The rendering of Genesis 6:2 has long been the subject of intense exegetical and translational debate, centering upon the phrase בְּנֵי־הָאֱלֹהִים (benê hāʾĕlōhîm), traditionally translated “sons of God.” This designation, occurring in the pre-Flood narrative, has significant implications for understanding the theological background of the passage, its cosmological worldview, and its place in both ancient Israelite religion and later Jewish and Christian interpretation. Translators are divided over whether to preserve the supernatural sense that appears evident from parallel passages or to render it in a way that avoids angelic connotations.

The Hebrew Expression בְּנֵי־הָאֱלֹהִים

The form consists of the plural construct noun בְּנֵי (benê, “sons of”) followed by the definite article and the plural noun אֱלֹהִים (ʾĕlōhîm, “God” or “gods”), here with the article marking specificity. Thus, the phrase is literally “sons of the God.” Its use elsewhere in the Hebrew Scriptures is decisive. In Job 1:6 and 2:1, the identical phrase בְּנֵי־הָאֱלֹהִים clearly denotes angelic beings who appear before Jehovah’s throne, functioning as members of the divine council. Similarly, in Job 38:7, the “sons of God” shout for joy at creation—again, beings present before the creation of man, which cannot be human rulers. The phrase therefore has a consistent supernatural referent in its limited Old Testament usage.

The Septuagint Witness

The Greek Septuagint (LXX), translated several centuries before Christ, renders the phrase in Genesis 6:2 as οἱ ἄγγελοι τοῦ θεοῦ (“the angels of God”). This is not a mere paraphrase but an interpretive translation reflecting the Jewish understanding at the time: the phrase referred to angelic beings, not human nobles. The same rendering appears in LXX Job 1:6 and 2:1, further demonstrating consistency. The Septuagint thus provides important testimony to how ancient Jewish translators—who had direct familiarity with Hebrew usage—understood the text.

Early Jewish and Christian Interpretation

The Book of 1 Enoch (esp. 6–7), written in the Second Temple period, interprets Genesis 6:2 as referring to angels who transgressed their proper domain by taking wives from among humankind. The Dead Sea Scrolls (e.g., 4Q201, 4Q204) likewise preserve this supernatural interpretation. The early church fathers, including Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, and others, upheld the angelic view, seeing it as the natural reading of both Genesis and the Septuagint. Only later, particularly with Augustine and subsequent Latin tradition, did a shift occur toward the “sons of Seth” interpretation, motivated by theological discomfort with angelic cohabitation.

Translations That Render “Sons of God” as Human Nobility

Several modern translations, influenced by this interpretive move, avoid the supernatural reading by rendering בְּנֵי־הָאֱלֹהִים as “sons of the nobles,” “sons of rulers,” or similar expressions. For instance:

• NEB (New English Bible): “the sons of the gods” (ambiguous but still avoiding angelic specificity).

• NRSV (New Revised Standard Version) footnotes suggest “heavenly beings” but textually favors “sons of God,” leaving room for non-supernatural interpretations.

• NABRE (New American Bible, Revised Edition): translates “sons of heaven.”

• TEV (Good News Bible/Today’s English Version): “the sons of the gods.”

• CEB (Common English Bible): “divine beings.”

• NET (New English Translation) footnote argues for “sons of God” but allows an interpretive gloss that these could be rulers or kings.

• NJB (New Jerusalem Bible): “the sons of God” but footnotes favor human rulers.

Some Jewish translations, such as the JPS Tanakh (1985), translate “divine beings” to remove angelic implication while staying within Hebrew idiom.

The rendering “sons of rulers” or “sons of nobles” occurs in interpretive paraphrases and older rabbinic traditions but does not have lexical justification in the Hebrew phrase. This translation arises from theological presupposition rather than linguistic evidence.

Textual and Contextual Considerations

The phrase’s restriction to Genesis and Job strengthens the case for a supernatural interpretation. Nowhere else is the expression used of humans, whether rulers or judges. While passages such as Psalm 82:6 (“I said, ‘You are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you’”) are sometimes adduced as evidence that ʾĕlōhîm can apply to human rulers, that psalm does not use the construction בְּנֵי־הָאֱלֹהִים. Instead, it uses an appellative for corrupt judges. Genesis 6:2, however, is more closely aligned with Job’s usage.

The narrative context also reinforces this. Genesis 6:1–4 describes an extraordinary event: heavenly beings intermingling with humanity, producing offspring called “Nephilim” (נְפִלִים). To reduce this to mere dynastic intermarriage between Sethites and Cainites or rulers and commoners fails to explain the heightened reaction of Jehovah in verses 3 and 5–7, where the corruption of all flesh leads to the global judgment of the Flood.

Translation Philosophy Implications

A literal rendering must give readers what the inspired author wrote, not a theological reinterpretation. The expression בְּנֵי־הָאֱלֹהִים should be translated consistently as “sons of God,” allowing the reader to evaluate its meaning through cross-references and study, rather than substituting interpretive glosses such as “sons of rulers.” Such glosses import later theological discomfort into the inspired text.

The Septuagint, early Jewish literature, and patristic writings all converge to show that the natural reading in the ancient world was angelic. Modern translations that obscure this in favor of human rulers demonstrate interpretive intrusion upon the text. While exegesis may seek to explain, translation must preserve what is written.

Genesis 6:2, then, properly reads: “the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose.” Any alteration beyond this undermines both linguistic fidelity and the inspired record.

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