New King James Version
Genesis 6:2
2that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose.
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 Living Translation (NLT)The sons of God saw the beautiful women and took any they wanted as their wives.
Context of Genesis 6:2
1Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, 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. 3And the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” 4There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.
Read all of Genesis 6Genesis 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 as for Seth, to him also a son was born; and he named him Ē´nosh. Then men began to call on the name of the Lord.
- Exodus 4:22Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Israel is My son, My firstborn.
- Deuteronomy 14:1“You are the children of the Lord your God; you shall not cut yourselves nor shave the front of your head for the dead.
- Psalms 82:6I said, “You are gods, And all of you are children of the Most High.
- Isaiah 63:16Doubtless You are our Father, Though Abraham was ignorant of us, And Israel does not acknowledge us. You, O Lord, are our Father; Our Redeemer from Everlasting is Your name.
- Malachi 2:11Judah has dealt treacherously, And an abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem, For Judah has profaned The Lord’s holy institution which He loves: He has married the daughter of a foreign god.
- John 8:41You do the deeds of your father.” Then they said to Him, “We were not born of fornication; we have one Father—God.”
- John 8:42Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me.
- Romans 9:7nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, “In Isaac your seed shall be called.”
- 2 Corinthians 6:18“I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the Lord Almighty.”
- 2 Peter 2:14having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls. They have a heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children.
- Genesis 3:6So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.
- Genesis 39:6Thus he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand, and he did not know what he had except for the bread which he ate. Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance.
- 2 Samuel 11:2Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king’s house. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold.
- Job 31:1“I have made a covenant with my eyes; Why then should I look upon a young woman?
- 1 John 2:16For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of 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
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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries