Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
Genesis 6:4 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 4. 4There 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.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
The Nephilim are said to be on earth in those days and also afterward; the unions are associated with children who became ancient mighty men of renown. The exact identities and family relationships are not stated clearly enough for certainty.
Read It With
- Genesis 6:1–8
Read verses 1–4 together and compare Numbers 13:33. Verse 4 closes the episode by naming legendary figures, but verse 5 shifts the flood rationale to the evil of the human heart rather than explaining supernatural genetics.
Why This Verse Appears Here
The Nephilim and renowned mighty men close the enigmatic episode and place human fame beside the moral assessment that begins in verse 5.
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.
Follow the Context
- Humanity multiplies; the sons of God see human daughters, take wives from those they choose, and the LORD declares a disputed limit of 120 years (6:1–3).
- The narrator locates the Nephilim in those days and also afterward and connects the unions with ancient mighty men of renown, though the exact relationships remain disputed (6:4).
- The LORD sees comprehensive human wickedness and inward evil, regrets making humanity, and is grieved to the heart (6:5–6).
- The LORD announces the blotting out of humanity together with land creatures and birds, but Noah finds favor in the LORD's eyes (6:7–8).
Phrase-by-Phrase Explanation
“giants / Nephilim”
In plain language: An obscure named group associated in later tradition with extraordinary size.
They belong to the ancient world described around the sons-of-God episode.
Why it matters: The KJV's familiar word 'giants' should not conceal the Hebrew term's uncertainty.
How certain? uncertain“and also after that”
In plain language: The Nephilim are located both in those days and at some later time.
The phrase may look forward to later giant traditions, but it does not narrate the intervening history.
Why it matters: It prevents a simple claim that the verse explains only one pre-flood generation.
How certain? uncertain“mighty men ... men of renown”
In plain language: Powerful warriors or heroes remembered from ancient times as men of name.
Their reputation closes the episode before the LORD assesses humanity's inward evil.
Why it matters: Renown is description, not moral endorsement.
How certain? strongWhat This Verse Is Not Saying
The Nephilim are not explicitly called fallen angels, and the Hebrew name does not certainly mean 'fallen ones.'
The verse does not unambiguously identify the Nephilim as the children of the unions or equate every Nephilim with every mighty man.
The words 'also after that' do not explain how later Nephilim traditions relate historically to the flood or prove a surviving bloodline.
What Remains True
Fame, strength, size, and heroic reputation do not establish moral goodness or freedom from God's judgment.
How It Can Shape Life
- Refuse to confuse celebrity, physical power, military reputation, or an impressive name with character worthy of trust.
Teach It Back
Explain Genesis 6:4's contribution to Genesis 6:1–8. Include why the nearby verses are required, what the verse clearly says, and one conclusion it does not justify.
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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? uncertain
Where care is needed
The syntax does not settle whether the Nephilim, the children of the unions, and the mighty men are the same group.
Later Watcher and giant traditions are interpretations and developments, not explicit details in Genesis 6:4.
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 ↗modern scholarly compositional and literary chapter
The First Noah and the Sons of God and Daughters of Humanity (Gen 5:29; 6:1–4; 9:18–27)
David M. Carr
Oxford University Press, The Formation of Genesis 1–11: Biblical and Other Precursors, 2020
Supports: Genesis 6:1–4 as a meditation on human limits and mortality, ancient giants and warriors, and proposed compositional relationships with Noah traditions.
Exact location: The Formation of Genesis 1–11, chapter 5, pp. 115–140; official Oxford abstract
Open source ↗modern scholarly monograph and history of interpretation
The Sons of God in Genesis 6:1–4: Analysis and History of Exegesis
Jaap Doedens
Brill, Oudtestamentische Studiën 76, 2019
Supports: Hebrew problems, principal sons-of-God interpretations, 120 years, Nephilim, history of exegesis, and proposed literary functions.
Exact location: The Sons of God in Genesis 6:1–4, especially analysis chapters 2 and 4 and functions chapter 5, pp. 251–295
Open source ↗peer reviewed specialist interpretive study
The Sons of God and Daughters of Men and the Giants: Disputed Points in the Interpretation of Genesis 6:1–4
John Day
Hebrew Bible and Ancient Israel 1.4, 2012
Supports: Disputed identities and the proposal that the received wording does not unambiguously make the Nephilim the offspring of the unions.
Exact location: Hebrew Bible and Ancient Israel 1.4 (2012), pp. 427–447; official record and indexed abstract
Open source ↗peer reviewed open literary historical study
The Problems of Sons of Gods, Daughters of Humans, and the Nephilim in Genesis 6:1–4: A Reassessment
Ki-Eun Jang
Religions 16.8, article 972, 2025
Supports: Recent alternative compositional reading of Genesis 6:1–4, detailed yadon and Nephilim questions, and links with later giant traditions.
Exact location: Religions 16.8 (2025), article 972, complete open article
Open source ↗