In Genesis 6:1-4, what were the identities of the sons of God and daughters of men?

TL;DR:

There are multiple views on the identities of the sons of God and daughters of men; Got Questions Ministries believes they are most likely fallen angels and human women. The ungodly union of the sons of God and daughters of men warns us of the consequences of not following God’s design for relationships.

what does the bible say?

Genesis 6:1–4 is an account that refers to the sons of God and the daughters of men (or man). The union between the "sons of God" and the "daughters of man" prompted God's judgment due to sinful behavior. Interpretations vary as to the identities of the sons of God and daughters of men, including fallen angels and human women, powerful rulers, or intermarriage between godly and ungodly lineages. The results of this ungodly union emphasize the importance of maintaining spiritual integrity and discerning relationships that honor God. It serves as a cautionary tale against compromising faith for worldly attractions, urging vigilance in our associations to avoid moral decay. By aligning with God's principles, we safeguard against the consequences of straying from His standards, ensuring a life that reflects our commitment to righteousness.

from the old testament

Genesis 6:1–4 refers to the sons of God and the daughters of men. The passage tells us that when humanity continued to multiply, the sons of God—whomever they are— “saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose.” Something sinful was happening because “the Lord said, ‘My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.’”
In the Old Testament, "sons of God" elsewhere refers to angels (Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7). A question is whether angels can appear in human form and produce offspring. Proponents of this view cite the example of the men of Sodom and Gomorrah who wanted to have sex with the two angels who were with Lot, though such physical acts did not take place (Genesis 19:1–5). Also, an angel appeared in human form in Mark 16:5.
A second view suggests that these "sons of God" and "daughters of man" refers to relationships involving powerful human rulers. However, there remains the difficulty of how their children would become "Nephilim," a term that could mean either giants or men of old or even men of renown.
A third view suggests that these "sons of God" and "daughters of man" refers to marriages between the godly family line of Seth and the ungodly family line of Cain, who had killed his brother Abel (Genesis 4). This does not easily account for children who would become giants or men of renown. In addition, there was never a direct command for Seth's descendants to avoid marriage with the family descendants of Cain.
Genesis 6:4 adds some information about the offspring of the sons of God and the daughters of man: "The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown." Whoever these Nephilim were, they also continued for some time, likely after the global flood of Noah's era. In Numbers 13:33 we find: "And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them." The focus here is on the physical height of these Nephilim.

from the new testament

There are New Testament passages that bring some clarity to what happened in Genesis 6 with the sons of God and daughters of men. Jude 1:6–7 speaks about God imprisoning fallen angels who left their domain in the spiritual realm to commit sexual sin so the other fallen angels would not do the same. First Peter 3:18–20 talks about spirits in prison. These could be referring to the same fallen angels as in the Jude passage.
Based on the other passages, it is likely that the sons of God were fallen angels who had children with human women. While angels are spiritual beings (Hebrews 1:14), they can take human, physical form (Mark 16:5; Hebrews 13:2).

implications for today

Whatever the identities of the sons of God and daughters of men are, we can take to heart the importance of maintaining spiritual integrity and of having discerning relationships that honor God. The passage highlights the consequences of unions that go against God's design, leading to widespread corruption and prompting God's judgment. Whether the interpretation involves fallen angels, powerful rulers, or intermarriage between the godly and ungodly, the underlying issue is a failure to uphold God's standards.

In our own lives, this serves as a reminder to be vigilant about the influences and relationships we allow into our lives. By aligning our choices with God's principles, we can avoid the pitfalls of moral compromise and ensure that our actions and associations reflect our commitment to living a life that honors God. This lesson encourages us to seek relationships that support our spiritual growth and to be mindful of the potential consequences of compromising our faith for worldly attractions or alliances.

understand

There are three primary interpretations of who the "sons of God" and "daughters of men" are:
Some believe the "sons of God" are fallen angels who had sexual relations with human women and produced offspring, the Nephilim.
Another view suggests that the "sons of God" were powerful human rulers engaging in illicit relationships with human women.
A third perspective sees this as a union between the godly lineage of Seth and the ungodly lineage of Cain.

reflect

Why does God give us standards for our marital relationships? What do we learn about Him and His values because of this?
In what ways can you apply the lessons from Genesis 6:1–4 to your current relationships and decision-making processes?
There are some difficult passages in the Bible. How do you practically wrestle through understanding them?

engage

Early Hebrew interpreters and apocryphal and pseudepigraphal writings are unanimous in holding to the view that fallen angels are the “sons of God” mentioned in Genesis 6:1–4. This does not mean that this position is absolutely the true one; however, there is strong contextual, grammatical, and historical basis that the sons of God were fallen angels.
What are the implications of the passage's warning against compromising faith for worldly attractions in today's society?
When there are a variety of interpretations for a passage, what tools do we have to discern the correct or most probably correct answer? How can we come to convictions on the meaning of a passage without becoming dogmatic?