Genesis 6:2
New International Version
the sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose.

New Living Translation
The sons of God saw the beautiful women and took any they wanted as their wives.

English Standard Version
the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose.

Berean Study Bible
the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they took as wives whomever they chose.

New American Standard Bible
that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose.

New King James Version
that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose.

King James Bible
That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.

Christian Standard Bible
the sons of God saw that the daughters of mankind were beautiful, and they took any they chose as wives for themselves.

Good News Translation
some of the heavenly beings saw that these young women were beautiful, so they took the ones they liked.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
the sons of God saw that the daughters of mankind were beautiful, and they took any they chose as wives for themselves.

International Standard Version
some divine beings noticed how attractive human women were, so they took wives for themselves from a selection that pleased them.

NET Bible
the sons of God saw that the daughters of humankind were beautiful. Thus they took wives for themselves from any they chose.

New Heart English Bible
that God's sons saw that the daughters of humankind were beautiful, and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The sons of God saw that the daughters of other humans were beautiful. So they married any woman they chose.

JPS Tanakh 1917
that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives, whomsoever they chose.

New American Standard 1977
that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose.

King James 2000 Bible
That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.

American King James Version
That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.

American Standard Version
that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all that they chose.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
that the sons of God having seen the daughters of men that they were beautiful, took to themselves wives of all whom they chose.

Douay-Rheims Bible
The sons of God seeing the daughters of men, that they were fair, took themselves wives of all which they chose.

Darby Bible Translation
that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair, and took themselves wives of all that they chose.

English Revised Version
that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all that they chose.

Webster's Bible Translation
That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all whom they chose.

World English Bible
that God's sons saw that men's daughters were beautiful, and they took for themselves wives of all that they chose.

Young's Literal Translation
and sons of God see the daughters of men that they are fair, and they take to themselves women of all whom they have chosen.
Study Bible
Corruption on the Earth
1Now when men began to multiply on the face of the earth and daughters were born to them, 2the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they took as wives whomever they chose. 3So the LORD said, “My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days shall be 120 years.”…
Cross References
Genesis 6:1
Now when men began to multiply on the face of the earth and daughters were born to them,

Genesis 6:3
So the LORD said, "My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days shall be 120 years."

Treasury of Scripture

That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.

the sons.

Genesis 4:26
And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.

Exodus 4:22,23
And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn: …

Deuteronomy 14:1
Ye are the children of the LORD your God: ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead.

saw.

2 Peter 2:14
Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children:

that they.

Genesis 3:6
And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

Genesis 39:6,7
And he left all that he had in Joseph's hand; and he knew not ought he had, save the bread which he did eat. And Joseph was a goodly person, and well favoured…

2 Samuel 11:2
And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon.

and they.

Genesis 24:3
And I will make thee swear by the LORD, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell:

Genesis 27:46
And Rebekah said to Isaac, I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth: if Jacob take a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these which are of the daughters of the land, what good shall my life do me?

Exodus 34:16
And thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after their gods.









Lexicon
the sons
בְנֵי־ (ḇə·nê-)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's Hebrew 1121: A son

of God
הָֽאֱלֹהִים֙ (hā·’ĕ·lō·hîm)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's Hebrew 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

saw that
וַיִּרְא֤וּ (way·yir·’ū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's Hebrew 7200: To see

the daughters
בְּנ֣וֹת (bə·nō·wṯ)
Noun - feminine plural construct
Strong's Hebrew 1323: A daughter

of men
הָֽאָדָ֔ם (hā·’ā·ḏām)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's Hebrew 120: Ruddy, a human being

[were] beautiful,
טֹבֹ֖ת (ṭō·ḇōṯ)
Adjective - feminine plural
Strong's Hebrew 2896: Pleasant, agreeable, good

and they took
וַיִּקְח֤וּ (way·yiq·ḥū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's Hebrew 3947: To take

as wives
נָשִׁ֔ים (nā·šîm)
Noun - feminine plural
Strong's Hebrew 802: Woman, wife, female

whomever
אֲשֶׁ֥ר (’ă·šer)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's Hebrew 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

they chose.
בָּחָֽרוּ׃ (bā·ḥā·rū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's Hebrew 977: To try, select
(2) The sons of God. . . . --The literal translation of this verse is, And the sons of the Elohim saw the daughters of the adam that they were good (beautiful); and they took to them wives whomsoever they chose. Of the sons of the Elohim there are three principal interpretations: the first, that of the Targums and the chief Jewish expositors, that they were the nobles, and men of high rank; the second, that they were angels. St. Jude, Jude 1:6, and St. Peter, 2 Ep., 2Peter 2:4, seem to favour this interpretation, possibly as being the translation of the LXX. according to several MSS. But even if this be their meaning, which is very uncertain, they use it only as an illustration; and a higher authority says that the angels neither marry nor are given in marriage. The third, and most generally accepted interpretation in modern times, is that the sons of the Elohim were the Sethites, and that when they married for mere lust of beauty, universal corruption soon ensued. But no modern commentator has shown how such marriages could produce "mighty men . . . men of renown;" or how strong warriors could be the result of the intermarriage of pious men with women of an inferior race, such as the Cainites are assumed to have been.

The Jewish interpreters, who well understood the uses of their own language, are right in the main point that the phrase "sons of the Elohim" conveys no idea of moral goodness or piety. Elohim constantly means mighty ones (Exodus 15:11, marg.). (Comp. Exodus 12:12, marg., Exodus 21:6; Exodus 22:8-9, where it is translated judges; Exodus 22:28, 1Samuel 2:25, where also it is translated judge.) In Job 1:6 the "sons of Elohim" are the nobles, the idea being that of a king who at his durbar gathers his princes round him; and, not unnecessarily to multiply examples, the "sons of the Elim," the other form of the plural, is rightly translated mighty ones in Psalm 29:1.

Who, then, are these "mighty ones?" Before answering this question, let me call attention to the plain teaching of the narrative as to what is meant by the "daughters of men." It says: "When the adam began to multiply, and daughters were born unto them, the sons of the Elohim saw the daughters of the adam . . . and took them wives," &c. But according to every right rule of interpretation, the "daughters of the adam" in Genesis 6:1 must be the same as the "daughters of the adam" in Genesis 6:2, whom the sons of the Elohim married. Now, it seems undeniable that the adam here spoken of were the Sethites. The phrase occurs in the history of Noah, just after giving his descent from Adam; Cain is absolutely passed over, even in the account of the birth of Seth, who is described as Adam's firstborn, such as legally he was. The corruption described is that of the Sethites; for the Cainites have already been depicted as violent and lustful, and their history has been brought to an end. Moreover, in Genesis 6:3, "the adam with whom God will not always strive" is certainly the family of Seth, who, though the chosen people and possessors of the birthright, are nevertheless described as falling into evil ways; and their utter corruption finally is the result of the depravation of their women by a race superior to themselves in muscular vigour and warlike prowess.

Where, then, shall we find these men? Certainly among the descendants of Cain. In Genesis 4:17-24, we find Cain described as the founder of civil institutions and social life: the name he gives to his son testifies to his determination that his race shall be trained men. They advance rapidly in the arts, become rich, refined, luxurious, but also martial and arrogant. The picture terminates in a boastful hero parading himself before his admiring wives, displaying to them his weapons, and vaunting himself in a poem of no mean merit as ten times superior to their forefather Cain. His namesake in the race of Seth also indites a poem; but it is a groan over their hard toil, and the difficulty with which, by incessant labour, they earned their daily bread. To the simple "daughters of the adam," these men, enriched by the possession of implements of metal, playing sweet music on harp and pipe, and rendered invincible by the deadly weapons they had forged, must have seemed indeed as very "sons of the Elohim." The Sethites could not have taken the Cainite women according to their fancy in the way described, protected as they were by armed men; but the whole phrase, "whomsoever they would," reeks of that arrogancy and wantonness of which the polygamist Lamech had set so notable an example. And so, not by the women corrupting nobler natures, but by these strong men acting according to their lust, the race with the birthright sank to the Cainite level, and God had no longer a people on earth worthy of His choice.

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