Genesis 6:4 tells us that giants called the Nephilim lived on the earth in the early days of human history, and that they came from unions between heavenly beings and human women. The verse is narration by the author of Genesis, the Hebrew book traditionally attributed to Moses, written to explain how wickedness grew so widespread before the flood. It is not a direct speech from God, but it sits inside a passage where God responds to that growing corruption.
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” points to a group of powerful, famous figures who were already present when the story picks up. The Hebrew word is often rendered “giants” or “fallen ones,” and the verse does not stop to define them fully, which tells you the original readers were expected to recognize the term. What the verse does make clear is that they were prominent and remembered, described as “men of renown.”
The verse then says these figures existed “also after that,” linking them to the period when “God’s sons came in to men’s daughters and had children with them.” Many readers understand “God’s sons” as heavenly beings, though others have read it as a line of godly men, and the text itself does not settle the question in a single sentence. The verse explains that these offspring became the “mighty men who were of old,” but it does not promise anything about how their lives should shape ours. It describes a moment in history, and its purpose is to set up the wider story of human rebellion.
The Context of Genesis 6:4
Genesis is the first book of the Hebrew Scriptures, and its opening chapters move from creation to the first generations of humanity. Chapter 6 marks a turning point: the earth has filled with people, and the sin that entered through Adam and Eve has spread into violence and corruption. Verse 4 sits in a short passage in which God observes how far human wickedness has gone and announces that He will limit human lifespan to 120 years.
The verses just before the Nephilim mention show men multiplying and taking wives freely, and the verses just after reveal God’s grief and His decision to judge the earth. Read in that setting, Genesis 6:4 is less a fascinating side note about ancient giants and more a snapshot of a world drifting far from God. The mention of renowned men is set against the verses that follow, where God sees that “every imagination of the thoughts of man’s heart was continually only evil.”
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 follows directly after our passage and explains why God acted as He did. It shows the depth of human corruption that Genesis 6:4 hints at, and it helps you see that the fame of the mighty men was tied to a heart that had turned away from God.
Genesis 6:8
But Noah found favor in the LORD’s eyes.
(WEB)
Right after the announcement of judgment, the text turns to Noah and to God’s grace. Reading it alongside Genesis 6:4 shows that even in a world filled with renowned violence, God found a man who walked faithfully with Him.
A Short Prayer From Genesis 6:4
Lord, you see the state of the earth and the hearts of the people who live on it. When I feel pressure to be known, admired, or secure in what the world values, draw my eyes back to you. Help me pursue faithfulness over fame and to trust that your judgment and mercy are both perfectly just. Keep my heart turned toward you in ordinary days. Amen.