Genesis 6:1-7: Increasing Corruption in the World

Read: Genesis 6:1-7

The biblical flood is not just about water; it is about a crisis so deep that God Himself mourned the creation He once called “very good.” After the fall and during the days of Noah, people multiplied and the growing corruption in the world was testing the patience of God. These verses make some enigmatic remarks about the nature of this multiplication and growing corruption.

Verse 2 talks about the "sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful." Who the "sons of God" are referring to is the struggle. Some think these are divine beings or angels who took human wives. This view is based on the usage of the term "sons of God" in other Old Testament passages, which is sometimes understood to refer to heavenly beings. The Book of Enoch, a non-canonical Jewish text that expands on the story, depicts these beings as Watchers, angels who descended to earth and fathered giants known as Nephilim with human women. Another interpretation, favored in some Jewish and Christian traditions, posits that the "sons of God" were the godly descendants of Seth, Adam, and Eve's third son, who followed the ways of God. According to this interpretation, the "daughters of humans" refers to the descendants of Cain, who had turned away from God. The intermarriage between the Sethite lineage (seen as righteous) and the Cainite lineage (seen as unrighteous) led to moral corruption and the spread of wickedness on earth, prompting God's decision to send the flood. A third interpretation suggests that "sons of God" were human rulers, kings, or nobles who took multiple wives, possibly by force or taking women on the night they were married, reflecting a practice of polygamy and despotism among ancient Near Eastern leaders. These practices are mentioned in the Epic of Gilgamesh and align with Ancient Near Eastern texts where kings and rulers were often described as being chosen by or related to the gods, suggesting a divine right to their authority and actions.

Verse 3 talks about a number of days for men. There are two possible understandings of this. One, it could be talking about a maximum age. Later reflection in Psalm 90:10, stating that a typical human lifespan is 70 to 80 years, does not establish a divine limit on age but rather observes the general length of life, which aligns with modern understandings. Moses and Aaron lived to 120 (Numbers 33:39; Deuteronomy 34:7), and Jehoiada the priest lived to 130 (2 Chronicles 24:15). 120 years doesn't seem absolute. A second interpretation suggests this could be talking about how long God would wait before he sent the flood, a more contextually fitting interpretation for Genesis 6:3. This view accounts for the timing discrepancies related to Noah's age and the construction of the ark, suggesting that the 120 years refer to the period before the flood's commencement, not the time from God's command to build the ark to the flood itself.

Verse 4 brings up the Nephilim, another mysterious group that has been the subject of much speculation. The most common interpretation is that the Nephilim were a race of giants or mighty warriors. The term "Nephilim" is often thought to derive from the Hebrew root "npl," meaning "to fall," which has led some to suggest they were "fallen ones," possibly referring to their great size or moral fallenness. This view is supported by other biblical passages, such as Numbers 13:33, where the spies sent by Moses to Canaan report seeing Nephilim and describe themselves as grasshoppers in comparison. Whether they were relating the large people in Canaan to these pre-flood giants, though, is the question. Another interpretation, based on the "sons of God" and "daughters of humans" preceding context in Genesis 6, suggests the Nephilim were the offspring of these unions. This view aligns with the Book of Enoch, an ancient Jewish apocryphal text that expands on the Genesis account and describes the "sons of God" as angels who took human wives, producing the Nephilim. However, the Book of Enoch is not considered canonical in most Jewish and Christian traditions. Some interpretations focus on the latter part of Genesis 6:4, which describes the Nephilim as "heroes of old, men of renown." This suggests they might have been powerful rulers, leaders, or warriors celebrated in ancient stories, without necessarily implying supernatural origins or gigantic stature. This is seen as a polemic against the hero archetypes as seen in other flood stories, such as Apkallu in the Epic of Gilgamesh.

Interpretations of these obscure texts that support the growing corruption among the people of the are probably more likely. Regardless of how one takes these obscure references in verses 2-4, verses 5-7 are not so ambiguous. In these verses, God is greatly grieved, even sorry that he made man. God's grief over the state of creation, indicating that the decision to send the flood was not made lightly or capriciously but out of profound sorrow for the corrupted condition of humanity and just how far they had drifted from his good, ordered creation. This demonstrates that God is not indifferent to creation or the consequences of sin, both for humanity and for the rest of creation. The decision to send the flood, though, needs to be understood through the lens of God's righteousness and justice. From this perspective, the flood is a judicial act against unrestrained human wickedness. God's character includes a commitment to justice, meaning that evil and sin cannot go unchecked indefinitely.

Even now, God contends with men. God waited patiently for people in Noah's day, and 1 Peter 3:20 uses that as an example to show how God is waiting even during the days of the New Testament. Christ did come to pay the price for sin and make salvation possible. In the interim, Christians are called to preach the gospel to all creation and warn of the consequences of sin. God will not be patient forever. Judgment is coming. But until then, Christians can be as Noah, patient in the interim, even if that means suffering for righteousness, but all the while proclaiming the truth of the gospel.

Lord, you grieve over sin, yet you are patient in your justice.

Help me to live righteously and proclaim your truth with urgency and grace.