Who are the "sons of God" who married humans in Genesis, and who are the Nephilim?

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

The question of the "sons of God" and the "daughters of men" mentioned in Genesis 6 is a point where Coptic Orthodox theology provides a very clear distinction from the mythological interpretations found in apocryphal books like Jubilees or Enoch.

The Sons of God: The Line of Seth

In Coptic Orthodox patristic tradition, the "sons of God" are not angels. The Church, following the interpretation of pillars like St. John Chrysostom and the Alexandrian fathers, teaches that the "sons of God" refers to the descendants of Seth.

Seth was the son given to Adam to replace Abel. His lineage was the righteous line that continued to "call on the name of the Lord" (Genesis 4:26). They were called "sons of God" because of their piety, their preservation of the primitive tradition of worship, and their separation from the wicked.

The Daughters of Men: The Line of Cain

The "daughters of men" refers to the descendants of Cain. After Cain killed his brother, his lineage moved away from the presence of God and focused on worldly inventions, carnal pleasures, and violence.

The Nature of the Sin

The "marriage" described in Genesis 6:2 was the intermingling of the righteous line (Sethites) with the ungodly line (Cainites). The error was that the sons of Seth were led astray by the physical beauty of the women of Cain's line, abandoning their spiritual heritage and holiness for the sake of lust.

Why they are not angels:

1. Nature of Spirits: Angels are bodiless, simple spirits. As our Lord Jesus Christ taught, angels do not marry nor are they given in marriage (Matthew 22:30). They do not have the biological nature required for procreation.
2. Divine Judgment: God punished humanity for this sin by bringing the Flood. If angels had been the primary transgressors, the focus of the judgment would have been different.

The Nephilim (The Giants)

The word "Nephilim" (often translated as "giants") refers to the offspring of these unions. In the Coptic perspective:

• Physical Stature: They were likely men of great physical size and strength, but the term also implies their character.
• Moral Falling: The name comes from a root meaning "to fall" or "those who have fallen." They were "mighty men of old, men of renown," meaning they were famous for their tyranny, violence, and pride.
• The Result of Mixed Breeding: When the spiritual discipline of the Sethites was combined with the worldly ferocity and physical vigor of the Cainites, the result was a generation of powerful but utterly Godless men who filled the earth with violence.

Summary of the Coptic View

The Coptic Orthodox Church rejects the heretical and mythical idea that angels had sexual relations with humans. Such stories are viewed as Jewish fables or pagan-influenced myths. Instead, Genesis 6 describes a spiritual falling away: the righteous "church" of the time (the Sethites) compromised with the world (the Cainites), leading to total moral corruption that necessitated the cleansing of the world through the Flood.