Genesis 6:1And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,Genesis 6:2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. Genesis 6:3 And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be a hundred and twenty years. Genesis 6:4 There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bore children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.

Genesis chapter 6:1-4 is a much debated passage. Christians have been propagating three different views on this passage. It is, indeed, hard to derive at one particular meaning of this passage. Taking one side of the view would be to do in justice to what exactly God intended to convey. It is not fair to take one particular position on this passage and malign on what God really intended to convey. There is every possibility that some connection was lost between these verses and they do not seem to be consecutively arranged. There are three views propagated by Christians on this passage. The three views are: (1) There were powerful, renowned kings who married beautiful women. (2) Angels married 'daughters of men' (3) Sons and daughters from the lineage of Seth married sons and daughters from the lineage of Cain.

1)  The First View

The first view that powerful rulers/kings married 'daughters of men' was quickly got removed from the minds of Christians because it did not seem to be a reliable one. The view did not have any scriptural background to depend upon, except that it was just a guesswork.

2)  The Second View

The second and the third views have come under much debate. A section of the believers hold that the view that fallen angels, other than the ones who were on the side of Lucifer, married the daughters of men, in order to mess up with the seed of the women, thus causing confusion in the human race, which would defeat the purpose of creation of man and redemption of man-kind from sin.   The basic dependence to show that the angels are 'sons of God' and is to depend upon the verses in Job 1:6 and Job 2:1.  Contrary to what is argued upon, the phrase 'sons of God' as presented in Job 1:6 and 2:1 does not suggest that they were the angels who intermingled with daughters of men. No doubt the creation of angels is seen in Job 38:7 “When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy”? But that does not indicate that the angels married 'daughters of men'.  It is assumption that the ‘sons of God’ in Job 1:6 and 2:1 are angels. 1 Peter 3:19, 2 Peter Chapter 2:2-4 and Jude vs6 form the basis for those who advocate this theory. The 'sons of God' in the Book of Job are considered as angels as presented in Genesis Ch. 6, and the spirits of these fallen angels are said to have been imprisoned in 'Tartarus' (a Greek term for underworld), the place where Jesus went to, after his death and proclaimed his victory, before his resurrection. 2 Peter Ch.2:2-4 forms another basis for this group of believers that the spirits of the fallen angels, who committed fornication with daughters of women, were confined in the underworld. Jude Vs. 6 is also taken as the basis to support this view that the angels who did not keep their first domain, were these fallen angels.

3)  The Third View

This is widely accepted view than the second view, because the second view seems to be based on mythological stories, and built by myth hunters. The group of believers, who hold on to this third view believe that the lineage of Seth, the righteous generation from Seth mixed up with the unrighteous generation of Cain. Cain had killed Abel, and thus became a degenerated man, consequently his generation was a degenerated one desiring after the flesh and lust. Matthew 22:30 “For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven”. This verse forms the basis for the holders of this view that in the resurrection the saved ones will be like angels and will neither marry nor are given in marriage. Matthew 24:38 “For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark”. This verse suggests that the lineage of Seth ate, drank and given marriage before the flood of Noah came upon this earth and, therefore, God was angry with them and punished. Genesis 6:3 “And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be a hundred and twenty years”. God had patiently waited for these generations to repent when Noah preached for one hundred and twenty years before the flood came upon, but only Noah’s family was saved. It is these perished souls that were confined in the underworld as described in 1 Peter 3:19, to whom Jesus proclaimed his victory at the cross. The righteous generations from Seth intermingled with unrighteous generations, which made God to feel sorry for having made man and thus punish all the mankind on the face of the earth, except for Noah and his family, who found grace in the sight of the Lord. The refutation on the angels marrying daughters of God is on the basis of the verses Jude 6, which does not give any clue that the angels which did not give first estate were the fallen angels, who supposedly married ‘daughters of men’. Also, 1 Peter 3:19 does not clearly describe whether these were the spirits to whom Jesus proclaimed the victory. 2 Peter 2:2-4 would not either confirm that those were the spirits of angels who supposedly married daughters of men, before the flood came upon the world during the period of Noah.

While the view that angels marrying women appears to be mythical, fictitious story the view that the lineage of Seth marrying counter parts from the lineage from Cain appears to be the one which can be most relied upon. It is hard, however, to say which view is right, because the meaning is not so clear and the passage seems to be a mystery, which God alone knows, what is true. We try to breathe in to the passage more than what is really known to us, what really is intended, or what can not be clearly inferred. Hebrews 13:4 “Let marriage be held in honor by all, and the bed undefiled: but fornicators and adulterers God will judge”. That verse was intended for human beings and not for angels. The whole Bible deals with God and God’s relationship with mankind and angels are simply ministering spirits. It is unbelievable that angels married women.

Genesis 6:4 is confuses both the sections of believers. While the ones of the second view say that the unnatural offspring when the ‘sons of God’ married ‘daughters of women’, the other section say that the ‘giants’ were already there before the union of these ‘sons of God’ with ‘daughters of women’. In fact, the verse starts with the phrase, “There were giants in the earth in those days…” and subsequently “when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bore children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown”.

I do not personally hold on to the view that ‘angels’ married the ‘daughters of men’, which I think is misrepresentation of the verse. The second view appears to be fictitious story, rather than dependable one.

However, when I view my personal life, where a person had come to me and voluntarily helped me beyond description, and disappeared after helping, I wonder who he was? Was he an angel? I do not know! Who knows God’s mysterious ways of dealing things with men! One question that intrigues me always is who that great helper was? Was he an angel or angel in the form of a man? Bible tells us that angels can take form of man, and they are ministering spirits. It is an enigma as to how the angels really work in the lives of men. .I believe that they are always around us protecting us and helping us in every walk of our life. Hebrews 13:2 reads, “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares”. This does not mean that we should entertain all the strangers all the time thinking that there would be some angels in some of the strangers whom we entertain, but it certainly tells that when we entertain strangers, there might be angels that we would be entertaining. In the Old Testament days, Abraham and Lot have experienced this in their lives, (Gen. 18:2, 19:1).  This also does not mean the angels married the daughters of men. The view that, "Sons of God" are angels and they married angels, is to my understanding is only imagination and has no sound Scriptural background.  Those, who like fantasies, and mythological stories would welcome such imagination.

Doctrine should end in doxology, meaning our beliefs should end in glorifying God, and not in disputes and confusions.