The following is an exchange of questions and answers out from a post I made about looking at the word “napil” in Genesis 6:4 (pronounced “nahf-feel”).

The King James Version English translation uses the word “giants” when translating the Hebrew word “napil” in Genesis 6:4. Defining who these “giants” are is a very hotly debated topic.

And another very hotly debated topic is defining who the “sons of God” are in the same verse.

Many take the term “sons of God” (בְּנֵי האלהים – B’neHa’Elohim) and apply it to supernatural beings as in literal angels (Genesis 6:2, 6:4, Job 1:6, Job 2:1).

While others take the natural view that says that these “sons of God” are natural offspring of human men and human women.

This is the context for the following exchange – where somebody had some questions – and where I offered up my answers according to my belief.

But first, here’s the two verses in question…

Genesis 6:2, “That the 👉sons of God👈 [B’neHa’Elohim] saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.

Genesis 6:4, “There were 👉giants👈 [napil] in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the 👉sons of God👈 [B’neHa’Elohim] 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.

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The following questions were asked as a comment on my previous “Who are the napil?” post I made…

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(Facebook guy chiming in)
Who are the sons of God in this passage? It seems to be saying that they became the progenitors of giants, by mating with women. But, it doesn’t make total sense to me. Does anyone know what’s going on here?

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(my response)
One will move towards one of two main views generally… The natural or the supernatural.

Augustine (around AD 400) systematized what some were saying before him – the “Sethite view” – which takes the natural interpretation.

And then a bunch of people take the supernatural view (angels having sex with women) that Second Temple Judaism and mythology supports.

The huge problem for me is that the supernatural view (literal children out from angels and women having sex) is that a new and hybrid race and species is purportedly introduced in Creation. Then humankind out from Adam can no longer be just humankind. Then there’d be a special race and species that have a different origin than Adam. Adam wouldn’t be their forefather.

This then gets into the whole “the death problem that was threatened and instituted in the beginning” for ALL OF ADAM’S OFFSPRING.

This then gets into why Jesus died on the cross and what he accomplished by dying on the cross.

There’d be “unredeemable hybrid-species half-angel and half-human creatures” on Earth that were not out from Adam – and therefore not involved with the Adamic death problem that was instituted in the beginning.

And it doesn’t matter if this hybrid species was done away with in history (some say at the Flood). There’s still quite the dilemma concerning the cross and why Jesus died on the cross.

Imagine saying that there’s a “different death” that existed on Earth other than the death problem out from Adam!

Jesus died for the Adamic death problem – which all literal human beings inherently have.

Hybrid angel/human species would not be included in this Adamic death problem.

Addressing THE Adamic sin and death problem is kinda like one of THE main themes in the Bible!

This is a HUGE DEAL that most will look right past!

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(same Facebook guy chiming in again…)
Richard Eckhart, Do you view giants as being literal giants, or just a brutish race of men, “warriors of renown”? Could they have been the result of ritual sex magic? Also, aren’t the spirits of the nephilim/giants referenced as now being demons?

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(my response)
I lean more towards “men of great renown”, but this or them being “literal giants” is small peanuts compared to other things.

Even though ritual sex magic is a thing (even today), I don’t go down the road of putting any clout in it. The idea that a human man and a human woman can go about practicing a ritual during sex – even among cult members watching, supporting, chanting, etc. – and then they “produce” a “certain kind of child” in the womb that gets “born into the world for a certain purpose” is way too far out there for me – and I go pretty far out there! So while ritual sex can happen, I don’t believe they’re “creating” some “special kind of child” at fertilization in the womb.

Of course, sick and twisted parents – or cult members – can totally screw up any child if they try to – meaning intense brainwashing, deep indoctrination, and sever psychological trauma.

But to “create” and “produce” a “special kind of child” through sex rituals is a no go for me.

But I will say that I believe in “familiar spirits” – literal evil spirits (literal demons) that will attach to and follow a literal family – even for generations. I firmly believe in both oppressing and possessing concerning literal evil spirits and what they do.

As far as the alleged “Nephilim who died and their spirits are now demons” story… No, I don’t believe this at all. You’d have to go to sources like 1 Enoch, Jubilees, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and mythology to start putting this together. I personally use only the 66 books of the Protestant Bible as being God-breathed, authoritative, infallible, and inspired as it concerns God’s word. I study the truth out from here alone. I’m a “Scripture alone” kinda guy. Sola Scriptura!

And I don’t believe in ghosts – as in literal people who have physically died and then they “stick around” or “come back”. To me, these “ghosts” and “apparitions” are literally evil spirits (literal demons).