Genesis 6:4 says that giants called the Nephilim lived on the earth in the days before and after a time when heavenly beings, called “God’s sons,” took human women as wives and had children with them. The verse describes these children as mighty warriors and famous men of old. The narrator, Moses according to long Jewish and Christian tradition, is writing as a storyteller in the book of Genesis, addressing the people of Israel and readers who receive the Scriptures through them.
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” tells you that a people with this name was known in the early world. The word is related to a Hebrew verb meaning “to fall,” and most readers take it to mean “fallen ones” or “giants,” though the text does not explain its origin in detail. The verse then says the Nephilim appeared “also after that,” which means their presence was not limited to one brief moment.
The phrase “God’s sons came in to men’s daughters” is the hardest part of the verse. Most early Jewish and Christian readers understood “God’s sons” to mean heavenly beings, a term used elsewhere in the Old Testament for angels or members of God’s heavenly court. Others have read it as a reference to the line of Seth, the godly family of Genesis 4 and 5. The verse itself does not settle the question, so careful readers hold the interpretation loosely while focusing on the main point: the verse describes a world where boundaries God had set were being crossed, and the result was a generation of powerful, famous men.
The verse does not promise that such beings will return, nor does it give you a formula for understanding every spiritual or supernatural question. It records a moment in history that sets up the flood narrative that follows. It also does not teach that the children were the sole cause of the wickedness in verse 5. The text lets the story do its work and moves on.
The Context of Genesis 6:4
Genesis is the first book of the Bible, and its opening chapters trace God’s creation of the world, the fall of humanity, and the spread of sin across the earth. Chapter 6 marks a turning point. Verses 1 through 3 describe human population growing and God limiting human lifespan to 120 years, and verses 5 through 7 show God grieved over human wickedness and deciding to send the flood. Verse 4 sits between these two movements and explains why the world had become so corrupt.
Because the verse appears in this setting, it reads less like a separate legend and more like part of a warning. The mighty men of renown are not held up as heroes to admire. Their fame is placed alongside the widespread evil that prompted God’s judgment, so the reader is invited to see that human power and reputation do not guarantee righteousness.
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)
Verse 5 follows immediately and describes the scale of human wickedness that Genesis 6:4 sets the stage for. Reading the two together helps you see that the fame of the mighty men is part of a larger picture of a world turning away from God.
Psalm 14:2
The LORD looked down from heaven on the children of men, to see if there were any who understood, who sought after God.
(WEB)
This psalm looks down from heaven at humanity and asks whether anyone is seeking God. It echoes the theme of Genesis 6 that God sees the human heart clearly, whatever strength or renown people may gain in the world.
A Short Prayer From Genesis 6:4
Lord, you see the whole world and the hearts of every person in it. When I am tempted to admire power, strength, or reputation more than your holiness, turn my eyes back to what matters most to you. Give me a humble heart that seeks your name above my own. Keep me from following the crowd into what you have already called wrong. Teach me to measure my life by your faithfulness, not by the praise of people who will one day be gone. Amen.