What is the Coptic Orthodox view on the giants in the Old Testament and the Nephilim in Genesis Chapter 6? Were these fallen angels who bred with the daughters of God?

By CopticBot.ai (Coptic Space Inc.) · Last reviewed 2026-10-10

The Coptic Orthodox Church, following the clear and consistent interpretation of the Alexandrian Fathers and the Holy Scriptures, rejects the notion that the "sons of God" in Genesis 6 were angels or fallen spirits who procreated with human women.

The idea that angels (entities of spirit) could engage in biological reproduction with humans is considered a heretical fairy tale and a misunderstanding of the nature of spiritual beings.

1. The Correct Interpretation: Two Lines of Humanity

Our Church teaches that Genesis 6 describes the mixing of two distinct lineages of mankind:

• The Sons of God (The Sethites): These were the descendants of Seth (the third son of Adam). They were called "sons of God" because they maintained the fear of the Lord, the true worship, and the righteous lifestyle handed down from Adam.
• The Daughters of Men (The Cainites): These were the descendants of Cain. Following the murder of Abel, this lineage abandoned God, focusing on worldly inventions, music for pleasure, and carnal beauty, which led to deep corruption.

The "fall" described in Genesis 6 occurred when the righteous Sethites, attracted by the physical beauty of the Cainite women, abandoned their spiritual separation and married them. This compromise led to the total corruption of the earth, which ultimately necessitated the Great Flood.

2. The Identity of the "Giants"

The word for "giants" in Hebrew is Nephilim, which can also mean "fallen ones." In the Coptic tradition, these were not demi-gods or alien-angel hybrids. They were humans who were "mighty" in two ways:

1. Physical Stature and Strength: As nature was closer to its original perfection, people often possessed greater size and longevity.
2. Tyranny and Wickedness: They were "giants" of pride and violence. As Saint Ephrem the Syrian notes, the wickedness of mankind became great because "their sins were not committed only occasionally, but their sins were incessant; night and day they would not desist from their wicked thought."

3. Rejection of the "Angelic" Theory

The view that angels mated with women is found in apocryphal texts like the Book of Enoch. However, the Coptic Church agrees with the historical consensus that such interpretations are "clearly lies" and "incredible things" that are "contrary to sound doctrine."

There are several theological reasons why the "Angelic" theory is rejected:

• Angelic Nature: Angels are spirits. Our Lord Jesus Christ explicitly stated that angels do not marry nor are given in marriage (Matthew 22:30). They do not have the biological composition (DNA, seed, or flesh) required for procreation.
• The Responsibility of Sin: If angels were the cause of this corruption, the judgment of the Flood would have been directed at the angels. Instead, God said, "I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth" (Genesis 6:7), because the sin belonged to humanity.

4. Later Giants in Scripture

Scripture does mention giants after the flood, such as Og, the king of Bashan, and Goliath of Gath. These were groups of people (like the Anakim or Rephaim) who were simply humans of extraordinary physical height and strength. As the Orthodox Study Bible notes regarding David and Goliath, David called upon the Lord Most High to defeat the "mighty man", showing that these giants were mortal men who could be killed by the power of God.

Conclusion:

In Coptic theology, the Nephilim were the product of the unholy union between the righteous lineage of Seth and the wicked lineage of Cain. They represent the peak of human arrogance and physical strength divorced from God, not a hybrid of spiritual beings and humans. We must avoid the "incredible things" found in myths and stick to the "sound doctrine" of the Holy Fathers.