(א) וַֽיְהִי֙ כִּֽי־הֵחֵ֣ל הָֽאָדָ֔ם לָרֹ֖ב עַל־פְּנֵ֣י הָֽאֲדָמָ֑ה וּבָנ֖וֹת יֻלְּד֥וּ לָהֶֽם׃ (ב) וַיִּרְא֤וּ בְנֵי־הָֽאֱלֹקִים֙ אֶת־בְּנ֣וֹת הָֽאָדָ֔ם כִּ֥י טֹבֹ֖ת הֵ֑נָּה וַיִּקְח֤וּ לָהֶם֙ נָשִׁ֔ים מִכֹּ֖ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר בָּחָֽרוּ׃ (ג) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר ה' לֹֽא־יָד֨וֹן רוּחִ֤י בָֽאָדָם֙ לְעֹלָ֔ם בְּשַׁגַּ֖ם ה֣וּא בָשָׂ֑ר וְהָי֣וּ יָמָ֔יו מֵאָ֥ה וְעֶשְׂרִ֖ים שָׁנָֽה׃ (ד) הַנְּפִלִ֞ים הָי֣וּ בָאָ֘רֶץ֮ בַּיָּמִ֣ים הָהֵם֒ וְגַ֣ם אַֽחֲרֵי־כֵ֗ן אֲשֶׁ֨ר יָבֹ֜אוּ בְּנֵ֤י הָֽאֱלֹקִים֙ אֶל־בְּנ֣וֹת הָֽאָדָ֔ם וְיָלְד֖וּ לָהֶ֑ם הֵ֧מָּה הַגִּבֹּרִ֛ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר מֵעוֹלָ֖ם אַנְשֵׁ֥י הַשֵּֽׁם׃ {פ}
(ה) וַיַּ֣רְא ה' כִּ֥י רַבָּ֛ה רָעַ֥ת הָאָדָ֖ם בָּאָ֑רֶץ וְכׇל־יֵ֙צֶר֙ מַחְשְׁבֹ֣ת לִבּ֔וֹ רַ֥ק רַ֖ע כׇּל־הַיּֽוֹם׃ (ו) וַיִּנָּ֣חֶם ה' כִּֽי־עָשָׂ֥ה אֶת־הָֽאָדָ֖ם בָּאָ֑רֶץ וַיִּתְעַצֵּ֖ב אֶל־לִבּֽוֹ׃ (ז) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר ה' אֶמְחֶ֨ה אֶת־הָאָדָ֤ם אֲשֶׁר־בָּרָ֙אתִי֙ מֵעַל֙ פְּנֵ֣י הָֽאֲדָמָ֔ה מֵֽאָדָם֙ עַד־בְּהֵמָ֔ה עַד־רֶ֖מֶשׂ וְעַד־ע֣וֹף הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם כִּ֥י נִחַ֖מְתִּי כִּ֥י עֲשִׂיתִֽם׃ (ח) וְנֹ֕חַ מָ֥צָא חֵ֖ן בְּעֵינֵ֥י ה'׃ {פ}
(ה) וַיַּ֣רְא ה' כִּ֥י רַבָּ֛ה רָעַ֥ת הָאָדָ֖ם בָּאָ֑רֶץ וְכׇל־יֵ֙צֶר֙ מַחְשְׁבֹ֣ת לִבּ֔וֹ רַ֥ק רַ֖ע כׇּל־הַיּֽוֹם׃ (ו) וַיִּנָּ֣חֶם ה' כִּֽי־עָשָׂ֥ה אֶת־הָֽאָדָ֖ם בָּאָ֑רֶץ וַיִּתְעַצֵּ֖ב אֶל־לִבּֽוֹ׃ (ז) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר ה' אֶמְחֶ֨ה אֶת־הָאָדָ֤ם אֲשֶׁר־בָּרָ֙אתִי֙ מֵעַל֙ פְּנֵ֣י הָֽאֲדָמָ֔ה מֵֽאָדָם֙ עַד־בְּהֵמָ֔ה עַד־רֶ֖מֶשׂ וְעַד־ע֣וֹף הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם כִּ֥י נִחַ֖מְתִּי כִּ֥י עֲשִׂיתִֽם׃ (ח) וְנֹ֕חַ מָ֥צָא חֵ֖ן בְּעֵינֵ֥י ה'׃ {פ}
(1) When humankind began to increase on earth and daughters were born to them, (2) the [males among the] divine beings saw how pleasing the human women were and took wives from among those who delighted them.— (3) ה' said, “My breath shall not abide in humankind forever, since it too is flesh; let the days allowed them be one hundred and twenty years.”— (4) It was then, and later too, that the Nephilim appeared on earth—when divine beings cohabited with the human women, who bore them offspring. Such were the heroes of old, the men of renown. (5) ה' saw how great was human wickedness on earth—how every plan devised by the human mind was nothing but evil all the time. (6) And ה' regretted having made humankind on earth. With a sorrowful heart, (7) ה' said, “I will blot out from the earth humankind whom I created—humans together with beasts, creeping things, and birds of the sky; for I regret that I made them.” (8) But Noah found favor with ה'.
- Do you consider this excerpt to be one continuous story, or are there parts of two stories contained here? If the latter, where do you place the end of one story and start of the next?
- What are the implications for interpreting this passage as one story or two?
What or who are the Nephilim?
Biblical Reference
Biblical Reference
(לב) וַיֹּצִ֜יאוּ דִּבַּ֤ת הָאָ֙רֶץ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר תָּר֣וּ אֹתָ֔הּ אֶל־בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל לֵאמֹ֑ר הָאָ֡רֶץ אֲשֶׁר֩ עָבַ֨רְנוּ בָ֜הּ לָת֣וּר אֹתָ֗הּ אֶ֣רֶץ אֹכֶ֤לֶת יוֹשְׁבֶ֙יהָ֙ הִ֔וא וְכׇל־הָעָ֛ם אֲשֶׁר־רָאִ֥ינוּ בְתוֹכָ֖הּ אַנְשֵׁ֥י מִדּֽוֹת׃ (לג) וְשָׁ֣ם רָאִ֗ינוּ אֶת־הַנְּפִילִ֛ים בְּנֵ֥י עֲנָ֖ק מִן־הַנְּפִלִ֑ים וַנְּהִ֤י בְעֵינֵ֙ינוּ֙ כַּֽחֲגָבִ֔ים וְכֵ֥ן הָיִ֖ינוּ בְּעֵינֵיהֶֽם׃
(32) Thus they spread calumnies among the Israelites about the land they had scouted, saying, “The country that we traversed and scouted is one that devours its settlers. All the people that we saw in it are of great size; (33) we saw the Nephilim there—the Anakites are part of the Nephilim—and we looked like grasshoppers to ourselves, and so we must have looked to them.”
Targum References
Septuagint Genesis 6:4
The giants were on the earth in those days, and after that, when the sons of God went into the daughters of men.
The giants were on the earth in those days, and after that, when the sons of God went into the daughters of men.
גִּבָּרַיָּא הֲווֹ בְאַרְעָא בְּיוֹמַיָּא הָאִנּוּן וְאַף בָּתַר כֵּן דִּי יַעֲלוּן בְּנֵי רַבְרְבַיָּא לְוַת בְּנַת אֱנָשָׁא וִילִידָן לְהוֹן אִנוּן גִּבָּרַיָּא דִּמֵעָלְמָא אֱנָשִׁין דִּשְׁמָא:
Giants were in the earth in those days; and also when, after that the sons of the mighty had gone in unto the daughters of men, there were born from them giants who from of old were men of name.
שַׁמְחַזָאֵי וְעוּזִיאֵל הִינוּן נְפִילִין מִן שְׁמַיָא וַהֲווֹ בְּאַרְעָא בְּיוֹמַיָא הָאִינוּן וְאוּף בָּתַר כֵּן דַעֲלוּן בְּנֵי רַבְרְבַיָא לְוַת בְּנַת אֱנָשָׁא וִילִידַן לְהוֹן וְהִינוּן מִתְקְרִין גַבְרִין דִמְעַלְמָא אִינְשֵׁי שְׁמָהָן
Schamchazai and Uzziel, who fell from heaven, were on the earth in those days; and also, after the sons of the Great had gone in with the daughters of men, they bare to them: and these are they who are called men who are of the world, men of names.
Pseudepigrapha References
1 Enoch 6:2-7:5, 9:9
And the angels, the sons of heaven, saw them and desired them. And they said to one another: Come, let us choose for ourselves, wives from the children of men, and let us beget for ourselves children.
And they took wives for themselves and everyone chose for himself one each. And they began to go in to them and were promiscuous with them. And they taught them charms and spells, and showed to them the cutting of roots and trees. And they became pregnant and bore great giants, whose height was three thousand cubits. These devoured all the [products of the] toil of men, until men were unable to sustain them. Then the giants turned against them in order to devour men. And they began to sin against the birds, against the animals, and against reptiles, and against fish, and they devoured one another's flesh and drank the blood from it.
And the women bore giants, and thereby the whole earth has been filled with blood and iniquity.
(trans. in Traditions of the Bible: A Guide to the Bible As It Was at the Start of the Common Era by James Kugel, p. 180)
And the angels, the sons of heaven, saw them and desired them. And they said to one another: Come, let us choose for ourselves, wives from the children of men, and let us beget for ourselves children.
And they took wives for themselves and everyone chose for himself one each. And they began to go in to them and were promiscuous with them. And they taught them charms and spells, and showed to them the cutting of roots and trees. And they became pregnant and bore great giants, whose height was three thousand cubits. These devoured all the [products of the] toil of men, until men were unable to sustain them. Then the giants turned against them in order to devour men. And they began to sin against the birds, against the animals, and against reptiles, and against fish, and they devoured one another's flesh and drank the blood from it.
And the women bore giants, and thereby the whole earth has been filled with blood and iniquity.
(trans. in Traditions of the Bible: A Guide to the Bible As It Was at the Start of the Common Era by James Kugel, p. 180)
3 Maccabees 2:4
You did destroy long ago those who did injustice, among whom were the giants trusting in their strength and arrogance, bringing upon them a boundless flood of water.
You did destroy long ago those who did injustice, among whom were the giants trusting in their strength and arrogance, bringing upon them a boundless flood of water.
Midrash References
(בראשית ו, א): לָרֹב עַל פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה, שֶׁהָיוּ שׁוֹפְכִים אֶת זַרְעָם עַל הָעֵצִים וְעַל הָאֲבָנִים, וּלְפִי שֶׁהָיוּ שְׁטוּפִים בִּזְנוּת לְפִיכָךְ הִרְבָּה לָהֶם נְקֵבוֹת, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (בראשית ו, א): וַיְהִי כִּי הֵחֵל הָאָדָם, וּבָנוֹת יֻלְּדוּ לָהֶם.
"To increase on Earth" - that they were spilling their seed on the trees and the stones, and because they were associating in depravity He increased the females for them, as it is written "and daughters were born for them" (Gen. 6:1).
נְפִלִים, שֶׁהִפִּילוּ אֶת הָעוֹלָם, וְשֶׁנָּפְלוּ מִן הָעוֹלָם וְשֶׁמִּלְּאוּ אֶת הָעוֹלָם נְפָלִים בַּזְנוּת שֶׁלָּהֶם.
[They were called] Nephilim, for they caused the fall of the world, and for they fell from the world and filled the world with abortions by their lascivious life.
(trans. Chayva Lehrman/Marcus Jastrow)
- How would you describe the sins of the Nephilim in your own words?
- Who are the Nephilim of today?
(א) וַיְהִי נֹחַ בֶּן חֲמֵשׁ מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה (בראשית ה, לב), כְּתִיב (תהלים א, א): אַשְׁרֵי הָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר לֹא הָלַךְ בַּעֲצַת רְשָׁעִים. אַשְׁרֵי הָאִישׁ, זֶה נֹחַ. אֲשֶׁר לֹא הָלַךְ בַּעֲצַת רְשָׁעִים וּבְדֶרֶךְ חַטָּאִים לֹא עָמָד.
(1) "And Noach was 500 years old." - It is written (Psalms 1:1) "Fortunate is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked." "Fortunate is the man", that's Noach. "who in the counsel of the wicked he does not walk, and in the ways of sinners he does not stand."