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I have looked at the Stack Exchange comments on Genesis 6:4 but have not found the following opinion expressed.

Could someone schooled in Hebrew please comment on my use of the word "Owlam" (Strong's #5769) in this context.

The conclusion that I draw to explain Gen 6:1-4 is that the Demonic Spirits saw that women were fair. The spirits then bore offspring by/through the women.

The offspring or result of the union of a spirit and a human would be a possessed human in Biblical terminology.

The resultant offspring are referred to as Nephilim in some circles and are men or mortals of "Owlam" in Gen 6:4.

(CLV) Gn 6:4 As for the distinguished, they were on earth in those days and also afterward, when the sons of the elohim were coming to the daughters of the human, and they bore them offspring. They were the masterful ones, who were from the eon, mortals of renown.

They were mortals from the eon. Eon is the way the CLV (Concordant Literal Version) chose to translate the Hebrew word “Owlam”. "Owlam" means forever or eternity, and is translated as "of Old" in most versions of the Bible.

I feel that the product of the union between the Sons of God and the Daughters of men were “Men” with eternal spirits inhabiting them.

The word "eternal" is used here to describe the demonic spirits because angels are not subject to death, hence the Demonic spirits were not subject to death either.

This concept is based upon the verse stating that Jesus was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, Heb 2:9.

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    The body of your text is very convoluted. There are many concepts and they seem conflated. You might want to either simplify the body of text and then answer your own question because you seem to have a certain personal opinion on the subject or expand the text and elaborate. But as is, the read is confusing. I don’t know to agree with you or disagree. Some things sound right but others are clearly wrong.
    – Nihil Sine Deo
    Mar 9, 2020 at 2:49
  • Firstly where do you see demonic spirits? They were sons of God or heavenly hosts. Second they left their abode/state and took on bodies so they aren’t spirits because spirits don’t have bodies. A spirit cannot copulate a body can. The word possession is not a good translation of the Greek demonized. And they were not possessed humans but Nephilim or Gibborim half men and half heavenly host. Not fully human with another spirit inside. Your question centers around Olam. Is Olam an age, eternity or something else? I suggest you focus on just Olam the rest is a distraction to the question.
    – Nihil Sine Deo
    Mar 9, 2020 at 3:02
  • The conflation or merging of two sets of ideas is necessary with regard to this topic. The angels who abandoned their heavenly position are fallen or in my parlance -Demons. Also they cannot create bodies so if they spirits take on bodies they have to take them from someone already living such as is seen in "demonic possession.
    – brmicke
    Mar 9, 2020 at 15:04
  • But the later Greek text distinguishes between a demon, daimon and a rulership daimonion. You are conflating the two. The Gen6 passage is not dealing with demons but sons of God or heavenly hosts that have rulership. They were also given the nations to rule over Deu32:8 LXX, DSS and ESV. If demons are anything they are the spirits of the dead offsprings of the rulers with human women or the Nephilim. Demons do not appear in history until well after the flood. You are assuming that the principalities/rulerships possessed people. That’s not what the text says. Jude and Peter say otherwise.
    – Nihil Sine Deo
    Mar 9, 2020 at 15:11
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    Where in the biblical text do you see spirit beings depicted as having reproductive organs? Why would eternal beings need them? The whole concept of spirit beings mating with human beings is extra-biblical nonsense. "Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they [the resurrected] neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven" (Matthew 22:29-30 KJV).
    – enegue
    Mar 21, 2020 at 4:43

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Genesis 6:4 New International Version

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 [H5769 owlam], men of renown.

The Hebrew word owlam is ambiguous, e.g., Job 22:

15 Will you keep to the old [H5769 owlam] path that the wicked have trod?

Here "eternal path that the wicked have trod" does not make much sense. At https://biblehub.com/parallel/job/22-15.htm, none of the 38 versions use "eternal"

Owlam does not necessarily mean "eternal", it could mean "ancient" or "old".

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What is the Ivri meaning of "MeOlam" (מֵֽעוֹלָ֖ם) in Bereishit / Genesis 6:4 [MT] ?

Genesis 6:4 [MT] :

"The-Nephilim were on-earth in-days like them and-afterward, when the sons of the-Elohim would come to-daughters of the-Adam, and they would bear for-them The-mighty Heroes, who were Worldly men of The-Name." (הַנְּפִלִ֞ים הָי֣וּ בָאָ֘רֶץ֘ בַּיָּמִ֣ים הָהֵם֒ וְגַ֣ם אַֽחֲרֵי־כֵ֗ן אֲשֶׁ֨ר יָבֹ֜אוּ בְּנֵ֤י הָֽאֱלֹהִים֙ אֶל־בְּנ֣וֹת הָֽאָדָ֔ם וְיָֽלְד֖וּ לָהֶ֑ם הֵ֧מָּה הַגִּבֹּרִ֛ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר מֵֽעוֹלָ֖ם אַנְשֵׁ֥י הַשֵּֽׁם)

"Me-Olam" (מֵֽעוֹלָ֖ם) = "of-World" / Worldly describes:

  • "Anesh-ei" (אַנְשֵׁ֥י) = "Men-of" ;
  • "Ha-Shem" (הַשֵּֽׁם) = "The-Name" / renown.

Why were these Worldly (מֵֽעוֹלָ֖ם) men renown? - They were The-Heroes / "Ha-Giborim" (הַגִּבֹּרִ֛ים) of earth.

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