{"id":351,"date":"2017-11-15T00:16:54","date_gmt":"2017-11-15T00:16:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/wordpress_bw2\/6-1-accounts-of-the-nephilim\/"},"modified":"2017-12-29T02:00:49","modified_gmt":"2017-12-29T02:00:49","slug":"6-1-accounts-of-the-nephilim","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bitterwaters.com\/bw_12_21_2018\/the-case-for-lilith\/the-case-for-azazel\/6-1-accounts-of-the-nephilim\/","title":{"rendered":"6.1) Accounts of the Nephilim"},"content":{"rendered":"

There are two primary ancient sources of information on the Nephilim \u2013 First Enoch and Genesis.\u00a0 First Enoch is dedicated to describing the entire episode of the Watchers and their Nephilim offspring.\u00a0 It relates that the Nephilim were a powerful race who nearly pushed man to extinction.\u00a0 It was because of the Nephilim corruption to the human bloodline that God brought about the Noah\u2019s flood to cleanse the earth of their defilement.\u00a0 The Nephilim are also covered in Genesis, if somewhat briefly.\u00a0 Genesis 6 states that after man multiplied upon the earth, the sons of God went onto the daughters of man and bore children to them.\u00a0 These children were the Nephilim.\u00a0 Scholars commonly recognize that the Biblical phrase \u201csons of God\u201d refers to angels.\u00a0 Thus, Genesis 6 speaks of angels descending to earth to mate with women.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This interpretation of Genesis was widespread among the ancients.\u00a0 The testimony of Josephus, the indispensable first century Jewish historian, confirms that Genesis\u2019 account speaks of the events detailed in First Enoch.\u00a0 In his monumental volume, Antiquities of the Jews,<\/strong> Josephus reveals his acquaintance with the tradition of the fallen angels consorting with women of Earth.\u00a0 He not only knows of the tradition but tells us how the children of such union possessed super human strength, and were known for their extreme wickedness. “For many angels of God accompanied with women, and begat sons that proved unjust, and despisers of all that was good, on account of the confidence they had in their own strength; for the tradition is, that these men did what resembled the acts of those whom the Grecians call giants.”[1]<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

In the above reference, Josephus even hints at why the Nephilim<\/em> came to be called giants in the Western world.\u00a0 In the Septuagint, the oldest Greek version of the Old Testament, the Hebrew word Nephilim<\/em> was rendered “gigantes.”\u00a0 This word was likely selected by the Septuagint translators because they were well aware of the Greek myth of a tribe of one hundred giants born to Gaia (meaning “Earth”) called Gigantes (which then literally indicated they were \u201cEarth-Born”).\u00a0 These Gigantes are now commonly known as the Titans. \u00a0The Greek Titans fought the gods and lost, and this may account for Gigantes being used in lieu of the Hebrew Nephilim<\/em> (“fallen ones”), because both were born to the earth and both fell in battle.\u00a0 Because of the Greek Septuagint’s influence of translating Nephilim<\/em> as giants, subsequent Western translations of the Old Testament, including the famous 1611 King James Bible, rendered the word similarly.\u00a0 However, today most modern versions of the Bible recognize the difference between the Greek Titans and the Nephilim, and leave the word Nephilim<\/em> untranslated into English (simply transliterating the word into English as Nephilim).\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The New Testament also supports First Enoch\u2019s rendition of events.\u00a0 Jude 1:6 confirms First Enoch and Genesis\u2019s claims that the sons of God were angels who left heaven to cavort with women.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n
Jude 1:6<\/strong><\/div>\n

And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he [God] hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

2 Peter 2:4-5 also apparently refers to the Watchers.\u00a0 It warns that God will not show mercy to false prophets, just as he did not spare the angels that sinned in the days of Noah.<\/p>\n

\n
2 Peter 2:4-5<\/strong><\/div>\n
4 \u00a0For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them<\/em> down to hell, and delivered them<\/em> into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;<\/div>\n

5 \u00a0And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person<\/em>, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

1 Peter 3:19-20 also references events portrayed in First Enoch.\u00a0 It refers to Jesus visiting and preaching to spirits cast in prison since before the days of Noah\u2019s flood.\u00a0 This is apparent reference to the imprisoned Watchers.\u00a0 In First Enoch, they begged the prophet to petition on their behalf to Jehovah, in order to secure forgiveness for their actions.\u00a0 However, Enoch rebuked them, saying he was but a man, and who was he to petition for angels who were sent to look after man?\u00a0 Enoch\u2019s inability to petition for the angels stands in contrast to Jesus, who Peter reminds us visited these angels with authority to preach and forgive sin.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n
1 Peter 3:19-20<\/strong><\/div>\n
19 \u00a0By which also he [Jesus] went and preached unto the spirits in prison;<\/div>\n

20 \u00a0Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Given the above apparent references to the Watchers in the New Testament, it certainly seems like the early church fathers agreed with First Enoch\u2019s main tenants concerning the Nephilim and Watchers.\u00a0 Several modern scholars had noted the remarkable similarity between First Enoch and the theistic language and terminology found in the New Testament.[2]<\/a>\u00a0 This similarity is so strong, for many centuries it was presumed that Enoch was penned in the New Testament era.\u00a0 However, copies found at Qumran now prove that Enoch pre-dates Christianity by at least hundreds of years.\u00a0 If anything, the New Testament borrowed from First Enoch or an earlier source common to both.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Let us now review the two main accounts we have available concerning the Watchers and the Nephilim.\u00a0 The first is the most detailed account available, which is First Enoch.\u00a0 We shall then compare this account to a careful reading of Genesis version.\u00a0 We shall see that although Genesis has fewer details concerning the events, Genesis supports every major element of the First Enoch account of the Watchers and the flood.\u00a0<\/p>\n

6.1.1\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The Account of the Watchers in First Enoch<\/h3>\n

The ancient work that unquestionably provides the most details on the Nephilim and Azazel is the First Book of Enoch, or First Enoch (sometimes called the Ethiopian Enoch).\u00a0 The book is an ancient Jewish tome, dating to at least the first century BCE, and most likely much earlier.\u00a0 It chronicles the tales of the prophet Enoch and the Watchers, a certain group of angels that God had assigned to watch over the affairs of man after Adam\u2019s fall.[3]<\/a>\u00a0 The book holds that in the course of time the Watchers became so infatuated by the beauty of the daughters of men, they gave up their first estate in heaven in order to descend to earth and have illicit sexual relations with women.\u00a0 This unholy union lead to the creation of the Nephilim, who were a race of giants that roamed the pre-flood earth.\u00a0 It is during the time of the Nephilim that Azazel suddenly appears on the scene.\u00a0 First Enoch reveals that Azazel was a major figure in corrupting man.\u00a0 He taught men the art of warfare, and taught women the art of seduction and the instigation of adultery.\u00a0 According to First Enoch, the Nephilim\u2019s supernatural strength and evil aggressive nature threatened to push ordinary man to extinction.\u00a0 It is for these reasons that God, seeing the imminent disaster against Adam\u2019s linage, intervened and destroyed the Nephilim with Noah\u2019s flood.\u00a0 At that time God imprisoned Azazel and the Watchers in the earth, so that they might not repeat their mischief, and so that Noah and his seed might inherit the post-flood earth.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Although First Enoch is considered an apocryphal work by most churches today, it is perhaps the most highly regarded and accepted of all apocryphal works.\u00a0 As we shall see, its rendition of events concerning the Nephilim and Noah\u2019s flood are consistent with events discussed in Genesis and rabbinic tradition.\u00a0 Although First Enoch is not the part of the Canon of Scripture of most Jewish synagogues or Christian Churches, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church does regard it as inspired Scripture.\u00a0 First Enoch\u2019s acceptance by the first century Jewish Essene sect at Qumran is confirmed by fragments from multiple copies found in the Dead Sea scrolls.\u00a0<\/p>\n

First Enoch was also accepted by some early Christian fathers.\u00a0 In Jude 1:14 the writer reminds his audience of the prophecies of Enoch.\u00a0 His statement presumes that a record of these prophecies were known and circulated among his audience.\u00a0 Since no such prophecies are written in the Bible, the source to which Jude referred was quite possibly the version of First Enoch handed down to us today.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The main passages in First Enoch describing the fall of the Watchers encompass chapters 6 through 8.\u00a0 These rather brief chapters are listed in their entirety below.\u00a0 Chapter 6 reveals how the Watchers saw the beauty of the daughters of men, and how they purposed to descend to earth, have sexual relations, and beget children with them. \u00a0Semjaza, the leader of the Watchers, met with his brethren upon Mount Hermon, and He initiated an oath among all that they would go in unto the women and take for themselves wives.\u00a0 Verse 3 explains that Semjaza extracted this oath because he feared his fellow Watchers would abandon their plan after he had committed some \u201cgreat sin\u201d, and he alone would end up paying the penalty.\u00a0 What this great sin is unspecified.\u00a0 One may suppose that it was the act of sexually going unto a woman, but why Semjaza would have to act before his compatriots is unclear.\u00a0 Based just on the text of First Enoch, the exact nature of the great sin Semjaza had to commit must remain at least a partial mystery.\u00a0 However, as we shall see, a complete analysis of all available material suggest that Semjaza had to sexually mate with Lilith and acquire from her the secret name of Jehovah before he and the other Watchers could mate and bear seed with the daughters of Adam.<\/p>\n

Chapter 7 reveals the Watchers did as they pledged upon Mount Hermon.\u00a0 They went unto the daughters of Adam and bare giants with them.\u00a0 These giants spread, and began to devour and displace mankind upon the earth.\u00a0 It is at this point that Azazel suddenly appears for the first time.\u00a0 First Enoch 8:1-2 reveals that Azazel taught men the art of war and women the ways of harlotry.\u00a0 Because of him there arose much ungodliness.\u00a0 Azazel\u2019s corruption of man apparently greatly exceeded that of any Watcher, even that of Semjaza, who is listed after Azazel.\u00a0 Only three words are used to describe Semjaza\u2019s feats in corrupting man.\u00a0 This is in contrast to the two entire verses dedicated to Azazel\u2019s acts.<\/p>\n

\n
First Enoch 6\u2013 8<\/strong> (translated by R. H. Charles)<\/div>\n
6:1<\/strong>. And it came to pass when the children of men had multiplied that in those days were born unto them beautiful and comely daughters.<\/div>\n
6:2 And the angels, the children of the heaven, saw and lusted after them, and said to one another: ‘Come, let us choose us wives from among the children of men and beget us children.’<\/div>\n
6:3 And Semjaza, who was their leader, said unto them: ‘I fear ye will not indeed agree to do this deed, and I alone shall have to pay the penalty of a great sin.’<\/div>\n
6:4 And they all answered him and said: ‘Let us all swear an oath, and all bind ourselves by mutual imprecations not to abandon this plan but to do this thing.’<\/div>\n
6:5 Then sware they all together and bound themselves by mutual imprecations upon it.<\/div>\n
6:6 And they were in all two hundred; who descended in the days of Jared on the summit of Mount Hermon, and they called it Mount Hermon, because they had sworn and bound themselves by mutual imprecations upon it.<\/div>\n
6:7 And these are the names of their leaders: Samlazaz, their leader, Araklba, Rameel, Kokablel, Tamlel, Ramlel, Danel, Ezeqeel, Baraqijal, Asael, Armaros, Batarel, Ananel, Zaq1el, Samsapeel, Satarel, Turel, Jomjael, Sariel.<\/div>\n
6:8 These are their chiefs of tens.<\/div>\n
7:1<\/strong> And all the others together with them took unto themselves wives, and each chose for himself one, and they began to go in unto them and to defile themselves with them, and they taught them charms and enchantments, and the cutting of roots, and made them acquainted with plants.<\/div>\n
7:<\/strong>2 And they became pregnant, and they bare great giants, whose height was three thousand ells:<\/div>\n
7:3 They consumed all the acquisitions of men. And when men could no longer sustain them,<\/div>\n
7:4 the giants turned against them and devoured mankind.<\/div>\n
7:5 And they began to sin against birds, and beasts, and reptiles, and fish, and to devour one another’s flesh, and drink the blood.<\/div>\n
7:6 Then the earth laid accusation against the lawless ones.<\/div>\n
8:1 And Azazel taught men to make swords, and knives, and shields, and breastplates, and made known to them the metals of the earth and the art of working them, and bracelets, and ornaments, and the use of antimony, and the beautifying of the eyelids, and all kinds of costly stones, and all colouring tinctures.<\/div>\n
8:2 And there arose much godlessness, and they committed fornication, and they were led astray, and became corrupt in all their ways.<\/div>\n
8:3 Semjaza taught enchantments, and root-cuttings, Armaros the resolving of enchantments, Baraqijal (taught) astrology, Kokabel the constellations, Ezeqeel the knowledge of the clouds, Araqiel the signs of the earth, Shamsiel the signs of the sun, and Sariel the course of the moon.<\/div>\n

8:4 <\/span>And as men perished, they cried, and their cry went up to heaven<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Much can be said about these critical chapters in First Enoch.\u00a0 However, for now, let us compare these passages against their counterparts in Genesis.<\/p>\n

6.1.2\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The Parallel Account of the Watchers in Genesis 6<\/h3>\n

The only direct mention in the Old Testament of the events involving the Watchers comes in Ge 6:1-8.\u00a0 Those passages provide a very brief summary of events that are expounded in greater detail in First Enoch.\u00a0 As we shall see, the two accounts in First Enoch and Genesis are in complete harmony.\u00a0 Verses 1 and 2 of Ge 6 reveal that as man began to populate the earth and have daughters, the Beni<\/em> Elohiym<\/em> (“sons of God”) saw that these women were fair, and they took them for wives.\u00a0 These Beni<\/em> Elohiym<\/em> are generally acknowledged by most scholars to be angels[4]<\/a>, although various other explanations have been put forth with little success[5]<\/a>.\u00a0 I hold that Beni<\/em> Elohiym<\/em> referring to angels in Ge 6 can be firmly established from the term\u2019s other usages in the Bible.\u00a0 Every time Beni<\/em> Elohiym<\/em> is used in the Bible, it clearly refers to angels.[6]<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n
Ge 6:1-9<\/strong><\/div>\n
1 And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,<\/div>\n
2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were<\/em> fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.<\/div>\n
3 And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is<\/em> flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.<\/div>\n
4 There were giants <\/strong> in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children<\/em> to them, the same became<\/em> mighty men which were<\/em> of old, men of renown.<\/div>\n
5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was<\/em> great in the earth, and that<\/em> every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was<\/em> only evil continually.<\/div>\n
6 And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.<\/div>\n
7 And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.<\/div>\n
8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.<\/div>\n

9 These are<\/em> the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and<\/em> perfect in his generations, and<\/em> Noah walked with God.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Verse 3 of Ge 6 confirms that the Beni<\/em> Elohiym<\/em> taking wives of man was a momentous event in God\u2019s eye.\u00a0 The verse relates that after this happened, Jehovah begins to display displeasure with man.\u00a0 According to the KJV translation, Jehovah apparently declares that he wearies of contending with man, for man is but flesh, and for that reason God limits man\u2019s life to 120 years.\u00a0 However, a more precise translation of the underlying Hebrew is even more profound.\u00a0 This underlying Hebrew is difficult, but my best literal translation is given below.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n
Ge 6:3 (My Literal)<\/strong><\/div>\n

And Jehovah said, \u201cNot shall strive my spirit in adam[7]<\/a>, for evermore hidden in their wayward erring itself is flesh.\u00a0 Therefore shall be his days one hundred and twenty years.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n\n
\n
Mle:l<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
Mda:b<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
y:xwr<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
Nwdy<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
al<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
hwhy<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
rmay:w<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n
For hidden \/ for evermore\u00a0\u00a0<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
in adam<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
my spirit<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
shall strive \/ shall judge [8]<\/a><\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
not<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
Jehovah<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
And said<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n\n
\n
hns<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
Myrve:w<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
ham<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
w:ymy<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
wyh:w<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
rvb<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
awh<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
M:gs:b<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n
years<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
and twenty<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
one hundred<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
his days<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
And shall be<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
is flesh<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
itself \/ of that [9]<\/a><\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
in their wayward erring[10]<\/a><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Table 6\u20111: A Literal Translation of Ge 6:3 (Pic view)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Verse 3 literally reads that Jehovah would not always strive or judge man, because hidden in the wayward erring of the angels (i.e. \u201ctheir wayward erring\u201d) was flesh.\u00a0 By this the verse is saying that Jehovah\u2019s spirit would no longer judge or abide within the linage of Adam, because the wayward errings of the angels had become \u201cflesh\u201d or become manifest in the linage of Adam.\u00a0 This manifested flesh is the Nephilim seed, which verse 4 goes on to elaborate in detail.[11]<\/a>\u00a0 Verse 3 concludes that for reason of this corruption of Adam\u2019s linage, God cut off the life of man at 120 years.\u00a0 The linage of Adam had become defiled by the angels, and God shortened the lives of man to mitigate the damages being spread.\u00a0<\/p>\n

There exist two remarkable words in verse 3 that shed additional light upon the situation.\u00a0 Mle:l<\/span> is traditionally understood by the KJV and others to be l\u2019owlam, which is a lamed (l<\/span>) propositionally prefixed form of the root owlam<\/em> (Mlwe<\/span> -Strongs 5769), which means \u201cperpetual\u201d or \u201cevermore.\u201d\u00a0 Thus, Mle:l<\/span> is understood as l\u2019owlam<\/em> or \u201cforever.\u201d\u00a0 However, Mle:l<\/span> could alternatively be understood as l\u2019alam<\/em>, which is a propositionally prefixed version of alam<\/em> (Mle<\/span> \u2013 Strongs 5956), which means \u201cto hide\u201d or \u201csecret.\u201d\u00a0 Thus Mle:l<\/span> could alternatively be understood as l\u2019alam<\/em>, which means \u201cfor hidden.\u201d \u00a0Ge 6:3 could then be understood as stating that Jehovah would not judge in adam<\/em>, \u201cfor hidden\u201d in the Watcher\u2019s wayward erring was flesh.\u00a0 Note that in my literal translation above, I poetically combine the meanings of l\u2019owlam<\/em> and l\u2019alam<\/em> into the comprehensive, \u201cfor evermore hidden.\u201d<\/p>\n

The second word play in verse 3 comes from the Hebrew word for \u201cwayward transgression\u201d, which is shagah<\/em>.\u00a0 Shagah<\/em> almost always refers to hidden or secret sins in the Bible.\u00a0 This, along with the wordplay for l\u2019alam<\/em> meaning \u201chidden\u201d in the same verse, implies the relationships between the angels and women were kept secret or hidden, at least in the beginning.\u00a0 This is consistent with the version of events laid out in Enoch.\u00a0 Remarkably, the first use of shagah<\/em> and alam<\/em> in the Bible come in the same verse in Le 4:13.\u00a0 There is written the commandment that if Israel shagah<\/em> (commit sin), and it is alam<\/em> (hidden or unknown), then when the sin is known they must deal with it through a sacrifice.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In summary, verse 2 established that angels descended to earth to take wives of men.\u00a0 Verse 3 established that God\u2019s spirit departed from man and no longer judged in him because the angels\u2019 secret sin had forever stained man\u2019s flesh or linage.\u00a0 For this reason, God also cut short the lives of men.\u00a0 Verse 4 goes to elaborate much more on the seed of this corruption.\u00a0 The verse relates that the Nephilim<\/em> (rendered \u201cgiants\u201d in the KJV) began to exist in the earth because of the sons of God.\u00a0 Nephilim<\/em> (Mylpn<\/span> – Strongs 5303) means \u201cfallen ones.\u201d\u00a0 It comes from the root naphal<\/em> (lypn<\/span>– Strongs 5307), which means \u201cto fall.\u201d\u00a0 According to Rashi they were given this title because they fell and they caused others to fall.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n
Ge 6:4 (My Literal)<\/strong><\/div>\n

The Nephilim came to exist in the earth in the days of them; and also afterward.\u00a0 After had come the sons of God unto the daughters of adam and they had birthed to them, they were the Gibborim which from old were men of the name.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n\n
\n
yrxa<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
Mg:w<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
Mh:h<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
Mymy:b<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
Ura:b<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
wyh<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
Mylpn:h<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n
after that.<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
and also<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
of them<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
in days<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
in the earth<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
came to be<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
The Nephilim<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n\n
\n
Mda:h<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
twnb<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
la<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
Myhla:h<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
ynb<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
waby<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
rsa<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
Nk<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n
of adam<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
daughters<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
to<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
of God<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
sons<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
had come<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
when<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
After<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n\n
\n
Ms:h<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
ysna<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
Mlwe:m<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
rsa<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
Myrbg:h<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
hmh<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
Mh:l<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
wdly:w<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n
of the name<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
were men<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
from old<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
which<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
the Gibborim<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
they were<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
to them<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
and they had birthed<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Table 6\u20112: A Literal Translation of Ge 6:4 (Pic view)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Verse 4 is very careful to use language that imparts some very specific information concerning the Nephilim.\u00a0 The verse is comprised of essentially two statements.\u00a0 The first relates that the Nephilim came to exist in the earth in the days \u201cof them\u201d, where \u201cthem\u201d refers to the Beni Elohiym or sons of God in the previous verses.\u00a0 The first statement concludes by quite clearly asserting that the Nephilim came to exist again in the earth \u201cafterwards.\u201d\u00a0 The second statement of verse 4 clarifies that this \u201cafterwards\u201d refers to a time after when the Beni Elohiym or Watchers had finished consorting with women.\u00a0 Thus, the Nephilim somehow returned to earth after the consorting between angels and women had stopped.\u00a0 This unexpected development is all consistent with First Enoch, which states God imprisoned the Watchers just before Noah\u2019s flood, putting an end to their sexual relations on earth, but that giants sired by Noah returned to the earth after the flood.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Verse 4 gives different titles to the pre-flood and post-flood Nephilim.\u00a0 Before the flood the Nephilim were known as Enowsh Hashem (\u201cMen of the Name\u201d), and afterwards they were known as Gibborim<\/em> (\u201cMighty Men\u201d).[12]<\/a>\u00a0 The two titles imply a lessened prowess for the Nephilim post-flood.\u00a0 Enowsh<\/em> Hashem<\/em> implies closeness between the holy name of Jehovah and the pre-flood Nephilim.\u00a0 Hashem<\/em> (\u201cThe Name\u201d) is a term often used in place of the name of Jehovah.[13]<\/a>\u00a0 The use of this term to describe the pre-flood Nephilim associates them with the holiness of Jehovah\u2019s name.\u00a0 The Zohar teaches this also (Beresheet A passage 466).\u00a0 As we shall see, there is good reason for the implied closeness of Jehovah\u2019s name to the pre-flood Nephilim.\u00a0 The angels were able to conceive these sons by the power of the Jehovah\u2019s name given to them by Lilith.\u00a0 Gibborim means \u201cmighty men.\u201d\u00a0 It is the plural form of gibbowr<\/em> (rwbg<\/span>\u00a0 – Strongs 1368), which means mighty.\u00a0 This post-flood term for the Nephilim suggests they had a lesser stature from their pre-flood brethren.\u00a0 This is because the term Gibborim is also applied to humans.\u00a0 Many mighty warriors of mankind were termed Gibborim post-flood.\u00a0 These include the elite Gibborim of King David\u2019s army.\u00a0 An explanation for this apparent decline is given by First Enoch 106:17.\u00a0 The Enowsh<\/em> Hashem<\/em> were born after the spirit, directly spawned from the Watchers.\u00a0 The Gibborim were born of the flesh, meaning they were the result of the fornications of men tainted with Nephilim lineages. Hence, the Gibborim suffered from a diluted bloodline.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That the Nephilim somehow returned is obvious.\u00a0 There are many references to the post-flood Nephilim tribes in the Bible.\u00a0 These tribes include the Emim (\u201cTerrors\u201d), Repha\u2019im (\u201cWeakeners\u201d), Gibborim (\u201cMighty Ones\u201d), Zamzummim (\u201cAchievers\u201d), Anakim (\u201cLong-necked\u201d), and Awwim (\u201cDevastators\u201d or \u201cSerpents\u201d).\u00a0 The title most often used in the Israelite era for the post-flood Nephilim is Raphaim<\/em> (Myapr<\/span> – Strong 7497), meaning \u201cgiants.\u201d\u00a0 All these tribes possessed unusual stature and prowess.\u00a0 Nu 13:33 recounts that the spies which Israel sent into the promised land were dismayed and felt as small as grasshoppers at the sight of the sons of Anak, whom the verse states are in the linage of the Nephilim.\u00a0 De 9:2 links the Anakim to the sons of Anak, thereby firmly establishing the post-flood link between the Nephilim and the entire race of Rephaim<\/em> (giants) mentioned in the time of Israel.\u00a0 The last five giants mentioned in the Bible come in 2Sa 21:16-22 (this account is repeated in 1 Ch 20:4-8).\u00a0 There it is noted that David and his men slew four giants who were the sons of a fifth giant in Gath.\u00a0 The ultimate fate of this fifth giant is not specified.\u00a0 However, giants are no longer mentioned in the Bible after this episode.<\/p>\n

How Did the Nephilim Return after the Flood?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The return of the Nephilim after the flood presents a conundrum.\u00a0 How could they return if the Watcher\u2019s were imprisoned and all the pre-flood Nephilim were destroyed by the flood?\u00a0 This problem is discussed in detail in section 7.\u00a0 For now, suffice it to say that the Nephilim linage was almost certainly aboard the Ark, and that it was most likely Naamah, the wife of Noah\u2019s son Ham, who bore the polluted linage across the flood.<\/p>\n

[1]<\/a>\u00a0Flavius Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews<\/strong>, Chapter 3, paragraphs 1-2.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> R. H. Charles, editor and translator, The Book of Enoch<\/em><\/strong>, Oxford Clarendon Press, 1893.\u00a0 Also, for a comprehensive comparison between the terminology of Enoch and the New Testament, see Fallen Angels and the Origins of Evil<\/em><\/strong>, Elizabeth Clare Prophet, Summit University Press, 2000.\u00a0<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> The Watcher\u2019s name is thus derived from their mission to \u201cwatch\u201d over man.\u00a0<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> It is thought that the term Beni Elohiym came to be used to designate angels because all creatures directly created by Jehovah could generally be considered the \u201csons of God.\u201d\u00a0 Thus angels, being created directly by God, are considered \u201csons of God.\u201d\u00a0 Likewise Adam, whom was also directly created by Jehovah, can also be called a son of God (albeit ordinary men fathered by Adam might not).\u00a0<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> Some Midrashes try to explain that the terms \u201csons of God\u201d and \u201cdaughters of men\u201d refer to differing societal classes or to lineages of mankind — where the \u201csons of God\u201d refers to the godly line of Seth<\/a>, and \u201cdaughters of men\u201d to women from the line of Cain.\u00a0 However, these highly allegorized explanations have no basis, and they hardly explain the giant stature and foreboding prowess of this union\u2019s offspring.\u00a0 Both the Midrash and Bible admit that the post-flood Nephilim had unusual prowess, and their proffered explanations on who the sons of God were provide no explanation for this unnatural prowess.\u00a0<\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> Beni<\/em> Elohiym<\/em> is used four other times in the Bible.\u00a0 The first comes in Daniel 3:25.\u00a0 There king Nebuchadnezzar looks into the fiery furnace, sees four men, and declares that “the form of the fourth is like the son of God.”\u00a0 This fourth man was an angel sent by God.\u00a0 The second use of Beni Elohiym<\/em> comes in Job 38:7, which states that the \u201csons of God\u201d shouted for joy when God laid the foundations of the Earth.\u00a0 Clearly this could only refer to angels, since man had not yet been created.\u00a0 The final uses of Beni Elohiym<\/em> come in Job 1:6 and Job 2:1, which relate how the \u201csons of God\u201d came to present themselves before God in Heaven.\u00a0 This is in clear reference to angels.\u00a0 It is interesting to note that among these sons of God is Satan — a confirmation that Beni Elohiym<\/em> can even refer to fallen angels.\u00a0<\/p>\n

[7]<\/a> adam here is a reuse of Adam\u2019s name in a generic sense that applies to all mankind.\u00a0 This is a common idiom in the Bible.\u00a0 Its use here is doubtlessly intended to emphasize that the linage of the patriarch Adam was being corrupted.\u00a0<\/p>\n

[8]<\/a> The word is diyn<\/em> (Nyd<\/span> – Strongs 1777).\u00a0 It can be understood as meaning \u2018to judge\u2019, \u2018to plead the cause\u2019, or \u2018strife\u2019.<\/p>\n

[9]<\/a> Huw<\/em> (awh<\/span>\u00a0 – Strongs 1931) is a difficult translation here.\u00a0 Huw<\/em> is genderless and can mean either \u2018it\u2019, \u2018him\u2019, \u2018itself\u2019, \u2018himself\u2019, or \u2018that\u2019.\u00a0 Thus, the verse could also be understood as saying, \u201cIn their wayward erring itself is flesh.\u201d<\/p>\n

[10]<\/a> M:gs:b<\/span> here is clearly the root shagah<\/em> (hgv<\/span> \u2013 Strongs 7686) — or one of its many variant roots with the same meaning — which means \u2018to err\u2019 or \u2018to go astray\u2019.\u00a0 In the Bible shagah and its sister roots often refer to secret sin or that done through ignorance (and hidden from the sinner\u2019s knowledge).\u00a0 In Ge 6:3 shagah is clearly prefixed with a beit<\/em> (b<\/span>) inseparable preposition meaning \u2018in\u2019, and appended with a mem (M<\/span>) plural masculine pronominal suffix meaning \u2018their\u2019.\u00a0 Thus b\u2019shag\u2019m<\/em> means \u201cin their wayward erring\u201d, where \u201ctheir\u201d refers to the Sons of God, or the Watchers.\u00a0 YLT and ILB also share this translation of Ge 6:3.\u00a0 Note the KJV presumes Mgsb<\/span> to be some fantastic modification of gam (Mg<\/span> – Strongs 1571), which means \u2018also\u2019 or \u2018again\u2019.\u00a0 This is completely erroneous.\u00a0<\/p>\n

[11]<\/a> As with Lilith, perhaps the Nephilim are referred to here as flesh and not spirits, because they are not fully animated in the image of God like Adam.\u00a0<\/p>\n

[12]<\/a> That the Enowsh Hashem<\/em> in Ge 6:4 refer to pre-flood Nephilim is also supported by a remarkable mystical evidence.\u00a0 The evidence is based on the PFA (Principle of First Appearances) of the Hebrew term for \u201cfrom old\u201d in the passage.\u00a0 The notion of PFA asserts that the first time a word is used in the Bible, it connotes a mystical definition on the word based on the context in which the word is used in the first appearance.\u00a0 The term \u201cfrom old\u201d in Ge 6:4 is the Hebrew word m\u2019owlam<\/em>, which comes from the root owlam<\/em> (Mlwe<\/span> – Strongs 5769), meaning \u2018old\u2019, plus a mem<\/em> (m<\/span>) inseparable preposition meaning from.\u00a0 The PFA of m\u2019owlam<\/em> is defined by its first exact spelling elsewhere in the Bible.\u00a0 This comes in Jos 24:2.\u00a0 There m\u2019owlam<\/em> refers to the time before a flood of waters when existed the fathers of sons who would come to exist on the other side of the flood.\u00a0 This is the same mystical meaning to be applied to the word in Ge 6:4, thereby confirming that the Enowsh Hashem<\/em> in the verse refers to pre-flood Nephilim.\u00a0<\/p>\n

[13]<\/a> The PFA (see note 62) for Hashem denotes the holy name of Jehovah that cause to be slain the sons of women who blaspheme against it.\u00a0 This PFA is defined by the first exact spelling match of hashem elsewhere in the Bible. \u00a0This comes in Le 24:11.\u00a0 There Hashem refers to the name of Jehovah as it is blasphemed by a woman\u2019s son, who in turn is stoned to death for his act.\u00a0 Note that the PFA for Hashem even suggests that the pre-flood Nephilim blasphemed against God’s name and for that reason were slain.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There are two primary ancient sources of information on the Nephilim \u2013 First Enoch and Genesis.\u00a0 First Enoch is dedicated to describing the entire episode of the Watchers and their Nephilim offspring.\u00a0 It relates that the Nephilim were a powerful race who nearly pushed man to extinction.\u00a0 It was because of the Nephilim corruption to … Continue reading “6.1) Accounts of the Nephilim”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":16,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-351","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bitterwaters.com\/bw_12_21_2018\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/351","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bitterwaters.com\/bw_12_21_2018\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bitterwaters.com\/bw_12_21_2018\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bitterwaters.com\/bw_12_21_2018\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bitterwaters.com\/bw_12_21_2018\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=351"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"https:\/\/www.bitterwaters.com\/bw_12_21_2018\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/351\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":971,"href":"https:\/\/www.bitterwaters.com\/bw_12_21_2018\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/351\/revisions\/971"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bitterwaters.com\/bw_12_21_2018\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/16"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bitterwaters.com\/bw_12_21_2018\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=351"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}