Advanced Commentary
Texts -- Genesis 6:4 (NET)
Pericope
NET
- Gen 6:1-8 -- God's Grief over Humankind's Wickedness
Bible Dictionary
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Giants
[ebd] (1.) Heb. nephilim, meaning "violent" or "causing to fall" (Gen. 6:4). These were the violent tyrants of those days, those who fell upon others. The word may also be derived from a root signifying "wonder," and hence "monste...
[isbe] GIANTS - ji'-ants The word appears in the King James Version as the translation of the Hebrew words nephilim (Gen 6:4; Nu 13:33); repha'im (Dt 2:11,20; 3:11,13; Josh 12:4, etc.); rapha' (1 Ch 20:4,6,8), or raphah (2 Sam 21:1...
[smith] men of extraordinary size or height. They are first spoken of in (Genesis 6:4) under the name Nephilim. We are told in (Genesis 6:1-4) that "there were Nephilim in the earth," and that afterwards the "sons of God" mingling w...
[nave] GIANTS, Gen. 6:4. See: Anakim; Emims; Goliath; Ishbi-benob; Og; Rephaim; Zamzummims.
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Nephilim
[ebd] (Gen. 6:4; Num. 13:33, R.V.), giants, the Hebrew word left untranslated by the Revisers, the name of one of the Canaanitish tribes. The Revisers have, however, translated the Hebrew gibborim, in Gen. 6:4, "mighty men."
[isbe] NEPHILIM - nef'-i-lim (nephilim): This word, translated "giants" in the King James Version, but retained in the Revised Version (British and American), is found in two passages of the Old Testament--one in Gen 6:4, relating ...
[nave] NEPHILIM Gen. 6:4; Num. 13:33 See: Giants.
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ANAKIM
[ebd] the descendants of Anak (Josh. 11:21; Num. 13:33; Deut. 9:2). They dwelt in the south of Palestine, in the neighbourhood of Hebron (Gen. 23:2; Josh. 15:13). In the days of Abraham (Gen. 14:5, 6) they inhabited the region aft...
[isbe] ANAKIM - an'-a-kim (`anaqim; Enakim, or Enakeim; also called "sons of Anak" (Nu 13:33), and "sons of the Anakim" (Dt 1:28)): The spies (Nu 13:33) compared them to the Nephilim or "giants" of Gen 6:4, and according to Dt 2:11...
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SONS OF GOD
[isbe] SONS OF GOD - (Old Testament) (bene ha-'elohim, "sons of God" (Gen 6:2,4; Job 1:6; 2:1); bene 'elohim, "sons of God" (Job 38:7); bene 'elim, "ye mighty," the King James Version; "ye sons of the mighty," King James Version ma...
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NAME
[isbe] NAME - nam (shem; onoma; Latin nomen (2 Esdras 4:1); verbs onomazo; Latin nomino (2 Esdras 5:26)): A "name" is that by which a person, place or thing is marked and known. In Scripture, names were generally descriptive of the...
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HEREDITY
[isbe] HEREDITY - he-red'-i-ti: 1. Physiological Heredity: Heredity, in modern language, is the law by which living beings tend to repeat their characteristics, physiological and psychical, in their offspring, a law familiar in som...
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WOMAN
[isbe] WOMAN - woom'-an ('ishshah, "a woman" (feminine of 'ish, "a man"]; gune, "a woman" "wife"): I. IN THE CREATIVE PLAN II. IN OLD TESTAMENT TIMES 1. Prominence of Women 2. Social Equality 3. Marriage Laws 4. Inheritance 5. Dome...
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Holy Spirit
[nave] HOLY SPIRIT. Gen. 1:2; Gen. 6:3; Gen. 41:38; Ex. 31:3 Ex. 35:31. Num. 27:18; Neh. 9:20; Job 16:19; Job 32:8; Job 33:4; Psa. 51:11, 12; Psa. 103:9; Psa. 139:7; Isa. 4:4; Isa. 6:8; Isa. 11:2; Isa. 28:6; Isa. 30:1; Isa. 32:15;...
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Son, Sons of God
[nave] SON, SONS OF GOD Gen. 6:2, 4; Hos. 1:10; John 1:34, 49; 5:25; 11:27; 19:7; 20:31; Acts 9:20; Rom. 1:4; 2 Cor. 1:19; Gal. 2:20; Eph. 4:13; Heb. 4:14; 6:6; 7:3; 10:29; Rev. 2:18
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Religion
[nave] RELIGION. False Deut. 32:31-33. See: Idolatry; Intolerance; Teachers, False. Family See: Family. National Supported by taxes, Ex. 30:11-16; 38:26. Priests supported by the State, 1 Kin. 18:19; 2 Chr. 11:13-15. Subve...
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Judgments
[nave] JUDGMENTS On the serpent, Gen. 3:14, 15. Eve, Gen. 3:16; Adam, Gen. 3:17-19. Cain, Gen. 4:11-15; the Antediluvians, Gen. 6; 7; Sodomites, Gen. 19:23-25; Egyptians, the plagues and overthrow, Ex. 7-14; Nadab and Abihu, Lev....
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HELL
[isbe] HELL - hel (see SHEOL; HADES; GEHENNA): 1. The Word in the King James Version: The English word, from a Teutonic root meaning "to hide" or "cover," had originally the significance of the world of the dead generally, and in t...
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Flood
[nave] FLOOD, the deluge. Foretold, Gen. 6:13, 17. History of, Gen. 6-8. References to, Job 22:16; Psa. 90:5; Matt. 24:38; Luke 17:26, 27; Heb. 11:7; 1 Pet. 3:20; 2 Pet. 2:5. The promise that it should not recur, Gen. 8:20, 21; I...
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DELUGE OF NOAH
[isbe] DELUGE OF NOAH - del'-uj 1. The Biblical Account 2. "Noah's Log Book" 3. The Egyptian Tradition 4. The Indian Tradition 5. The Chinese Tradition 6. The Greek Tradition 7. The British Tradition 8. The American Indian Traditio...
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Rephaim
[ebd] lofty men; giants, (Gen. 14:5; 2 Sam. 21:16, 18, marg. A.V., Rapha, marg. R.V., Raphah; Deut. 3:13, R.V.; A.V., "giants"). The aborigines of Palestine, afterwards conquered and dispossessed by the Canaanite tribes, are class...
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Noah
[ebd] rest, (Heb. Noah) the grandson of Methuselah (Gen. 5:25-29), who was for two hundred and fifty years contemporary with Adam, and the son of Lamech, who was about fifty years old at the time of Adam's death. This patriarch is...
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Dew
[ebd] "There is no dew properly so called in Palestine, for there is no moisture in the hot summer air to be chilled into dew-drops by the coldness of the night. From May till October rain is unknown, the sun shining with uncloude...
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Son of God
[ebd] The plural, "sons of God," is used (Gen. 6:2, 4) to denote the pious descendants of Seth. In Job 1:6; 38:7 this name is applied to the angels. Hosea uses the phrase (1:10) to designate the gracious relation in which men stan...
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ANGEL
[isbe] ANGEL - an'-jel (mal'akh; Septuagint and New Testament, aggelos): I. DEFINITION AND SCRIPTURE TERMS II. ANGELS IN OLD TESTAMENT 1. Nature, Appearances and Functions 2. The Angelic Host 3. The Angel of the Theophany III. ANGE...
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DAY
[isbe] DAY - da (yom; hemera): This common word has caused some trouble to plain readers, because they have not noticed that the word is used in several different senses in the English Bible. When the different uses of the word are...
Arts
Questions
- I just taught on Noah and the flood this past Sunday. I do think that very often the New Testament writers had Old Testament texts and concepts in their minds as they wrote their works. Having said this, some is very subtle, ...
- All the information we have in Scripture concerning the population of the earth before the Flood is contained in Genesis chapters 4, 5 and 6. It is made clear in Gen. 5:4. that Adam had a numerous progeny. Jewish tradition sa...
- Some of the "higher critics" claim that the ancient calendar of the antediluvians made the year really a month, or lunar period. Others, with somewhat more reason, assert that a year was a season of growth equal to three of o...
- This has been answered by a notable authority as follows: "Gen. 6:1-4 forms the introduction to the story of the Flood. All races have preserved the tradition of a flood; whether it was universal or local is a moot point The ...
- Christ's soul and spirit undoubtedly went directly into the presence of the Father. This is suggested by the fact that (1) His work on the cross paid the full price for our redemption; His substitutionary work was finished, a...
- Many good Bible teachers and scholars do take the view that the reference to "angels who did not keep their own domain" is a reference to that group of fallen angels whom Satan persuaded to cohabit with women (Gen. 6:1-4) and...
- NEPHILIM (Heb. nephilim; Numbers 13:13). The form of the Heb. word denotes a plural verbal adjective or noun of passive signification, certainly from napal, "to fall," so that the connotation is "the fallen ones," clearly mea...
- Genesis 6 is a very interesting passage with many good Bible teachers rejecting the view that the sons of God refer to fallen angels, but rather refer to Sethites. But in my opinion, I think they do so because of their own hu...
- Most students who approach the book of Revelation from the normal or literal method of interpretation understand the words following the statement about the new heaven and new earth, "and there is no longer any sea" to simply...
- When we look up the two expressions largely in the English text, we find: Sons of God Gen. 6:2; Gen. 6:4; Job 1:6; Job 2:1; Job 38:7; Matt. 5:9; Lk. 20:36; Rom. 8:14; Rom. 8:19; Gal. 3:26 Children of God Jn. 1:12; Jn. 11:52...
Sermon Illustrations
Resources/Books
Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)
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The events recorded in Genesis stretch historically from Creation to Joseph's death, a period of at least 2500 years. The first part of the book (ch. 1-11) is not as easy to date precisely as the second part (ch. 12-50). The ...
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Genesis provides the historical basis for the rest of the Bible and the Pentateuch, particularly the Abrahamic Covenant. Chapters 1-11 give historical background essential to understanding that covenant, and chapters 12-50 re...
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The structure of Genesis is very clear. The phrase "the generations of"(toledotin Hebrew, from yaladmeaning "to bear, to generate") occurs ten times (really eleven times since 36:9 repeats 36:1), and in each case it introduce...
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Chapters 1-11 provide an introduction to the Book of Genesis, the Pentateuch, and the whole Bible."What we find in chaps. 1-11 is the divine initiation of blessing, which is compromised by human sin followed by gracious prese...
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1:9 "Seas"(Heb. yammim) refers broadly to all bodies of water, not just oceans.1:10 "Good"indicates beauty as well as purpose and order.65It was only when the land was ready for man that God called it good. This shows God's l...
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There are at least three purposes for the inclusion of this genealogy, which contains 10 paragraphs (vv. 1-5, 6-8, 9-11, 12-14, 15-17, 18-20, 21-24, 25-27, 28-31, and 32).1. It shows the development of the human race from Ada...
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As wickedness increased on the earth God determined to destroy the human race with the exception of those few people to whom He extended grace."Stories of a great flood sent in primeval times by gods to destroy mankind follow...
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6:1-2 There are three major views about the identity of the sons of God.1. They were fallen angelswho married women.278Arguments in favor of this view follow with responses.a. The term "sons of God"as it occurs here in Hebrew...
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6:9-12 "The same explanation for Enoch's rescue from death (he walked with God') is made the basis for Noah's rescue from death in the Flood: he walked with God' (6:9). Thus in the story of Noah and the Flood, the author is a...
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Following the Flood God established human life anew on the earth showing His high regard for it. He promised to bless humanity with faithfulness, and He prohibited murder. He also promised with a sign that He would not destro...
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The main emphasis in this section is not the building of the tower of Babel but the dispersion of the peoples. We can see this in the literary structure of the passage.361AAll the earth had one language (v. 1)Bthere (v. 2)C o...
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"The Babel account (11:1-9) is not the end of early Genesis. If it were, the story would conclude on the sad note of human failure. But as with earlier events in Genesis 1-11, God's grace once again supersedes human sin, insu...
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One of the significant changes in the emphasis that occurs at this point in Genesis is from cursing in the primeval record to blessing in the patriarchal narratives. The Abrahamic Covenant is most important in this respect. H...
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"These verses are of fundamental importance for the theology of Genesis, for they serve to bind together the primeval history and the later patriarchal history and look beyond it to the subsequent history of the nation."414"W...
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The second crisis Abram faced arose because of a famine in Canaan. Abram chose to sojourn in the Nile Valley until it was past. In this incident Abram tried to pass Sarai off as his sister because he feared for his life. By d...
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Sarai and Abram tried to obtain the heir God had promised them by resorting to a culturally acceptable custom of their day even though it involved a failure to trust God. This fleshly act created serious complications for Abr...
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Aalders, Gerhard Charles. Genesis. The Bible Student's Commentary series. 2 vols. Translated by William Heynen. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981.Aharoni, Yohanan, and Michael Avi-Yonah. The Macmillan Bible Atlas...
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We have here the same threefold division of animals that inhabit the land, sea, and air as the one that appears in the story of creation (Gen. 1:20-23)."It has long been recognized . . . that the order of the purity laws in L...
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The laws of purification begun in this chapter connect in principle with the preceding ones that deal with unclean food and animals. The defilement dealt with in this group (chs. 12-15) proceeded from the human body. Pollutio...
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Aharoni, Yohanan, and Michael Avi-Yonah. The Macmillan Bible Atlas. Revised ed. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1977.Albright, William Foxwell, The Archaeology of Palestine. 1949. Revised ed. Pelican Archaeology series. H...
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The spies reported that the land was indeed as fruitful as they had heard (v. 27), "nevertheless . . ."(v. 28). Everything the spies said from this word on was uncalled for.116Their commission had been to view the land and to...
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The Book of Samuel covers the period of Israel's history bracketed by Samuel's conception and the end of David's reign. David turned the kingdom over to Solomon in 971 B.C.3David reigned for 40 and one-half years (2 Sam. 2:11...
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29:10 The present storm reminded David of the inundation of the whole world in Noah's day. The Hebrew word for flood here occurs elsewhere in the Old Testament only in Genesis 6-11. As Yahweh ruled over His creation then, so ...
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Isaiah revealed that the Lord's people are at the center of His plans for the world (cf. 14:2; 21:10). He will preserve them even though He will judge sinful humanity.227This passage contains many connections with the flood n...
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The last of the seven oracles against Egypt fittingly pictures the nation in its final resting place, the grave or Sheol, surrounded by other dead nations that had preceded it in judgment."The language is highly poetical and ...
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Peter now reminded his readers of the consequences of Jesus' response to unjustified persecution. He did so to strengthen their resolve to rededicate themselves to follow God's will wholeheartedly and confidently. He also wan...
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Peter next described the consequences that follow false teaching to help his readers see the importance of avoiding it."Verses 4-10a form one long, complex conditional sentence; verses 4-8 form the conditional statement, and ...
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"The present vv, 3:4-9, form six strophes, each of which divides . . . roughly into half. The two halves of the strophes balance one another; for the second part of the v provides a development of the first part (vv 4, 5, 7),...
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A group of angels also did not remain in their privileged position near God but left that sphere and so incurred God's wrath. Some interpreters believe Jude alluded here to Genesis 6:1-4 (but cf. Matt. 22:30).33Others believe...