Theology Thursday: Who/what were the Nephilim?

Welcome to Theology Thursday! Theology is the study of God, his relation to the world, and our relation to him. I hope these newsletters help enhance your faith and deepen your love for God and his people, the church.

Today's question:
Giant demon warriors in Canaan? Who/what were the Nephilim?

Pastor Brady's thoughts:
Early on in the story of the Israelites, there are odd and mysterious mentions of a group called the “Nephilim.” They appear by name briefly in only two passages in the Old Testament:

Genesis 6:4: The Nephilim were on the earth in those days — and also afterward — when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.

Numbers 13, where the Israelite spies return from Canaan and report to Moses:

…“We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are.” So they brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land that they had spied out, saying, “The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people that we saw in it are of great height. And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them.” (Numbers 13:31-33)

Who were these Nephilim? There’s no real consensus among Bible scholars and readers about what, exactly, this group was, but here are the most popular theories:

1. Fallen Angels and Human Offspring
One traditional view interprets the “sons of God” in Genesis 6:4 as fallen angels who took human wives. Their offspring, the Nephilim, were seen as a hybrid race of giants with supernatural strength. This interpretation was popular in early Jewish writings (like 1 Enoch) and among some early church fathers. It explains the association of the Nephilim with great size and strength.

Critics argue this reading implies that angels have physical bodies capable of reproduction, a controversial point theologically. Plus, what are we to understand to have happened to subsequent generations of this line of angel-human hybrids? Are there still people who are technically part angel?

This theory is kind of fun to think on, and still persists in some areas of popular Christian imagination, but it seems to me like the least likely indication of the text.

2. Line of Seth and Line of Cain
Another interpretation sees the “sons of God” as the godly descendants of Seth (Adam and Eve's third son) and the “daughters of men” as descendants of Cain (their first son), representing the intermarriage between the faithful and the corrupt. In this view, the Nephilim were simply mighty human warriors or rulers, not a supernatural race.

This explanation is favored by many modern scholars and avoids theological complications about angels marrying humans. It fits with ancient uses of the term “Nephilim” possibly meaning “fallen ones” or “those who cause others to fall” — perhaps tyrannical rulers.

3. A Hyperbolic Description
Some argue the references to Nephilim reflect ancient Near Eastern mythic language used to describe powerful enemies. In Numbers 13:33, the Israelite spies’ fearful report may have exaggerated the size and strength of the Canaanite warriors to dissuade the people from invading.

As such, it should be noted that two of the spies - Joshua and Caleb, both of whom were faithful to God while the others failed to trust his providence and plan - came back from their 40 days of scoping out the enemy and still believed Israel could take Canaan. If what they saw were literal warrior giants with supernatural powers and strength, that would probably not have been the case. Or, at least, they would have mentioned it! Which they don’t. The report of Nephilim was never defined nor confirmed by Joshua or Caleb (or God, in any other way).  

This lends support to the idea that the talk of Nephilim was not actually about a literal race of demon giants, but an apprehensive and exaggerated description of human foes.

So…
There’s no archeological evidence (so far, at least!) that clearly points to a race of giants or otherwise abnormal humans/creatures that bolsters the theory that the Nephilim were supernaturally large or some kind of beastly beings; no skeletons of huge humans, no inscriptions referencing them, and no material culture distinct from known human civilizations have been unearthed.

Ancient texts from the region (like the Epic of Gilgamesh) do speak of mighty heroes and giants, suggesting that such stories were part of the broader mythic imagination. Large burial mounds and oversized weapons have sometimes fueled speculation, but none can be definitively linked to the biblical Nephilim.

Of course, that doesn’t disprove this theory, but given the lack of biblical information and the absence of archaeological and historical support, there’s no basis for insisting that this theory is correct.

In my opinion, the second and third theories are far more likely and more theologically consistent with what else we know and believe about humans, angels, and demons (or fallen angels).

Without archaeological confirmation, the question remains open — a blend of biblical mystery and ancient storytelling.

The lesson - when we’re dealing with difficult or confusing sections of the Bible - is to approach the text with humility. We can be certain about the truths of scripture while acknowledging some uncertainty about specific aspects of those things that are non-essential to understanding all that God the Father wants us to know about him, his Son, and his plan for redemption.
 
Ancient giant demon warriors or not, the people of God prevailed and will prevail!

TO KNOW GOD AND TO MAKE HIM KNOWN!
- Pastor Brady

Have a question for Theology Thursday? Send an email to office@minierchristian.org and we'll respond, or we'll include in a future Theology Thursday Buffet.