Genesis 6:1-11

Ge 6:1
And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,

We have just read about two lines: The line of Seth and the line of Cain. Now we begin to see that the earth is beginning to become populated. Noah was 500 years old when he had his three sons. This means that much time had elapsed and the earth was now being filled with people. This verse gives us a key to the following verses. If you notice the term “men” is used in this verse. It is the Hebrew word “Adham” from which we derive our word “Adam” which is the word used for the entire human race. The wording does not say that these are devils or angels, instead it is specifically pointing out that human beings were beginning to populate the earth. In the latter portion of this verse we see that daughters were born. As we saw before, angels cannot reproduce, so we are strictly dealing with corporeal beings.

Ge 6:2

That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.

Let us begin in this verse with the phrase “they were fair.” These women which were born at that time were beautiful women. Keep in mind that we are still in the pre-flood era which means that sin had not yet spread to the fullest. In our present day, because of thousands of years of sin, the truly beautiful woman is a scarce person. The majority of women today have to use gobs of make up because when they hit 30 or 40, the reality of age begins to set in. The women of Noah’s day, still lived long lives which means they retained their natural beauty much longer. I am sure Eve would probably have been an extremely beautiful woman until she sinned and then degeneration set in.

So now because of the sin infection beginning to magnify itself, it affected everyone including the godly line which was in existence. The sons of God had seen these beautiful women and took them as wives. Remember the words of Jesus.  For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven. (Mark 12:25)  The angels do not marry nor are they given in marriage and just because many of the angels rebelled with Satan, there is absolutely no biblical evidence to suggest that these devils had acquired the ability to procreate in any manner after their fall.

What was beginning to happen here was the that the godly line of Seth was beginning to assimilate into the world, as we see today. Some of the Biblical insights we have on this situation are found in two places. We see the melding of unbelievers with the pure line of Israelites in the book of Ezra, when they were required to divorce their pagan wives.  And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, answered and said unto Ezra, We have trespassed against our God, and have taken strange wives of the people of the land: yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing. (Ezra 10:2) This is exactly what happened in the time of Noah. The sons of God began to marry unbelieving wives which started to dilute the godly line and now sin was growing in the godly line. Any time a believer yokes with an unbeliever, it is always the believer who makes continual compromise until they are no different than their unbelieving spouse.

The second example we have in Scripture of this type of situation is Solomon. When Solomon started his rule of Israel, he was a very wise king but his love of women brought him down. We know he had seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines and all of these women began to bring him down spiritually until he got to the point of building false places of worship and even adhering to these pagan religions himself. This is why God warns us to never marry or go into business with an unbeliever because the unbelievers never make compromises, only the believers. In the modern ecumenical movement, how many Roman Catholics are running to the Protestant church? The sad situation is that it is the Protestants and their dumb leaders who are running to the Roman Catholic Church!

But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites; {2} Of the nations concerning which the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love. {3} And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart. (1 Kings 11:1-3)

This was the same situation in the book of Genesis when the sons of God were looking at the women, but if you notice they were not looking at the women because of their dedication to God, they were looking at the women because of their beauty. Ask Samson what a trap that is!

Ge 6:3

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.

Since the godly line was now being infected with sinful actions, God now pronounces another judgment on the human race. In the previous chapter we read that people lived up to 969 years but now because of the multiplication of evil on the earth, God is now shortening man’s lifespan to 120 years. Notice God is also making the assertion that man is flesh. We know this but God makes a point of it to let us know that the ones being judged here are not devils but mankind. During the time leading up to the flood from Noah’s 500th year, we read that Christ had preached to the spirits in prison.

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: {19} By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; {20} 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)

Now some try to erroneously teach that Christ went to Hell to preach to the fallen angels after His death on the cross. This makes no sense and is not supported biblically. The connection between 1 Peter 3 and Genesis 6 is that Christ had preached the gospel through Noah to the Antediluvian population. These were the spirits who were in prison. In fact, all unbelievers are considered to be in prison.  That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners? (Isaiah 14:17) This verse coupled with its context speaks about Satan keeping the unbelievers as prisoners. So Christ did not go to Hell to preach to unsaved angels, but He spoke through Noah who was bringing the Gospel message to the pre-flood world. This is why God shortened the lifespan of humanity to 120 because His spirit was bringing convictions and judgments through preaching which had not yielded any fruit except the immediate family of Noah. It was this evil mindset which had pervaded the entire earth, even the godly line of Seth had degenerated.

Ge 6:4

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.

The word “giants” is the word “Nephilim” and there is much difference of opinion as to who they are. This word could be referring to people who are large in stature. In Numbers 13:33, when the spies came back from spying out the land, they saw giants there. No doubt these were very large people and obviously they had a fierce look. This is why 10 out of 12 spies came back with the report that they would be unable to take the land. There is no grammatical reason to think that the Nephilim of Genesis 6:4 would be any different than those of Numbers 13:33.  And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight. (Numbers 13:33) These people were probably a race of large people. Today we have the Pygmy race which are short people, so why couldn’t there be a race of large people. I am 5’ 2” tall and if I stood in the middle of the Los Angeles Lakers or the Chicago Bulls, they would look like giants in the land compared to me. Archaeological digs have unearthed skeletons of people who were eight feet tall. It seems that the word “Nephilim” is referring to a race of large people and nothing else. The Nephilim are not the results of sexual relations with angels simply because the Nephilim of Numbers 13:33 are human beings. It may be that the Anakim of Numbers 13:33 may be descendants of the Nephilim of Genesis 6:4.

The next phrase in that verse teaches that the sons of God went into the daughters of men and they bore the mighty men. The Hebrew word for “mighty men” is “gever” which carries with it the meaning of “strong man.” It denotes a young man at the height of his power. The verse also speaks about the men of renown. In Numbers 16:2, we find an interesting parallel.  And they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown: (Numbers 16:2) Here we see the same word is used in reference to the rebellion of Korah. Who were the ones that were leading the rebellion against Moses? It was those who were the famous or influential in the congregation of Israel. From the wording, we find that in Genesis 6:4, the result of the sons of God procreating with the ungodly women and that result was men who had become influential and mighty, resulting in an increase in sinful activity. In Genesis 6:5, the Bible tells us that every thought of man was wickedness and that wickedness was spread throughout the entire earth. By the time Noah had begun to build the Ark, his was the only family which was worshipping the true God. As we saw before, the godly line of Seth began to marry unbelievers and they had corrupted themselves with the ways of the unsaved world, just as Solomon and the men of Israel did in Ezra’s time. The men of renown in the time of Genesis 6:4 were also those of influence and power. They had the ability to lead people astray. It doesn’t take much coaxing when you peddle sin to people, because they will be right there to follow.

Ge 6:5

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.

Then the developing nature of sin has now permeated the entire human race and we went from purity in the garden to the perpetuity of evil in every person on earth.  Jesus commented on the nature of man.  For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: (Matthew 15:19)  The word “great” carries with it the meaning of “exceedingly or immense” since it now affected every person alive.  Not only were their acts sinful but even within the imagination or the mind was continual evil thoughts which eventually became actions.

Ge 6:6

And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.

The LORD repented of the fact that he made man on the earth.  The word “repented” carries with it the meaning of “sorry or grieved.”  It was to the point where it grieved the heart of God that sin had become a way of life among all the human beings.  The Lord’s heart was deeply concerned for the heart of man as it turned black with sin.

Ge 6:7

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.

Then the LORD sees no way out to stop the continual spread of sin so he decides to destroy man, beast, fowls, and insects from the earth because sin not only infected the human race but it also affected the animals, insects, and birds.  The word “destroy” in the Hebrew is a very strong word and it carries with it the meaning of “exterminate or blot out.” Once again God rues the day that he created man.

Ge 6:8

But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.

Here is one of the great “buts” of Scripture.  Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.  So why did Noah find grace?  It was because Noah was in the Messianic line as a son of Lamech and if you recall Noah’s name means “rest.”  Here we see the first mention of grace in the Bible.  Noah didn’t earn it nor did he ask for it.  It was God’s plan to save Noah because the messianic line would be preserved through him and come to fruition in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Ge 6:9

These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.

The generations refer to those of Noah and the beginning of the account of the soon coming flood.  Noah was a just man which meant his legal standing before God as God justified him.  To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. (Romans 3:26)  Noah was also perfect in his generations, among all those generations of evil in the world, Noah was found to be unspotted or undefiled by the sinful ways of his contemporaries.  Grace allowed Noah to eschew sin and to be able to walk with God.  He walked in faith, fellowship, and obedience to God.

Ge 6:10

And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Noah begat three sons which would be responsible for the beginning of quite a number of the nationalities which would repopulate the earth.  See commentary on Genesis 5:32 for the names of those people groups.

Ge 6:11

The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.