Who Were the Nephilim?

The Nephilim were a people mentioned in Genesis 6:4 who lived on the earth before the flood and were remembered as "mighty men which were of old, men of renown." The King James Version translates their name as "giants." The Bible connects them with the time when "the sons of God" married "the daughters of men," and the name appears again in Numbers 13:33, when Israel's spies said they saw Nephilim in Canaan. Who exactly they were is one of the oldest debates in the Bible, and faithful readers have answered it in different ways.

What the Bible Says About the Nephilim

The Nephilim are mentioned by name in only two places in Scripture. The first is a short, mysterious passage just before the story of Noah.

And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.

— Genesis 6:1–2 (KJV)

There were giants 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 to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.

— Genesis 6:4 (KJV)

In between those verses, God says that His spirit will not always strive with man and that "his days shall be an hundred and twenty years" (Genesis 6:3). Some read this as a new limit on the length of human life. Others read it as a countdown of 120 years until the flood.

Genesis does not stop to describe the Nephilim or define the "sons of God." That brevity is exactly why so many questions have grown up around these verses.

What Does "Nephilim" Mean?

"Nephilim" is a Hebrew word that has been left untranslated in many modern Bibles. Its exact meaning is uncertain. Many scholars connect it to the Hebrew verb naphal, "to fall," which could suggest "the fallen ones" or "those who cause others to fall." Others suggest different roots.

Centuries before Christ, Jewish scholars translated the Hebrew Bible into Greek, in the version called the Septuagint. They rendered the word as gigantes, meaning giants. The King James translators followed that tradition, which is why English readers have long spoken of "giants in the earth."

It is worth noticing that Genesis 6 itself says nothing about their height. It calls them mighty and famous. The idea of great physical size comes mostly from the later passage in Numbers.

Who Were the "Sons of God"? Three Main Views

The biggest question in Genesis 6 is about the Nephilim's fathers. Who were "the sons of God" who took wives from "the daughters of men"? Christians and Jews have held three main views. Each has thoughtful supporters, and each faces honest questions.

View 1: Fallen Angels

This is the oldest recorded interpretation. Many ancient Jewish writers, and several early Christian teachers, believed the sons of God were angels who left their place and took human wives.

Supporters point out that elsewhere in the Old Testament the phrase "sons of God" refers to heavenly beings.

Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.

— Job 1:6 (KJV)

They also note two New Testament passages that seem to echo this idea. Jude speaks of angels "which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation" (Jude 1:6). And Peter mentions angels who sinned right before he mentions Noah and the flood.

For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;

— 2 Peter 2:4–5 (KJV)

The ancient Book of Enoch tells this story at length, describing angels called Watchers who came down on Mount Hermon. That book is not part of most Bibles, and you can read why on our page Why Is the Book of Enoch Not in the Bible?

The main question this view faces: Jesus said that angels do not marry.

For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.

— Matthew 22:30 (KJV)

Those who hold the angel view reply that Jesus was speaking of angels "in heaven," not of angels who rebelled and left their proper place.

View 2: The Godly Line of Seth

From around the fourth and fifth centuries, many Christian teachers, including Augustine, favored a different reading. In this view, the sons of God were the faithful descendants of Seth, the family in whose days "began men to call upon the name of the LORD" (Genesis 4:26). The daughters of men were women from the line of Cain, who built cities and drifted far from God.

When the faithful line married into a world that had forgotten God, they slowly forgot Him too. The result was the total corruption that led to the flood. This view fits the flow of Genesis 4 and 5, which trace those two family lines side by side, and it avoids the difficulty of angels marrying humans.

The main question this view faces: Genesis 6 never mentions Seth or Cain. Critics also ask why ordinary marriages would produce "mighty men" of renown.

View 3: Ancient Kings and Rulers

A third view, common in some early Jewish writings, sees the sons of God as powerful rulers. In the ancient world, kings often called themselves sons of the gods. These tyrants took any woman they wanted, "of all which they chose," and built their fame on force.

This view fits the violence that follows in the chapter. The main question it faces is that the Bible nowhere else calls proud human kings "sons of God."

What We Can Say With Confidence

Each view has its reasons and each has its questions. Scripture simply does not tell us everything we might want to know. What it does tell us very clearly is what became of that world.

And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

— Genesis 6:5 (KJV)

The mighty men were famous, but the Bible never calls them good, wise or godly. Strength without God became violence, and the earth was "filled with violence" (Genesis 6:13). In that world one man stood apart, because "Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD" (Genesis 6:8). His story continues on our page The Story of Noah's Ark.

The Nephilim After the Flood

Genesis says the Nephilim were on the earth "in those days; and also after that." The Bible does not explain how. Some think the same kind of corruption happened again. Others think the old name was later used for any people of enormous size. Scripture leaves the question open.

What we do know is that, centuries later, Israel's spies used the name when they returned from exploring Canaan.

And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.

— Numbers 13:33 (KJV)

In Hebrew, both words translated "giants" in this verse are Nephilim. Ten of the twelve spies gave this frightened report, and the people wept and wanted to return to Egypt. Many readers note that this was an "evil report" (Numbers 13:32) from men overcome by fear, and fear always makes an enemy look taller. Only Caleb and Joshua trusted God, and the Lord said Caleb "had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully" (Numbers 14:24).

Other Giants in the Bible

The Bible goes on to mention several tall peoples in and around Canaan: the Anakim, the Rephaim, the Emim and the Zamzummim (Deuteronomy 2:10–11, 20–21). The most famous individuals are:

• Og, king of Bashan, called the last of the remnant of the Rephaim, whose iron bed was nine cubits long, about thirteen feet (Deuteronomy 3:11).
• The sons of Anak at Hebron: Ahiman, Sheshai and Talmai, whom Caleb drove out at eighty-five years old (Joshua 14:10–15; 15:14).
• Goliath of Gath, whose height was "six cubits and a span," roughly nine and a half feet (1 Samuel 17:4).
• Four more warriors from Gath, descended from the giants, who fell to David and his men (2 Samuel 21:15–22).

The Bible does not call Goliath or Og Nephilim, but the thread is the same: every giant Israel feared eventually fell.

What the Nephilim Teach Us Today

The Nephilim story is not in the Bible to feed curiosity or wild theories. It shows us a world that admired power and fame and forgot God, and it shows us how much that grieved Him.

It also teaches a lesson about fear. The spies said they were grasshoppers "in our own sight" before any giant raised a spear. Centuries later Isaiah wrote that God "sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers" (Isaiah 40:22). From heaven, every giant is small. The giants of old are gone, but God's promises remain.

An Epic Bible Movies film about the Nephilim is coming soon on our YouTube channel. Until then, you can see how one man walked with God in those same dark days in Enoch – The Movie.

▶ Watch the full movieEnoch – The MovieThe Man Who Walked with God. A free 30-minute cinematic film by Epic Bible Movies.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are the Nephilim fallen angels?

The Bible does not say the Nephilim themselves were angels. Genesis 6:4 describes them in connection with the "sons of God," and one major view holds that those sons of God were fallen angels and the Nephilim were their children. Other views see them as the offspring of the line of Seth or of powerful human rulers.

How tall were the Nephilim?

Genesis gives no height for the Nephilim. The spies in Numbers 13 described the people of Canaan as so large that they felt like grasshoppers, but that was a fearful report, not a measurement. The tallest figure the Bible measures is Goliath, at about nine and a half feet.

Did the Nephilim survive the flood?

Genesis says the flood destroyed all flesh outside the ark, and only Noah's family of eight survived. Yet Genesis 6:4 also says the Nephilim were on earth "also after that," and the name reappears in Numbers 13:33. Christians explain this in different ways, and the Bible does not settle the question.

Is Goliath a Nephilim?

The Bible never calls Goliath a Nephilim. He was a Philistine champion from Gath, and some of the remaining Anakim lived in Gath (Joshua 11:22), so many readers see a possible link. Scripture does not state it directly.

Where are the Nephilim mentioned in the Bible?

The Hebrew word Nephilim appears only in Genesis 6:4 and Numbers 13:33, where the KJV translates it as "giants." Other passages mention related tall peoples, such as the Anakim and the Rephaim, in Deuteronomy, Joshua and 2 Samuel.

What does the Book of Enoch say about the Nephilim?

The Book of Enoch says that angels called Watchers came down to earth, married women and fathered giants who filled the world with violence. It is an ancient Jewish writing but not part of most Bibles, so Christians read it as background rather than Scripture.