Who were the Nephilim in the Bible?

The Hebrew word nephilim appears only twice in the Old Testament, and the King James Version renders it "giants" both times, following the ancient Greek translation. Genesis 6:4 says, "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." Centuries later, the frightened Israelite spies reported seeing "the giants, the sons of Anak" in Canaan and feeling like grasshoppers beside them (Numbers 13:33), though Scripture calls their account "an evil report" (Numbers 13:32). The meaning of the word itself is uncertain; many connect it to a Hebrew verb meaning "to fall." Who the Nephilim were depends largely on who "the sons of God" in Genesis 6:2 were, and there are three main views. The first, widely held in ancient Judaism (as in the Book of Enoch) and by many early Christian writers, is that the sons of God were angels who sinned by taking human wives. Supporters point to Job 1:6, where "the sons of God" are heavenly beings, and to Jude 6 and 2 Peter 2:4, which speak of "the angels which kept not their first estate." The second, favored by Augustine and many later interpreters, is that the godly line of Seth intermarried with the ungodly line of Cain; supporters note that Jesus said angels "neither marry, nor are given in marriage" (Matthew 22:30). A third view sees the sons of God as ancient kings or rulers who claimed divine status. The text itself is brief, and sincere Bible readers hold each of these views.

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