From sacred to sacrilege: ‘Sons of God,’ ‘daughters of men’ and erosion of God’s words in human traditions (Genesis 5–6; Isaiah 29–30; Matthew 23)

Hallel Fellowship

For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

Romans 8:14 NASB 1995

Overview

There are all kinds of interpretations about the extremely old ages listed in the genealogy of Genesis 5 and the “sons of God” and Nephalim references in Genesis 6:1–8. But what seems most import in this passage to understand is following God’s teachings, versus claiming to follow God but not truly engaging (talking and walking) with Him to act righteously.

First, why are there inconsistencies in the ages of figures like Adam and Noah, highlighting the discrepancies between the Masoretic (standard Hebrew) text and the Septuagint (300–100 B.C. Greek) translation of Genesis 5?

At the same time, we see “sacred numbers” of the Bible, such as 7, 8, 12, and 40, show up in the ages of genealogy of this chapter. Some have posited that the ages show evidence of a shift in numbering systems from a 60-based counting system of Mesopotamia to a 10-based system, suggesting it may have occurred due to cultural changes in Abraham’s travel from Ur to Canaan.

Some biblical interpretations like to focus on the mystery of “the sons of God” and the Nephilim in Genesis 6:1–8. Yet “sons of God” could represent individuals who abandoned God for worldly desires (Romans 8), and not necessarily literal angelic offspring. This could be shown in the lineages of Cain (Genesis 4:17–26) and Seth (Genesis 5), suggesting a struggle between good and evil.

There is debate about whether the נְפִילִים Nephilim in Genesis 6:4 refers to fallen angels mating with women. An ancient Christian interpretation proposes that “came in to” (יָבֹ֜אוּ yavoʾu, from בּוֹא boʾ, H935) and “bore”/”begot” (יָלְד֖וּ yoldu, from יָלַד yalad H3205) are metaphors for demonic possession.

---

Into the details

Sacred numbers in the Bible

When secular skeptics read the genealogies in Genesis 5, they often doubt the historical accuracy of the passage because the lifespans of the patriarchs seem unusually long. Since we can’t wrap our heads around these extraordinary life spans, we presume the authors are either lying or exaggerating.

When people attempt to use these ages to reverse-calculate the age of the earth, they encounter problems, depending on whether they reference the Septuagint or the Masoretic Text. These issues arise due to gaps in the genealogical records and variations in how the earth’s age was calculated.

These contradictory numbers frustrate people like me, who enjoy working with numbers and are curious about why they differ. But in the end, it doesn’t matter what the numbers actually are because they don’t change how I walk in obedience to God’s instructions.

I can’t imagine living to be 1,000 years old, nor can I fathom anyone having their first son at the age of 180. Such things are beyond our lived experience. When something is outside of our experience, we often find it hard to believe it’s possible.

Sacred numbers in different religious traditions

Have you ever heard the term “sacred numbers”? Certain numbers have historical or mystical meanings, such as 7, 3, 8, 12, 40, 49, and 70. These numbers are often symbolic, representing abstract concepts like perfection, judgment, or new beginnings.

For example, Genesis 1 contains numerous references to the number 7. Because of this, when we see the number 7 elsewhere in Scripture, our minds naturally return to the creation account to seek connections or deeper meanings.

The most common sacred number in Sumerian culture was 60 (or 360), associated with the lunar cycle, the 360 degrees of a circle, and the 60 minutes in an hour. Mathematics was a sacred discipline to the ancient Sumerians.

When Noah or his sons recorded their family’s genealogical history, it is notable that the men’s ages are multiples of 60. This intrigues me.

There seems to be also a pattern in Genesis where lifespans gradually decrease between Adam and Noah, but after Noah, they drop precipitously. Scholars have proposed various theories to explain this, including disease, changes in the atmosphere, or shifts in human genetics.

The Sumerians used a base-60 counting system, while the Egyptians, Canaanites, Greeks, and Romans used a base-10 system. By the time of Abraham, numerical records often reflected multiples of 10.

Noah’s age and the Flood: Why did he wait so long to have kids?

The genealogy in Genesis 5 was not recorded to provide a precise calculation for the earth’s age. Its purpose was to trace Noah’s lineage and document the age of each father when their next recorded son was born.

For instance, Adam fathered Seth, who was not his firstborn. Seth then fathered Enosh. We are not told whether Enosh was Seth’s firstborn, and it doesn’t matter. The focus of Genesis 5 is on tracing a specific patrilineal lineage, not birth order.

According to Josephus, Adam and Eve had 33 sons and 23 daughters, yet only three sons are named in the Bible, and none of the daughters are mentioned by name. Whether Josephus was correct or not is beside the point. The key takeaway is that Genesis 5 focuses solely on Seth because he is the progenitor of Noah.

We often assume that the men mentioned in Genesis 5 were the eldest sons, but that is not a reasonable assumption. God frequently entrusts His work to individuals who are not firstborns, such as Moses, King David, and Joseph.

The Hebrew word for genealogy in Genesis 5 (also Gen. 2:4; 6:9; 10:1, 32; 11:10, 27; 25:12-13, 19; 36:1, 9; 37:2) is תּוֹלָדוֹת toledot (H8435). It comes from the verb יָלַד yalad (H3205), translated as “begat” in the King James Version, “became the father of” in the New American Standard Bible or literally “to (produce a) child” — to have a יֶלֶד yeled (H3206, “child, son, boy, youth”¹). This verb is used throughout the genealogies of Genesis 5 and 11.

Interesting to note is the wording used for Noach’s generation:

Noah was five hundred years old, and Noah became the father of [יָלַד yalad] Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Genesis 5:32 NASB 1995

Noah became the father of [יָלַד yalad] three sons [בָּנִים banim, from בֵּן beyn (H1121)]: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Genesis 6:10 NASB 1995

While yalad notes father–son relationships, especially in Genesis 5 and 11 where an age is noted for the timing of the next stated generation, beyn can refer to a father–son, grandfather–grandson or more distant relationships.²

Why was Noah 500 years old when he had his first recorded son, while his predecessors typically began having children around 120? Perhaps it was due to personal circumstances, such as the difficulty of finding a godly wife in such a wicked culture, or perhaps it was simply divine timing.

Noah was five hundred years old, and Noah became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose.

Genesis 5:32–6:2 NASB 1995

At the end of Genesis 4, we read about Adam’s grandson Enosh and his generation:

To Seth, to him also a son was born; and he called his name Enosh. Then men began to call upon the name of the LORD.

Genesis 4:26 NASB 1995

During Enosh’s generation, people began to call on the name of the Lord, but this marked a cultural divide. While some worshiped the Lord, others, particularly Cain’s descendants, profaned His name, leading to the widespread wickedness seen in Noah’s day.

The “sons of God” described in Genesis were those in fellowship with God. Similarly, the Apostle Paul uses this term to describe followers of Messiah Yeshua. Unfortunately, in Noah’s time, many “sons of God” married outside the faith, which led them away from righteousness.

This was also a time of widespread polygamy, further corrupting humanity. The replacement of spiritual connection with fleshly indulgence led to moral decline. This pattern is seen in figures like King Solomon and Jacob, whose multiple marriages caused family strife.

Things became so corrupt that God referred to humanity as “flesh” and decided to destroy the earth. By Noah’s generation, he was the only righteous man capable of repopulating the world.

It’s possible that Noah refrained from having children until God revealed His plans for the flood. Before that, he may have seen little purpose in starting a family. Once God shared His intentions, Noah took a wife and began having children.

Isaiah 29–30 and the rebellious people

In Isaiah 30:8–15, we see a similar pattern. Just as Noah warned his generation for 120 years, God told Isaiah to warn the people of his time about impending judgment. Yet, they ignored him, preferring to be flattered and hear lies.

The events of the flood were not sudden. From the time God warned Noah to the flood’s arrival, about 120 years passed. The people had ample warning but ignored it. Similarly, Isaiah’s warnings were not sudden, but they caught the people off guard because they refused to listen.

In both cases, the people indulged their flesh and ignored righteousness.

Matthew 23 and the Pharisees

In Matthew 23:1–39, Yeshua delivers His final public sermon, critiquing religious leaders who “sit in Moses’ seat” but fail to live righteously:

Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them.”

Matthew 23:1–3 NASB 1995

The people of Noah’s time openly rejected God and His righteousness. The people in Isaiah’s day were purposefully blind and apathetic. Yeshua warned His disciples repeatedly about the actions of the Pharisees, who appear good on the outside but are corrupt on the inside. There was a lot of hypocrisy—pretending to seek righteousness while pursuing selfish desires.

What is a ‘son of God’?

As sons of God, we must avoid these pitfalls. We should reject living solely for the flesh, avoid apathy toward God’s commands, and steer clear of hypocrisy. True followers of God should talk to Him, pray to Him, and understand His teachings, not just blindly follow the rules.

Romans 8:8–15 reminds us to be led by the Spirit of God and to act righteously. Being a son of God means not only avoiding evil but actively pursuing what is right. This dual commitment—to reject sin and embrace righteousness—sets us apart as God’s children.

Summary: Tammy

---

Footnotes

1. Brown, Francis, S. R. Driver, and Charles A. Briggs, eds. The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon. Accordance electronic edition, version 4.5. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1906. ︎
2. Pierce, Larry and Ken Ham. “Who Begat Whom?” Answers Magazine, Answers In Genesis. Accessed Nov. 19, 2024. ︎