Genesis 6:4 tells us that giants called the Nephilim lived on the earth before and after a time when “God’s sons” took human women as wives and had children with them, and that these children became famous warriors of old. The verse is narrator’s commentary inside the Genesis account of the flood, so it is the author of Genesis, traditionally Moses, speaking to the people of Israel as they read the story of their origins.
The Nephilim were in the earth in those days, and also after that, when God’s sons came in to men’s daughters and had children with them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.
Genesis 6:4 (WEB)
What Genesis 6:4 Means
The phrase “the Nephilim were in the earth in those days” places a group of powerful figures in the early human world, and the word “also after that” shows they were not limited to one brief period. The sentence then links them to a specific event: “God’s sons came in to men’s daughters and had children with them.” The verse describes an unnatural mixing of the heavenly and human realms, and it is clear that the author saw this as part of the spreading corruption that led to the flood.
The closing line, “those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown,” describes these offspring as celebrated heroes whose fame lasted in human memory. The verse does not explain how they were regarded by God or whether their fame was admirable. It records what they were known for and leaves the moral judgment to the surrounding passage, which describes great human wickedness.
The verse does not give a full account of who the “sons of God” were, how the Nephilim were made, or what happened to them after the flood. It is a brief note that serves a larger purpose in the story, so reading too much specific detail into it goes beyond the text.
The Context of Genesis 6:4
Genesis is the first book of the Torah and opens with creation, the fall, and the early generations of humanity. Verses 1 to 3 of chapter 6 describe the multiplying of people and God’s sons taking wives, and God then limits human lifespan to one hundred twenty years. Verse 4 sits in the middle of this passage as an explanatory aside, and verses 5 to 7 move straight into God’s grief over human wickedness and his decision to send the flood.
Because the verse appears between a description of human multiplication and a declaration of judgment, its main function is to show that the trouble was deep and widespread. The Nephilim and their famous offspring are part of the picture of a world that had gone badly wrong, which is why the flood follows so quickly. Read this way, the verse is less a puzzle about heavenly beings than a sign of how far the earth had drifted from God.
Key Phrases in Genesis 6:4
Genesis 6:5
The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of man’s heart was continually only evil.
(WEB)
This verse directly follows and explains why God judged the earth, describing the great wickedness of human hearts. Reading it alongside verse 4 shows that the Nephilim and their renown were symptoms of a wider moral failure rather than its cause.
Genesis 6:8
But Noah found favor in the LORD’s eyes.
(WEB)
Right after the flood narrative begins, this verse introduces Noah as a man who found favor with God. The contrast with verse 4 is clear: while the famous warriors are remembered for their fame, Noah is noted for grace and faithfulness.
A Short Prayer From Genesis 6:4
Lord, you see the whole story of the world, including the people who were famous in their day and the wickedness that grieved your heart. Help me not to measure worth by renown or by what the crowd admires. Shape my admiration toward what is good and faithful, and make me slow to trust reputation over character. Let me take the warnings of this passage seriously and live with humility before you. Amen.
