Verse Lens · Concise explanation
Genesis 6:1 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 1. 1And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Humanity multiplies across the land, and the narrator specifically notes the birth of daughters because their appearance prepares the difficult encounter in the next verse.
Read It With
- Genesis 6:1–8
Read verses 1–4 together and remember Genesis 5:32. Multiplication continues the creation blessing and the genealogy, while the daughters introduce the sons-of-God episode; verse 1 does not yet evaluate the women or explain the coming unions.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Human multiplication continues the genealogy and introduces daughters because their encounter with the sons of God drives the next movement.
Read Genesis 6:1–4 together
Why these verses belong together: Human multiplication, the sons of God and daughters of humanity, the 120-year limit, and the Nephilim and mighty men form one compact and disputed ancient episode.
Verse 1. 1 And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,
Verse 2. 2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
Verse 3. 3 And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.
Verse 4. 4 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.
What Remains True
Growth and fruitfulness are gifts, but numbers alone do not reveal a community's moral direction.
How It Can Shape Life
- When evaluating growth, look beyond scale to the desires, relationships, and uses of power that the growth makes possible.
Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Genesis 6:1–8 — Human Corruption Grieves God, but Noah Finds FavorSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Reader-facing Scripture wording, verse numbering, paragraph data, and supplied-word markup.
Exact location: Pinned eBible/CrossWire standardized 1769 KJV corpus, Genesis 6:1–8
Open source ↗hebrew text morphology and lemma data
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible — Genesis
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible Project
Open Scriptures, Version 2.2 released 2021; repository inspected 2026
Supports: Sons-of-God phrase, yadon and flesh wording, 120 years, Nephilim and mighty men, heart inclination, divine regret and grief, blotting out, and Noah's favor.
Exact location: Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible, wlc/Gen.xml, Genesis 6:1–8
Open source ↗Translation and textual notes
NET Bible — Genesis with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, Digital edition accessed 2026
Supports: Major translation alternatives for sons of God, yadon, flesh, 120 years, Nephilim, heart, regret, grief, and favor.
Exact location: NET Bible, Genesis 6:1–8 translator notes
Open NET Genesis 6 ↗