Who were the mysterious Sons of God who walked the earth before the flood?

Ideas & Philosophy · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: The Bible mentions the Sons of God taking human wives and fathering a race of giants. For millennia, scholars have debated whether these figures were fallen angels, deified kings, or simply the righteous descendants of Seth. This ancient enigma reveals a shift from polytheistic roots to strict monotheism.

The phrase 'Sons of God'—or bene ha-elohim—appears in the Hebrew Bible as a relic of an older religious landscape. In the earliest records, these beings were members of a heavenly court or pantheon, reflecting a time when Hebrew religion acknowledged a plurality of divine entities. Scholars like Simon B. Parker note that this terminology aligns with Northwest Semitic mythology, where 'sons of' denoted membership within a category of divine beings. This concept is mirrored in Ugaritic texts, such as the Baal Cycle, where the sons of El form an assembly of minor deities.

The most famous, and controversial, appearance of these figures is in Genesis 6:1–4, where they lust after human women and produce the Nephilim, or giants. Early interpretations, supported by texts like the Book of Enoch and the Dead Sea Scrolls, viewed these beings as supernatural angels. This reading suggests a cosmic breach of boundaries between heaven and earth, which some scholars, including David Clines, argue serves as the narrative climax of sin leading to the deluge. Ronald Hendel compares this to Hesiodic myths, where a flood is used to purge demigod offspring and restore order.

As Hebrew religion moved toward strict monotheism, the interpretation of these figures shifted. By the 2nd century CE, many Jewish and Christian thinkers began to reject the idea of rebel angels, favoring more rational explanations. Rabbinic sources, including figures like Maimonides and Rashi, often identified the 'Sons of God' as human rulers, aristocrats, or the righteous descendants of Seth. This human-centric view became standard in many traditions, such as the Ethiopian Orthodox Bible, which explicitly translates the term to refer to the children of Seth. Today, the debate remains a testament to the complex evolution of ancient cosmology.

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