Genesis 6 explained: Violence, Grief and an Ark

Sons of God and human women (vv. 1-2)

Who the 'sons of God' are is debated: heavenly beings (the oldest Jewish and early Christian reading, favored by many scholars today), men from Seth's faithful family line (a long Christian tradition), or powerful rulers (a classic Jewish reading). Most readers agree a boundary is being crossed when they take any women they choose, because God responds at once in verse 3.

A limit on human life (v. 3)

God says his Spirit will not keep striving with humans, or staying in them, forever, because they are mortal. The Hebrew verb is unclear, so translations differ, and the 120 years is read either as a new cap on how long people live or as the time left before the flood.

The Nephilim (v. 4)

The Nephilim have a Hebrew name of uncertain meaning, possibly linked to a word for 'fall', and some older translations call them 'giants'. They appear again in Numbers 13:33 as people of huge size, and it is unclear whether this verse means they were the children of these unions or simply lived at the same time as the famous warriors of long ago.

God's grief over evil (vv. 5-8)

God sees that people's thoughts are bent on evil all the time, is sorry he made them, and resolves to wipe out humans and animals alike, with only Noah finding favor. Some readers take this sorrow as human language for a God who does not change, while others see a real glimpse of God's pain.

Noah in a violent world (vv. 9-13)

Noah is called righteous, and also described with a word that translations render 'blameless' or 'perfect', meaning whole and sincere rather than sinless, a man who lived close to God. God tells him he will put an end to all people, and he names their violence as the reason.

The ark and the promise (vv. 14-22)

God gives exact plans for a huge floating box with three decks, sealed with tar and about 135 meters (450 feet) long; the kind of wood is unknown, so translations differ. God promises a covenant, a binding commitment and the first use of that word in the Bible, to keep Noah's family and pairs of every animal alive, and Noah does everything he is told.

Key verse: Genesis 6:8

Where Christians differ

Christians differ on whether the flood this chapter announces was a literal worldwide event, a large regional flood remembered and retold, or a theological story that reworks older flood stories from ancient Iraq to say something about God and human evil.

Something to think about

What do you make of a story that pictures God grieving over human violence, and then answering it with a flood?