic timeline, doesn't it seem likely that we would have at least a few records which reveal that similar incidents have occurred over the past few millennia? Yet no such records exist. Well, to be fair about it, at least the public has no knowledge of such records.

Thus, in my opinion, it seems that a more logical, and a more plausible position to embrace, is that some unknown, outside agent interfered with normal human fertilization; and this is what resulted in the birth of the giants which are mentioned in Genesis chapter six. Furthermore, I believe that this is precisely what the Bible is indicating, and that this outside agent really is not unknown to us. That is, if we have faith to believe in God's Word, and are willing to accept what it really says concerning these events, instead of trying to make it conform to what we personally want to believe.

As I point out in my 1997 article, "The Book of Enoch: Truth or Heresy?", it is my personal belief that this outside agent which directly intervened in the affairs of men, was nothing less than a group of rebellious Fallen Angels. In the Aramaic language, these spiritual beings are referred to as the "Ir", -- or "Irin" in its plural form -- which is translated as the "Watchers" in the Book of Daniel, as well as in the Book of Enoch. Please consider the following verse which deals with how it fell upon the Watchers to determine the fate of King Nebuchadnezzar, after the king foolishly became lifted up in his pride:

"This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men."
Daniel 4:17, KJV


Contrary to the belief that these "sons of God" -- please notice the capital "G" -- were the descendants of Seth, the Scriptures offer some evidence, which in my view, strongly suggests that they were in fact Spiritual Entities who dwelt in the Heavenly Realm, precisely as I indicated a moment ago. It may surprise you to know that at one time -- and possibly in our current time as well, depending on your understanding of when Satan was, or will be, permanently cast out of Heaven -- it was permissible for Satan and his followers to enter the Heavenly Courts. In the following verses, it is evident to me that the phrase "sons of God" is referring to Angelic Beings, and not to human beings:

"Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them."
Job 1:6, KJV


"Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD."
Job 2:1, KJV


"When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?"
Job 38:7, KJV


As you can plainly see, these Spiritual Beings are referred to as the "sons of God" -- just as was mentioned earlier in the sixth chapter of Genesis. They are also referred to as "morning stars"; perhaps because God brought them into being at the very beginning of Creation. You may recall that in the Book of Revelation, Jesus likewise calls Himself the "bright and morning star", as we see here:

"I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star."
Revelation 22:16, KJV


As I point out elsewhere, it is because Jesus was willing to make the Ultimate Sacrifice, by giving His life for the sins of the world, that God has highly exalted Him, and given Him a position above all of the other morning stars, or sons of God. As the Apostle Paul was inspired to write:

"Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
Philippians 2:9-11, KJV


If you personally doubt that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, then I encourage you to read my 1998 six-part series called "Is Jesus the Only Begotten Son of God?". But, to continue, based on the previous verses taken from the Books of Daniel, Job, and Revelation, it is my personal understanding that the "irin" -- or "watchers" -- as well as the "holy ones", "sons of God" and "morning stars" are all Spiritual Entities of one kind or another who exist in the Heavenly Realm, and who perform different functions for God the Father.

Now, if you still remain unconvinced that the "sons of God" who are mentioned in the sixth chapter of Genesis are Angels and not the sons of Seth, then allow me to share two more very interesting facts with you. It may interest you to know that there are only two Books in the entire Old Testament in which the phrase "sons of God" is used; and we have already looked at both of them: Job and Genesis. Therefore, in order for these verses to retain their integrity, consistency, and Scriptural Harmony, they must all be referring to the same thing. In other words, if the "sons of God" in the Book of Job are referring to Angelic Beings, then so must the verses in Genesis chapter six. The exact opposite also holds true. If the "sons of God" in the Book of Genesis are referring to the descendants of Seth, then so must the verses in the Book of Job. Quite frankly, given the contents of the verses in Job, this latter possibility simply does not make sense.

The second point is even more powerful, and came as quite a revelation to me personally. As all Christians will already know, the principle message of the New Testament deals with how we too can become the sons of God through our faith in the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ. There is a very interesting verse, written by the Apostle Paul, in his Epistle to the Romans, which I've become convinced is directly related to the "sons of God" of the Old Testament, as well as to the Coming of Jesus Christ, and the events which occur as a result of His Coming.

In Romans chapter eight, Paul talks about how we can become the Children of God through Spiritual Adoption. Paul states that we are "joint-heirs" with Christ, and that our current sufferings are nothing compared to the glory that shall be revealed in us; that is, the wonderful transformation of our bodies. This, of course, is the same theme that the Apostle Paul discusses in 1 Corinthians 15. Consider the following key verses:

"But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you . . . For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God . . . For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body."
Romans 8:11, 18-19, 22-23, KJV


Please notice carefully that Paul clearly states that the Saints are waiting "for the manifestation of the sons of God". What is Paul talking about? Well, it may interest you to know that the word "manifestation" is derived from the very same Greek word from which we derive the name of the Book of Revelation. That word is "apokalupsis", which we translate into English as "apocalypse" or "revelation". The Greek lexicon defines "apokalupsis" as meaning laying bear, making naked, making visible to all, manifestation, appearance. In other words, the Saints are waiting for the revelation, manifestation or appearance of the "sons of God". Exactly who are these "sons of God"? If you accept my previous explanation from the Old Testament Scriptures, then the answer makes perfect sense. These "sons of God" are the Angelic Host who accompany Jesus Christ at His Return. That this is so, is clearly backed by Scriptures such as the following:

"When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:"
Matthew 25:31, KJV


"Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."
Mark 8:38, KJV


"For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels."
Luke 9:26, KJV


"And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;"
2 Thessalonians 1:7-9, KJV


"And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean . . . And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army."
Revelation 19:11-14, 19, KJV


Exactly as the Apostle Paul stated in Romans chapter eight, when Jesus and His mighty army of "sons of God" are revealed from Heaven, the Saints are miraculously transformed, and receive new glorified bodies, so that they are just like Jesus, as we see by the following verses:

"Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed."
1 Corinthians 15:51-52, KJV


"Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is."
1 John 3:2, KJV


That, my friends, is the Revelation and the Mystery of the Ages! Christ returns, and the Saints are indeed transformed!

While I have taken considerable time to prove my point that the "sons of God" of Genesis chapter six are in fact Angelic Beings who backslid from the Heavenly Realm, I hope that you are now convinced of the same, if you weren't previously. To reiterate, based upon the preponderance of Scriptures that I have now shared with you, in my view, it does not make much sense to continue to insist that the "sons of God" were the descendants of Seth, as certain wayward, modern preachers like to teach their flocks. There is no Scriptural support to sustain that position, as far as I can tell.

Similar to the Book of Genesis, the controversial Book of Enoch likewise informs us that these "sons of God" were so captivated by the beauty of Earthly women, that they chose to abandon their Heavenly Abode, descended to Earth on Mount Hermon -- which is situated on the border between modern-day Lebanon and Syria -- and then engaged in sexual intercourse with them. Instead of doing as they had been commanded to do by God -- that is, instruct man and watch over man -- led by Mastema, Azazel, Semjaza and a number of others, this group of about two hundred Angels made a pact between themselves, and rebelled against the Lord. As a result of their wicked deeds, the violence-prone giants known as the Nephilim were born into the ancient world.

In fact, it may surprise some of you to know that even the very name of the giants points to the Fallen Angels as being their progenitors. You see, the word "Nephilim" is derived from the Hebrew word "nephiyl" -- or "nephil" -- which itself is derived from the primitive word "naphal". This latter word means to fall, to throw down, to cast down, to cause to fall. Thus, the Nephilim were the half-human, half-Angel children of the Fallen Angels who forsook their Heavenly Estate. They were the progeny of the Fallen Ones. Following are several groups of verses, taken from the Book of Enoch, that amply describe the folly and sin of these Fallen Angels:

"And it came to pass when the children of men had multiplied that in those days were born unto them beautiful and comely daughters. And the angels, the children of the heaven, saw and lusted after them, and said to one another: 'Come, let us choose us wives from among the children of men and beget us children.' And Semjaza, who was their leader, said unto them: 'I fear ye will not indeed agree to do this deed, and I alone shall have to pay the penalty of a great sin.' And they all answered him and said: 'Let us all swear an oath, and all bind ourselves by mutual imprecations not to abandon this plan but to do this thing.' Then sware they all together and bound themselves by mutual imprecations upon it. And they were in all two hundred; who descended in the days of Jared on the summit of Mount Hermon, and they called it Mount Hermon, because they had sworn and bound themselves by mutual imprecations upon it. And these are the names of their leaders: Semiazaz, their leader, Arakiba, Rameel, Kokabiel, Tamiel, Ramiel, Danel, Ezeqeel, Baraqijal, Asael, Armaros, Batarel, Ananel, Zaqiel, Samsapeel, Satarel, Turel, Jomjael, Sariel. These are their chiefs of tens. And all the others together with them took unto themselves wives, and each chose for himself one, and they began to go in unto them and to defile themselves with them, and they taught them charms and enchantments, and the cutting of roots, and made them acquainted with plants."
Book Of Enoch 6:1-8, 7:1

"And they have gone to the daughters of men upon the earth, and have slept with the women, and have defiled themselves, and revealed to them all kinds of sins. And the women have borne giants, and the whole earth has thereby been filled with blood and unrighteousness."
Book Of Enoch 9:8-9

"Wherefore have ye left the high, holy, and eternal heaven, and lain with women, and defiled yourselves with the daughters of men and taken to yourselves wives, and done like the children of earth, and begotten giants as your sons? And though ye were holy, spiritual, living the eternal life, you have defiled yourselves with the blood of women, and have begotten children with the blood of flesh, and, as the children of men, have lusted after flesh and blood as those also do who die and perish."
Book Of Enoch 15:3-4

"And I, Enoch, answered and said unto him: 'The Lord will do a new thing on the earth, and this I have already seen in a vision, and make known to thee that in the generation of my father Jared some of the angels of heaven transgressed the word of the Lord. And behold they commit sin and transgress the law, and have united themselves with women and commit sin with them, and have married some of them, and have begot children by them. And they shall produce on the earth giants not according to the spirit, but according to the flesh . . ."
Book Of Enoch 106:13-14, 17

Concerning Mastema -- who was one of the primary leaders of the Fallen Angels -- in the Hebrew language, his name means "hatred" and "hostility". Some people believe that this may be another name for Satan. While I'm not fully convinced that Mastema and Satan are one and the same entity, if we consider that Satan was already clearly at work in the first chapter of the Book of Job, and likewise in the third chapter of the Book of Genesis, it does appear quite plausible that he may have spearheaded this renegade group of Fallen Angels, when they came down to the Earth to engage in sex with the women of Earth. In fact, as you will see in a moment, in the Book of Enoch, in the fifty-fourth chapter, Satan is mentioned by name as having been involved in the rebellion that occurred on the summit of Mount Hermon.

There is another interesting point to consider regarding the Fallen Ones. While it is possible that these women may have been raped and forced against their will, if we consider the fact that these Angelic Beings were created by God, served in the Heavenly Courts, and that Satan can appear as an Angel of Light, it is quite possible that those women were simply mesmerized and seduced of their own free will. As I explain in "Satan: Origin, Purpose and Future", Lucifer was indeed a very beautiful Angel, so it's logical to assume that the rest of the renegade Fallen Angels were as well. I doubt that God employs ugly Angels in the Heavenly Courts. If these women were willingly seduced, it certainly gives a new meaning to the old adage "You handsome devil, you!".

While the Book of Enoch informs us that the "sons of God" who partook in this rebellion against the Lord repented of their evil deeds, nevertheless, what occurred next in both the Book of Genesis, as well as in the Book of Enoch, reveals that it was already too late, because serious damage had already been done. As we have already seen, the immediate consequence of their foolish actions was that the Earth became filled with the violent, blood-thirsty Nephilim. According to the Book Of Enoch, the Nephilim began to eat people when the resources of the Earth were no longer enough to sustain them. In chapter seven of the Book of Enoch we find the following verses:

"And they became pregnant, and they bare great giants, whose height was three thousand ells: Who consumed all the acquisitions of men. And when men could no longer sustain them, the giants turned against them and devoured mankind."
Book Of Enoch 7:2-4

Not only had the human gene pool become seriously polluted, but the violence and the wickedness of the Fallen Angels and their progeny -- the Nephilim -- had spread throughout all of humanity and corrupted them. Thus, God decided that He must destroy His own creation by way of the Flood in the days of the Patriarch Noah. But this is not all that God did in His endeavors to cleanse the ancient world of the evil which had filled it. According to certain passages which are found in the Book of Enoch, these fallen "sons of God" -- or Watchers -- were cast into a dark abyss within the Earth, to await their final judgment. Consider these verses:

"And again the Lord said to Raphael: 'Bind Azazel hand and foot, and cast him into the darkness: and make an opening in the desert, which is in Dudael, and cast him therein. And place upon him rough and jagged rocks, and cover him with darkness, and let him abide there for ever, and cover his face that he may not see light. And on the day of the great judgement he shall be cast into the fire . . . And the Lord said unto Michael: 'Go, bind Semjaza and his associates who have united themselves with women so as to have defiled themselves with them in all their uncleanness. And when their sons have slain one another, and they have seen the destruction of their beloved ones, bind them fast for seventy generations in the valleys of the earth, till the day of their judgement and of their consummation, till the judgement that is for ever and ever is consummated. In those days they shall be led off to the abyss of fire: and to the torment and the prison in which they shall be confined for ever.'"
Book Of Enoch 10:4-6a, 11-13a

"And I looked and turned to another part of the earth, and saw there a deep valley with burning fire. And they brought the kings and the mighty, and began to cast them into this deep valley. And there mine eyes saw how they made these their instruments, iron chains of immeasurable weight. And I asked the angel of peace who went with me, saying: 'For whom are these chains being prepared?' And he said unto me: 'These are being prepared for the hosts of Azazel, so that they may take them and cast them into the abyss of complete condemnation, and they shall cover their jaws with rough stones as the Lord of Spirits commanded. And Michael, and Gabriel, and Raphael, and Phanuel shall take hold of them on that great day, and cast them on that day into the burning furnace, that the Lord of Spirits may take vengeance on them for their unrighteousness in becoming subject to Satan and leading astray those who dwell on the earth.'"
Book Of Enoch 54:1-6

You'll notice that Satan is also implicated in those verses. As I briefly explain in "The Book of Enoch: Truth or Heresy", these very same events were briefly described by the Apostles Jude and Peter in their Epistles, as we see by the following verses where Peter talks about "the spirits in prison which sometime were disobedient", and Jude talks about "the Angels which kept not their first estate". They are both discussing the Watchers. That is, the Irin, or the Fallen Angels:

"For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water."
1 Peter 3:18-20, KJV


"For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;"
2 Peter 2:4-5, KJV


"And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day."
Jude 1:6, KJV


As the Book of Genesis makes clear, God was so angered by the rebellious actions of these Fallen Angels, and the evil which their actions had produced upon the Earth, that in addition to imprisoning the Watchers in the Earth until their time of judgment should arrive, He also set a specific timetable of one hundred and twenty years, at the end of which all living things upon the Earth were going to be destroyed. This was the only way in which the Lord could fully purge the Earth. Consider the following verses taken from chapters six and seven of the Book of Genesis:

"And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years . . . And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them . . . The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth . . . And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die . . . For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth . . . And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man: All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died. And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark."
Genesis 6:3, 5-7, 11-13, 17, 7:4, 21-23 KJV


Please go to part two for the continuation of this series.

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