According To the Bible, Who Are The Nephilim

Our fourth video in the series on the controversial subject of the identity of the sons of God in Genesis 6, will examine the identity of the Nephilim. Like we have done in addressing the other subjects, we will stick with what we know for certain about this question from the Bible, and from it alone. Accordingly, we will list ten known facts about the Nephilim from Scripture. FACT 1: The Hebrew Word Nephilim Is Only Used Twice In Scripture And The Exact Meaning Of The Word Is Unknown FACT 2: We Should Not Use The Word Giants To Translate The Word Nephilim This is why many Bible translations do not translate the word into English but rather transliterate the Hebrew letters into an English word, Nephilim. FACT 3: The Term Nephilim Had To Be Explained To The Readers Of Genesis The idea that the term Nephilim has an uncertain meaning seems to go all the way back to Genesis. In fact, Moses had to explain the term to the readers in his day. Old Testament scholar John Sailhamer writes: The author assumes that his readers do not understand the term … “the Nephilim” … since he identifies them within the narrative as the … “the heroes” and the men of renown” (John Sailhamer, Genesis, The Expositors Bible Commentary, Revised Edition). FACT 4 The First Word Moses Used To Describe The Nephilim, The Gibborim, Has The Meaning Of Mighty Men, Elite Warriors In fact, when King David was a fugitive, he had a band of the six hundred men who had gathered around him. They were designated as his gibborim mighty men (2 Samuel 23:8). FACT 5 The Second Phrase Moses Used To Describe The Nephilim Means “Men Of The Name,” The Heroes, Famous Men, Men Of God The second description of the Nephilim, “men of the name” is likewise a positive term. In sum, the two descriptions that Moses gives of the Nephilim are mighty men, and the famous men, or men of God. FACT 6 Therefore, The Word Nephilim Can Have A Positive Meaning From the above descriptions, we discover that the Hebrew term Nephilim can indeed have a positive meaning: Accordingly, contrary to popular belief, the word Nephilim can refer to people who were godly. FACT 7 The Nephilim Were Already On The Earth Before The Sons Of God Married The Daughters Of Men The simplest way of reading Genesis 6:4 has the Nephilim already on the earth before the sons of God married women and then they produced children. In other words, they were not the offspring of these two groups. Therefore, the natural reading of the text, as it stands, would have the Nephilim, mighty men, existing before the sons of God married the daughters of men. Therefore, they could not have been their offspring. FACT 8 The Bible Says The Nephilim Existed After The Flood There is a second passage in Scripture that speaks of the Nephilim. They are mentioned by the Israelite spies who were investigating the land of Canaan (Numbers 13:33). The problem that the angelic theory has with this reference is accounting for the existence of the Nephilim after the time of the Flood. In fact, the events of Numbers 13:33 took place about 1,850 years after the Flood! If so, when did this happen, how did it happen, and how long had they been there? The many problems with holding this perspective become obvious. FACT 9: The Only Giants That Are Mentioned In Scripture Lived Long After The Flood Unless one wants to claim a further invasion of these fallen angels after the Flood, then the existence of other giants in the aftermath of the Flood causes a huge problem. So, to answer the often-asked question, “where did the giants come from?” They were the offspring of human men and women, and according to Scripture, they were only born after the Flood! FACT 10: In The Nine Accounts Where Giants Are Mentioned In Scripture The Term Nephilim Is Only Found On One Occasion: Numbers 13:33 The fact that these giants come from human beings, and humans only, is confirmed when we look what the nine accounts in the Old Testament that mentions giants. The word Nephilim is not found in eight of the nine passages where extremely tall people, giants, are mentioned. Therefore, it is clear that the Nephilim are NOT to be equated with giants! These undisputed facts bring us to two general problems with respect to identifying the sons of God with angels and the Nephilim as their offspring. General Problem 1: We Must Interpret Difficult Passages By Those That Are Clear General Problem 2: We Should Never Use One Single Controversial Passage To Establish Biblical Doctrine It is for these reasons, that we reject the idea that the sons of God in Genesis 6 were angels as well as the idea that the Nephilim were their offspring. Support the ministry of Don Stewart here: https://goinchrist.com/our-misionarie... Get access to all the materials from Pastor Don Stewart here: http://educatingourworld.com/ Follow Pastor Don Stewart Facebook:   / educatingourworld