Genesis 6:2-4
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
2 the sons of God[a] saw how beautiful the daughters of human beings were, and so they took for their wives whomever they pleased.(A) 3 Then the Lord said: My spirit shall not remain in human beings forever, because they are only flesh. Their days shall comprise one hundred and twenty years.
4 The Nephilim appeared on earth in those days, as well as later,[b] after the sons of God had intercourse with the daughters of human beings, who bore them sons. They were the heroes of old, the men of renown.(B)
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- 6:2 The sons of God: other heavenly beings. See note on 1:26.
- 6:4 As well as later: the belief was common that human beings of gigantic stature once lived on earth. In some cultures, such heroes could make positive contributions, but the Bible generally regards them in a negative light (cf. Nm 13:33; Ez 32:27). The point here is that even these heroes, filled with vitality from their semi-divine origin, come under God’s decree in v. 3.
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