Is there an English equivalent for Nephilim of Genesis 6:4?

Question

Genesis 6:4 (NIV)_{Emphasis added}
The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.

Is there an English equivalent for the word Nephilim here in Genesis 6:4? If not, then what exactly are the Nephilim?

Answer 1

The word "nephilim" as used in Gen 6:4 and Num 13:33 is simply an anglocizing of the Hebrew word nephiyl. If it were to be translated it would be simply "the fallen".

this opens up a whole new hermeneutical question about how then should we interpret these people described both before the flood in Gen 6 as "the fallen" and then again after the flood when the spies brought back their report about the promised land being filled with "the fallen" who are also described as giants.

Different interpretations have described the nephilim as fallen angels, others as fallen men, some have categorized only the sons of Cain as the nephilim in Gen 6, but then how are they reappearing after the flood? or if it is fallen angels, do we see the earth invaded by fallen angels not once but twice?

I think the most consistent view of the Nephilim would consist of those who have fallen away from faith and reliance upon God. Those who think that they can achieve greatness absent from God's presence. Here is Clarke's reference...

Genesis 6:4

[There were giants in the earth] n­piliym , from naaphal , "he fell." Those who had apostatized or fallen from the true religion. The Septuagint translate the original word by gigantes, which literally signifies earth-born, and which we, following them, term giants, without having any reference to the meaning of the word, which we generally conceive to signify persons of enormous stature. But the word when properly understood makes a very just disinction between the sons of men and the sons of God; those were the nephilim , the fallen earth-born men, with the animal and devilish mind. These were the sons of God, who were born from above, children of the kingdom, because children of God. Hence, we may suppose originated the different appellatives given to sinners and saints, the former were termed gigantes (Greek), "earth-born", and the latter, hagioi , i.e. saints, persons not of the earth, or separated from the earth.

[The same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.] giboriym , which we render "mighty men", signifies properly conquerors, heroes, from gaabar , "he prevailed, was victorious." and °ansheey hashem , "men of the name," anthroopoi onomastoi , Septuagint; the same as we render men of renown, renominati, twice named, as the word implies, having one name which they derived from their fathers, and another which they acquired by their daring exploits and enterprises.

It may be necessary to remark here that our translators have rendered seven different Hebrew words by the one term giants, viz., nephilim. gibborim, enachim, rephaim, emim, and zamzummim; by which appellatives are probably meant in general persons of great knowledge, piety, courage, wickedness, etc., and not men of enormous stature, as is generally conjectured. (from Adam Clarke's Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright © 1996, 2003, 2005, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Answer 2

The Sons of God are also in Psalms 82. When Almighty God is meeting with them.

Psalm 82:1 God stands in the congregation of the mighty; he judges among the gods. said, "You are gods; you are all sons of the Most High From Dead Sea Scrolls.

He judges in the council of gods and men. In the heights of the heavens (is) his reproach and in all the foundations of the earth the judgments of his hand. (4Q511, frg. 10, 11–12)63

The Eternal One has made a covenant oath with us, Asherah has made (a pact) with us. And all the sons of El, And the great council of all the Holy Ones.74 From Hebrew Text

Again Below

God [ʾĕlōhîm] takes his stand in the court of heaven [or "assembly of God"; ʿădat ʾēl] to deliver judgement among the gods themselves [bəqereb ʾĕlōhîm].

How long will you judge unjustly and show favour to the wicked? You ought to give judgement for the weak and the orphan, and see right done to the destitute and downtrodden, you ought to rescue the weak and the poor, and save them from the clutches of wicked men. But you know nothing, you understand nothing, you walk in the dark while earth's foundations are giving way. This is my sentence: Gods [ʾĕlōhîm] you may be, sons all of you of a high god [or "of the Most High"; bənê ʿelyôn],263 yet you shall die as men die; princes fall, every one of them, and so shall you.

Arise, O God [ʾĕlōhîm], and judge the earth; for thou dost pass all nations through thy sieve. (Psalm 82

) The Nephilim are the offspring of the Sons Of God and Human woman. It means Earth born and that is why in next verse GOD Puts a life span of 120 years as that would most likely have these offspring living a long time, being of Heavenly fathers.

Now the reason some leave the translation as it is ,is because they have been told it is not right, There has been many of a debate on the proper translation. Earth Born sounds correct because these offspring would be a Hybrid species of Divine beings Sons of God and Humans, so therefore they would be half Human and Half immortals or whatever it is exactly. I think we have to take it as it is said that they are Sons of God, for if they wee angels he would have said Angels. Perhaps he had Heavenly Sons as it is alluded to in many other verses. Either way Nephilim is the offspring and they were Earth Born,Mighy Heroes of renown as they were called. But I have edited this to add something that I cannot believe I have missed. The verse says there were Nephilim in those days and after when the Sons of God mated with dauhters of man.These offspring of the mating were called heroes, perhaps another translation of Nephilim is correct then

Nephilim /

The Nephilim are mysterious supermen from ancient times, men of name, who lived before and after the flood of Noah. Before the flood they are mentioned in Genesis 6:4, and after in Numbers 13:33. The question this raises is: who are the Nephilim and how did they survive the flood? If Noah, his sons or any of their wives had been Nephilim, the text would have certainly mentioned it, and the Nephilim would have been treated more positively.

Genesis 6 tells us that the Nephilim were fathered by 'sons of Elohim' with human females. The phrase 'sons of God' may indicate angelic creatures but also the members of some very strong race. It seems that Nephilim were generated from human stock, not just once but often and separately, and not only before the flood but also after. The Bible basically states that biology allows that human females may be and have indeed been impregnated by spirit beings, a fact of course made ultimately evident in the conception of Jesus Christ.

The Nephilim seem to be divided into several sub-categories. The spies who were sent to Canaan reported seeing children of Anak, or the Anakim, who were Nephilim (Numbers 13:33). The word for children that is used in Numbers 13:28 is (yalad) and means 'born ones,' that means of regular birth and not of some 'son of Elohim.' The name of the father of Anak is Arba, and his city, Hebron, is given to Caleb (Joshua 15:13). Caleb subsequently drives out the three sons (perhaps again three subdivisions of the Anakim) of Anak, whose names are Sheshai, Ahiman and Talmai.

Deuteronomy 2:10 speaks of Emim, a people as great, numerous and tall as the Anakim. Deuteronomy counts both the Anakim (who are Nephilim) and the Emim among the so-called Rephaim, but in Genesis 14:5 the Rephaim and the Emim are listed separate. Genesis 14:5 also lists the Zuzim, which are likely the same as the Zamzuzim of Deuteronomy 2:20, who are a people like the Anakim and also counted among Rephaim.

It is not clear where the name Nephilim comes from. There are a few possibilities, and scholars argue about the likelihood of each of them. First of all, the word nephilim is a plural and the single form, (npl), does not occur in the Bible (which by itself is not at all unusual). In another context, however, the word (nepel) means untimely birth or abortion. It comes from the verb (napal), fall, lie down, be cast down, fail. The plural word means 'fallen ones,' mostly by the sword, and occurs in Joshua 8:25, Judges 20:46, 2 Kings 25:11, Psalm 145:14, Jeremiah 39:9, 52:15, Ezekiel 32:22 and 24.

O so we have them saying the Nephilim were here before and in the times that the divine matings were going on, and the offspring of the matings were called heroes perhaps they helped destroy some of these Nephilim perhaps the Nephilim are not the offspring but something else.

1 When men began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. 3 Then the LORD said, "My Spirit will not contend with [a] man forever, for he is mortal [b] ; his days will be a hundred and twenty years."

4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.

Genesis 6:1-4 It seems it is showing these Nephilim existed before the mating and after the mating. I always wondered what it meant they were mighty heroes and well. The verse after has God mad because of corruption, but this verse he called the offspring mighty heroes and famous men, so perhaps the Nephilim were what made him mad.

I am gonna say either way could be correct

Perhas the Nephilim and offspring were not the same as how could they be if they existed before the Sonsof God mated with Human woman and after

Answer 3

The Nephilim also appear in the Enochs.

They were devouring the sons of men, and men were not able to supply them. And the giants began to kill men and to devour them....Asael taught men to make swords of iron and weapons and shields and breastplates and every instrument of war. (7:3,8:1)

Thinking of Nephilim as the chieftains of the empires that the Israelites kept getting overrun by makes a lot of sense.

Goliath was descended from them.

they are the heroes, who, from of old, are the men of name.(Gen 6:4) Anticipating the Tower of Babel builders... Babylonians

"Son of God" was not an uncommon title for an imperial ruler to take.

Think what Native Americans must have thought when the Europeans started showing up or what a Marine in a Humvee looks like to an Afghanistani.

If you had to pick an English word... "Marine" would probably work.

Most of this answer poorly paraphrased from Wes Howard Brooks Come Out My People

Answer 4

The Nephilim were in the earth in those days, and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bore children to them; the same were the mighty men that were of old, the men of renown. - JPS 1917

It sounds like the Nephilim are either the divine beings themselves ("sons of God") or the products of their union with people ("daughters of men").

Nephilim are also referred to in Numbers 13 (by the spies), but I think there is sufficient textual evidence there to doubt the accuracy of their report. The spies also said that the Anakites are Nephilim, and this is in their second telling of their tale of woe. The ten spies are pretty clearly shaken by something that happened there and don't want to go into the land; I read their Nephilim as exaggeration (not necessarily intentional). They clearly can't be the same Nephilim as Genesis 6:4 unless they left and came back after the flood, so the simplest explanation is that they are not the same.