Genesis 6:4 says:
“There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.”
The term “Nephilim” is often understood to mean “fallen ones,” which connects directly to the fallen angels who took human wives, producing this unique offspring. Another interpretation of the word, based on its only other occurrence in Scripture, is “giants.” This second usage appears in Numbers 13:33 when the spies reported from Canaan:
“There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”
This confirms that the Nephilim were indeed giants, men of unusual size and strength, as well as being described as “mighty men” and “men of renown” in Genesis. These beings were the result of an unholy union between the “sons of God” (fallen angels) and human women, corrupting God’s design and contributing to the extreme wickedness on earth.
Their existence was one of the primary reasons God judged the world with a flood. Genesis 6:5 explains the extent of this corruption:
“Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”
The Nephilim represent the devastating consequences of rebellion against God’s order. They serve as a warning of how deeply sin can pervert creation when humanity and fallen angels join in defiance of God. In response, the Lord acted in judgment but also in grace, preserving Noah and his family to continue His plan of redemption.