Genesis 6:2

Genesis 6:2 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
• New International Version (NIV)the sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose.
• English Standard Version (ESV)the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose.
• New King James Version (NKJV)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.

Context of Genesis 6:2

1When humankind began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of humankind were beautiful. Thus they took wives for themselves from any they chose. 3So the Lord said, “My spirit will not remain in humankind indefinitely, since they are mortal. They will remain for 120 more years.” 4The Nephilim were on the earth in those days (and also after this) when the sons of God were having sexual relations with the daughters of humankind, who gave birth to their children. They were the mighty heroes of old, the famous men.

Genesis 6:2 word by word

וַיִּרְא֤וּ בְנֵי־הָֽאֱלֹהִים֙ אֶת־בְּנ֣וֹת הָֽאָדָ֔ם כִּ֥י טֹבֹ֖ת הֵ֑נָּה וַיִּקְח֤וּ לָהֶם֙ נָשִׁ֔ים מִכֹּ֖ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר בָּחָֽרוּ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• That the sonsבֵּןbên · son: type ofH1121
• of Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
• sawרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
• the daughtersבַּתbath · daughterH1323
• of menאָדָם'âdâm · manH120
• that theyהֵנָּהhênnâh · they(fem.)H2007
• fairטוֹבţôb · pleasantH2896
• and they tookלָקַחlâqach · to take: marryH3947
• them wivesאִשָּׁה'ishshâh nâshîym · woman: wifeH802
• of all which they choseבָּחַרbâchar · to chooseH977

Cross-references for Genesis 6:2

• Genesis 4:26And a son was also born to Seth, whom he named Enosh. At that time people began to worship the Lord.
• Exodus 4:22You must say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Israel is my son, my firstborn,
• Deuteronomy 14:1You are children of the Lord your God. Do not cut yourselves or shave your forehead bald for the sake of the dead.
• Psalms 82:6I thought, ‘You are gods; all of you are sons of the Most High.’
• Isaiah 63:16For you are our father, though Abraham does not know us and Israel does not recognize us. You, Lord, are our father; you have been called our protector from ancient times.
• Malachi 2:11Judah has become disloyal, and unspeakable sins have been committed in Israel and Jerusalem. For Judah has profaned the holy things that the Lord loves and has turned to a foreign god!
• John 8:41You people are doing the deeds of your father.” Then they said to Jesus, “We were not born as a result of immorality! We have only one Father, God himself.”
• John 8:42Jesus replied, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come from God and am now here. I have not come on my own initiative, but he sent me.
• Romans 9:7nor are all the children Abraham’s true descendants; rather “through Isaac will your descendants be counted.”
• 2 Corinthians 6:18and I will be a father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters,” says the All-Powerful Lord.
• 2 Peter 2:14Their eyes, full of adultery, never stop sinning; they entice unstable people. They have trained their hearts for greed, these cursed children!
• Genesis 3:6When the woman saw that the tree produced fruit that was good for food, was attractive to the eye, and was desirable for making one wise, she took some of its fruit and ate it. She also gave some of it to her husband who was with her, and he ate it.
• Genesis 39:6So Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph’s care; he gave no thought to anything except the food he ate. Now Joseph was well built and good-looking.
• 2 Samuel 11:2One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of his palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. Now this woman was very attractive.
• Job 31:1“I made a covenant with my eyes; how then could I entertain thoughts against a virgin?
• 1 John 2:16because all that is in the world (the desire of the flesh and the desire of the eyes and the arrogance produced by material possessions) is not from the Father, but is from the world.

Commentaries on Genesis 6:2

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1-8Verses 1-8 - The Growth of Sin 3. דון dı̂yn “be down, strive, subdue, judge.” בשׁגם bāshagām “inasmuch, as also.” The rendering “in their error” requires the pointing בשׁגם beshāgām and the plural form of the following pronoun. It is also unknown to the Septuagint. 4. נפילים nepı̂lı̂ym “assailants, fellers, men of violence, tyrants.” Having traced the line of descent from Adam through Sheth, the seed of God, to Noah, the author proceeds to describe…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-2The sons of God have generally been understood as fallen angels (or demons). The main interpretation of the phrase seems to refer to demons. The same Hebrew phrase is in Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7; Psalms 29:1; 89:7. This idea appears often in ancient Jewish and Christian writings (for example, 1 Enoch 6:1–7:6; Justin Martyr, Apology 2.5). The New Testament also seems to support this view in some passages (see 1 Peter 3:18–20; 2 Peter 2:4; Jude 1:6–7). Some…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-222. the sons of God saw the daughters of men--By the former is meant the family of Seth, who were professedly religious; by the latter, the descendants of apostate Cain. Mixed marriages between parties of opposite principles and practice were necessarily sources of extensive corruption. The women, religious themselves, would as wives and mothers exert an influence fatal to the existence of religion in their household, and consequently the people of that…Read the comment

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Sons of God
• Corrupt
• Fill
• Flesh
• Imagination
• Marriage
• Multiply
• Noah

Commentaries on Genesis 6

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings