Genesis 6:1-4 is considered to be one of the more difficult passages in the book of Genesis. One of main issues interpreters have struggled with for centuries is the identity of the “sons of God” and “daughters of man” mentioned in verses 2 and 4. Historically, three interpretations regarding the identity of the sons of God have gained significant support: (1) they are angels, (2) they are human rulers/judges, (3) they are the descendants of Seth. A look at the immediate context of Gen 6:1-4 suggests that the sons of God are most naturally understood as male descendants from the line of Seth, while the daughters of men are female descendants from the line of Cain.
Note that Genesis 6 is preceded by two genealogies. The first is found in Genesis 4. While the bulk of the genealogy is found in verses 17-24, it really begins in v 1:
Now the man knew his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain, and she said, “I have acquired a man with the LORD.”
The first genealogy thus begins with man. It is the line of man. It follows directly upon the fall of man and contains at least two murderers, namely Cain and Lamech, as well as four people who were known for significant achievements, namely Cain, Jabal, Jubal and Tubal-Cain. Particular emphasis is placed on Lamech, the seventh from Adam, who has two wives and boasts about his excessive and unjustified violence.
Compare this to the second genealogy in Genesis 5. Though most commentators see this genealogy as beginning with Adam in verse 3, this is not really true. In reality the genealogy begins in verse 1 with none other than God himself! As the similar wording in verses 1 and 3 suggests, Adam is God’s son, just as Seth is Adam’s son. This means that the second genealogy is the line of God and that the descendants that are mentioned here are the sons of God. Notice that there is no mention of the fall in this line – it skips from creation right to the birth of Seth. This does not appear to be accidental. While the first genealogy is strongly associated with the fall of man, the second genealogy is not. Particular emphasis is placed on Enoch, the seventh from Adam, who walks with God and is taken away by him as well as on Lamech, whose speech in 5:29 stands in stark contrast to that of his counterpart in chapter 4. Thus the second genealogy presents those who are faithful to God and hope for relief from the curse of Genesis 3. This is in line with New Testament texts like John 1:12 or Romans 8:14 which refers to believers as “sons of God.”
Once the context is taken into account, the terminology used in Genesis 6:1-4 makes sense. The sons of God are male descendants from the line of God in chapter 5. According to Gen 6:2 and 4 these descendants of God married the daughters of man, i.e. female descendants from the line of man in chapter 4. Thus we have a mixing of the two lines. That this is problematic is indicated not only by God’s reaction in 6:3 but also by the allusion to the fall in 6:2:
The sons of God saw that they were good; and they took wives for themselves of all that they chose.
Genesis 6:2 thus describes a new fall that is followed by divine judgment. Yet all is not lost, for there is another son of God who remains faithful and becomes the savior of mankind. Those who belong to his family do not perish in the judgment of the flood, but are saved so that they may live in the earth made new.
The Word 