Nephilim: Part 3 Men of Renown

As part of the Nephilim story in Genesis, we read about the ‘men of renown’

Genesis 6 v 4

The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.

Who were these men of renown? Who were these heroes of old or mighty men?

It is commonly thought Nimrod in Genesis 10 fits this description.

Genesis 10 v 8-9

Cush was the father of Nimrod, who became a mighty warrior on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; that is why it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the Lord.”

Nimrod is described by the same word found in Genesis 6 for mighty warrior. According to this, he may have been a Nephilim. A person who was part divine and part human.

Others who might fit into this would be the heroes of Greek myth, like Hercules and Perseus. Another candidate could be the ancient Babylonian hero, Gilgamesh.

We could also include Alexander the Great. He believed he was the son of the god Zeus, who was conceived the night before his earthly father married his mother.

This adds to another element that not all Nephilim were giants in terms of stature, but also in terms of strength and deeds. After all, Alexander conquered vast areas of Asia.

Through this lens, we catch an intriguing detail in the story of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Genesis 19 v 4-5

Before they had gone to bed, all the men of the city of Sodom, both young and old, surrounded the house. They called out to Lot, saying, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Send them out to us so we can have relations with them!”

Here the citizens of Sodom asked for the two angels, so they could have sex when them. I wonder if this is a reference to the Nephilim, where they were trying to mix heavenly creatures with earthly creatures. Similar to how the Nephilim were created back in Genesis 6.

Could this have been the final straw, which led to their destruction? Much like how the birth of the Nephilim led to the Great Flood. As God promised to never flood the Earth again, He therefore intervenes to restrict the growth of the Nephilim. As the citizens of Sodom were effectively engaged with creating Nephilim, God chose to stop them, by completely destroying them.

We see a similar mixing of Heaven and Earth in the story of the Tower of Babel.

Genesis 10 v 4

“Come,” they said, “let us build for ourselves a city with a tower that reaches to the heavens, that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of all the earth.”

God intervenes by confounding their languages and thereby stopping Nephilim creation.

There is another time when the Divine and humanity mix, but this time it is within God’s will.

Matthew 1 v 18

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged in marriage to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.

Christ is born of the Holy Spirit and Mary. He is not part god and part man, like the heroes of renown as above, but is fully God and fully man.

In some way, the Nephilim were an attempt to bring Heaven and Earth together, either through demonic will or human action. Christ fulfils Genesis 6, but rather than bringing sin and destruction, He brings healing, salvation and hope.