Authored By :
Bill Kochman
Published On :
April 23, 1997
Last Updated :
June 18, 2022
Depth Of Genesis Flood Waters, All Land-Based Air-Breathing Life Perished, Theories Concerning Survival Of The Nephilim, Giants Walking On The Water?, Were Nephilim Airlifted By The Fallen Angels?, Fallen Angels Were Imprisoned In Tartarus, Jewish Fables, Fable About Noah King Og Of Bashan And Moses, Did Noah's Family Carry Nephilim DNA To The Post-Flood Era?, Noah Was Not A Perfect Man, Christian Concept Of God's Grace, Noah And His Family Were Genetically Perfect Human Specimens Who Remained Unpolluted By Fallen Angel Or Nephilim Genes, Ravages of Time And Sin Upon The Human Gene Pool, Redemption Of Our Bodies At The Advent, "And Also After That" Problem, Interpreting Terms "Giants" "Mighty Men" And "Men Of Renown", Doctrinal Resistance By Adam Clarke And Other Theologians, Satan's Two-Pronged Attack In Genesis 3 And 6, God's Solution, Realities Of Spiritual Warfare To Which We Remain Oblivious, Moses Joshua Caleb And Giants -- Sons Of Anak -- In Canaan, Canaan Filled With Monstrous Giants Who Ate People, Of Great Stature, Giants, Which Come Of The Giants And As Grasshoppers
Continuing our discussion from part two, now if the giants of Genesis -- the Nephilim -- were as tall as the Book of Enoch states, then obviously, such a tremendous height would have given them a distinct physical advantage, insofar as the Flood waters were concerned. Concerning the actual depth of the Flood waters, the seventh chapter of the Book of Genesis informs us of the following:
"And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered. Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered."
Genesis 7:19-20, KJV
In reading the previous verses, I have always understood them to mean that the Flood waters rose at least fifteen cubits -- or at least twenty-three feet -- above the highest mountains. I also believe that Genesis is inferring that this event was global in scale, and not simply a localized event as it seems some doubters wish to believe. Of course, one of the problems in understanding those verses, is that we honestly don't know what the topographical layout of the Earth was like at that particular time in our history. We have no idea how high the tallest mountains were. Regardless of that fact, a Nephilim standing three quarters of a mile to almost a mile tall would have a huge advantage over normal human beings.
There is, however, one major problem with that speculation; and that is that -- as we saw in part one -- the account in the Book of Genesis, as well as in the other texts, clearly states that all land-based, air-breathing life was destroyed by God, and that only Noah and his immediate family of eight members survived. Consider what we are told right after the verses I shared with you a moment ago:
"And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man: All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died. And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark."
Genesis 7:21-23, KJV
What we have here is a picture of very complete, total, utter destruction of all land-based, air-breathing life. Absolutely nothing survived outside of the confines of the Ark according to the Genesis account. Some people -- perhaps jokingly so -- have suggested that being as the Nephilim possessed a partial Angelic Nature, maybe they were able to walk above the Flood waters. Even if that were true -- which I seriously doubt -- again, the Bible says that all land-based, air-breathing life was destroyed.
Is it possible that in an attempt to save their progeny, the Fallen Angels may have airlifted their Nephilim children? As we have already seen, this is not a plausible theory either; because the Book of Enoch clearly states that the rebellious Fallen Angels had to helplessly watch while God destroyed the giants, and all other life on the Earth. Furthermore, both the Bible and the Book of Enoch state that the Fallen Angels were imprisoned deep in the bowels of the Earth. That is, in Tartarus -- a place of utter darkness. That being the case, there's no way that they could have protected or saved their giant offspring.
Another speculation I would like to bring to your attention concerns an old Jewish belief, which apparently, many Jewish parents recite to their children as a fable. I am reminded of what the Apostles Peter and Paul wrote concerning "Jewish fables". Consider the following verses:
"Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth."
Titus 1:14, KJV
"Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do."
1 Timothy 1:4, KJV
"But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness."
1 Timothy 4:7, KJV
"And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables."
2 Timothy 4:4, KJV
"For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty."
2 Peter 1:16, KJV
According to this fable, King Og of Bashan was the father of the giants, and the lone survivor of the Flood; at least the lone surviving giant, that is. In an online version of this fable which I read, it explains that the way that Og managed to survive the Flood, was by bringing Noah a large unicorn. Due to its large size, Noah had to leave the unicorn outside of the Ark, but attached a rope to it. As the Flood waters rose, the story explains that Og the giant jumped onto the back of the unicorn and rode it, as the Flood waters filled the whole Earth and destroyed all life on it. There is a lot more to the tale, but ultimately, it ends with Moses slaying Og the giant, by mortally wounding him in his ankle with a sword. If you wish to read the whole story, you may possibly still be able to find it at the following URL:
https://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/jftl/jftl05.htm
Obviously, I don't believe this tale as I related it to you in the previous paragraph. However, as you will see later on in this series, this fable is not so much a fabrication as you may be inclined to think. It is in fact based on actual characters, elements and events that are found in the Bible. In other words, Noah and Moses obviously really did exist. But guess what? So did Og the giant, and he was slain by the Israelites. As to why the Jews would create an embellished version of the event, and turn it into a children's fable, I honestly do not know. Perhaps this is their way of trying to explain to their children how there were giants on the Earth following the Flood, when all life -- outside of the family of Noah -- was supposed to have been destroyed by God, due to the extremely violent nature of the giants and men.
Another theory proposes that perhaps Moses, one of his sons, or one of the wives of his three sons, carried the genes of the Nephilim in their body; which at some point following the Flood resulted in the resurgence of the Nephilim. Personally, I find this idea rather far-fetched, and I will tell you why.
God specifically chose Noah and his family to perpetuate the human race for a very particular reason. God's motivation is concealed in two verses that are found in the sixth chapter of the Book of Genesis. They read as followsi:
"But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God."
Genesis 6:8-9, KJV
Upon reading those verses, many people -- including quite a few Christians -- have assumed that the reason why God chose Noah was because he was a just, righteous, perfect man. In other words, it is assumed that Noah deserved to be saved as a result of his own good merits. However, doesn't that idea contradict everything that we Christians believe concerning the nature of God's Salvation Plan? In other words, either we believe that we're truly saved by God's Grace, or else we are saved by our own supposedly "good works". I discuss this issue in great detail in quite a few articles, so I will not belabor the point here.
The point is, that while Noah may have been a just man who walked with God, nevertheless, he was no more perfect than you or I; because as the Apostle Paul so plainly tells us:
"As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one . . . For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God".
Romans 3:10, 23, KJV
Noah had his share of faults. For example, consider the fact that shortly after the Flood had ended, and the Flood waters had receded, Noah grew a vineyard and then became drunk, as we can plainly see by the following two verses:
"And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard: And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent."
Genesis 9:20-21, KJV
The Christian concept of Grace is something we receive which we truly don't deserve. Thus, the fact that "Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD" must mean that he likewise received something which he truly didn't merit, based on the standards of the Almighty. Why then were he and his family chosen to perpetuate the human race? I have come to believe that we can find the answer in the phrase "perfect in his generations". What does this phrase mean? If you are a longtime reader of my articles, then you may recall that in a few of them, I've explained that the way that the word "perfect" is used in the Bible does not mean the exact same thing as it does today. In this case, it is derived from the Hebrew word "tamiym", which is pronounced taw-meem'. The Brown, Driver, Briggs, Gesenius Hebrew Aramaic English Lexicon -- which I have been using for many years now -- defines this word as follows:
----- Begin Quote -----
1) complete, whole, entire, sound
1a) complete, whole, entire
1b) whole, sound, healthful
1c) complete, entire (of time)
1d) sound, wholesome, unimpaired, innocent, having integrity
1e) what is complete or entirely in accord with truth and fact (neuter adj/subst)
----- End Quote -----
Please carefully notice that the primary meaning which this word conveys is that of completeness, wholeness, entirety and soundness in a physical sense. That is, health-wise. It is for this very reason that the vast majority of times that we find "tamiym" used in the Old Testament of the Authorized King James Version of the Bible, it is translated as either "without blemish", or "without spot"; and the word is almost exclusively used to describe the physical state of animals which were to be sacrificed before the Lord. In other words, these animals had to be genetically perfect animals, without any physical defects of any kind, as otherwise, they would be unacceptable to the Lord.
Of course, we all know -- as I explain in such series as "The Lamb of God Was a Goat" -- that these Old Testament practices were merely a type and foreshadow of greater things to come, in the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who is the spotless Lamb of God who died for the sins of the world.
Thus, I have become convinced that the reason why God chose Noah and his family, wasn't just because Noah was pleasing to Him; it was also because the Patriarch Noah's gene pool had remained genetically pure, and was unpolluted by the DNA of the Fallen Angels and the violent, wicked Nephilim. God had to find a family whose genes were so pure, that they would be able to sustain the human family in relatively good shape for thousands of years to come, despite wars, pestilences, man's violence against his fellow man, intermarriage, old age, and most importantly, the ravages of sin.
Perhaps the very fact that the world today is so full of many new and/or recurring sicknesses, genetic disorders, so-called super bugs, etc., is a clear sign that the initial life force and pure gene pool that was possessed by Noah and his family, has finally lost the battle to the ravages of sin. As the Apostle Paul wrote so many years ago, we groan and travail in our bodies, as we patiently wait for the redemption of the same. Let me share those inspiring verses with you one more time, along with a few more. One of these days, as Paul also wrote, we shall be "conformed to the image of his Son", and He will "change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body", and "we shall be like him", and "we shall also bear the image of the heavenly":
"But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you . . . For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God . . . For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body."
Romans 8:11, 18-19, 22-23, KJV
"For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren."
Romans 8:29, KJV
"For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life."
2 Corinthians 5:1-4, KJV
"Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself."
Philippians 3:21, KJV
"Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is."
1 John 3:2, KJV
"There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed."
1 Corinthians 15:40-52, KJV
"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words."
1 Thessalonians 4:16-18, KJV
"But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him."
1 Corinthians 2:9, KJV
It's for these reasons that I must reject the suggestion that perhaps Nephilim DNA had survived the Flood in the bodies of Noah or his family. If God chose Noah for the reasons that I have suggested, then I don't believe that He would've allowed this to happen. He wouldn't have allowed the corrupt DNA of the Fallen Angels and the Nephilim to slip past the Flood.
Having said that, we still have a very perplexing, persistent problem to deal with. In Genesis chapter six, as well as in a few of the other mentioned texts, there are four words which can be interpreted as meaning that there were Nephilim giants on the Earth both before, as well as after the Flood. Those four words, which are found in the following verse, are "and also after that", as we see here:
"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 bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown."
Genesis 6:4, KJV
The big question is: Exactly how are we supposed to interpret those four words "and also after that"? Does the phrase mean after those particular days, or does it mean after the Flood? If it is the latter, how do we explain it? Are we to believe that God failed to accomplish what He set out to do? Are we to believe that in spite of His best efforts to wipe out the evil which had filled the Earth, God failed miserably, and that evil seed sprang back to life while God wasn't looking?
Before moving on to the next area of discussion, I would like to backtrack for a moment and add a few comments to something that I said in part one. As I noted there, the notion of the "sons of God" meaning Fallen Angels is not readily embraced by everyone. In fact, there are those theologians and Bible scholars who stiffly resist this particular interpretation of events, and insist that the "sons of God" were in actuality the spiritually backslidden descendants of Seth, who forsook God's ways, yielded to their baser bodily passions, and chose to marry the daughters of the murderous Cain. Additionally, they also insist that the "giants", "mighty men" and "men of renown" who are mentioned in Genesis 6:4 weren't truly beings which were giant in physical stature, but merely regular men who had acquired great honor and glory through their exploits.
For example, consider the notes that noted British Methodist theologian Adam Clarke included in his 1832 "Commentary On The Bible". His perspective is typical of scholars who reject the Fallen Angels scenario:
------ Begin Quote -----
{Verse 4} There were giants in the earth
nephilim, from naphal, "he fell." Those who had apostatized or fallen from the true religion. The Septuagint translate the original word by γιγαντες, which literally signifies earth-born, and which we, following them, term giants, without having any reference to the meaning of the word, which we generally conceive to signify persons of enormous stature. But the word when properly understood makes a very just distinction between the sons of men and the sons of God; those were the nephilim, the fallen earth-born men, with the animal and devilish mind. These were the sons of God, who were born from above; children of the kingdom, because children of God. Hence we may suppose originated the different appellatives given to sinners and saints; the former were termed γιγαντες, earth-born, and the latter, αγιοι, i.e. saints, persons not of the earth, or separated from the earth.
The same became mighty men-men of renown.
gibborim, which we render mighty men, signifies properly conquerors, heroes, from gabar, "he prevailed, was ςιχτοριουσ." ανδ ̀@ανσηεθ ηασησηεμ̀@, "μεν οφ τηε ναμε," ανθρωποι ονομαστπι, Σεπτυαγιντ; τηε σαμε ασ ωε ρενδερ ̀@μεν οφ ρενοων̀@, renominati, twice named, as the word implies, having one name which they derived from their fathers, and another which they acquired by their daring exploits and enterprises.
It may be necessary to remark here that our translators have rendered seven different Hebrew words by the one term giants, viz., nephilim, gibborim, enachim, rephaim, emim, and zamzummim; by which appellatives are probably meant in general persons of great knowledge, piety, courage, wickedness, enormous stature, as is generally conjectured.
----- End Quote -----
As I have already made clear, I do not agree with this view; the reason being that we have the testimony of Moses, Enoch, the Apostle Peter, the Apostle Jude, as well as the Book of Jubilees and the Jerusalem Targum, which all plainly declare that in ancient times, there was an invasion of the Earth by a group of rebellious, backslidden, lustful Angelic Beings. These Fallen Angels, Watchers, or Ir, conspired together on Mount Hermon to engage in sexual relations with the women of Earth, which resulted in the birth of the evil Nephilim, who then proceeded to teach men evil things, to devour men, and to spread their wickedness and violence across the Earth. It is for this reason that God had to take the drastic step of completely wiping out all life upon the Earth, except for the family of righteous Noah.
If, as these other theologians and scholars state, this is not the case, then why did God choose to take such drastic measures? While Satan's subtle attack in the Garden of Eden was grievous, and has left humanity spiritually scarred for millennia now, the attack he apparently led in Genesis six was even more devastating; so much so that God was forced to take even more drastic action than what He had taken in the third chapter of Genesis, when He cast Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden. This external attack by the Fallen Angels on God's Creation could only be rectified by another External Intervention; that is, the Flood, which God sent in the days of the Patriarch Noah.
As I sit here writing about these ancient events, I cannot help but wonder about how many things must be occurring in the Spirit Realm, even at this very moment. And yet, we humans remain totally oblivious to them. I'm again reminded of these verses from the Apostle Paul, where he describes the warfare that is going on in the Spirit Realm:
"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;"
2 Corinthians 10:3-5, KJV
"Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses."
1 Timothy 6:12, KJV
"Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier."
2 Timothy 2:3-4, KJV
"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."
Ephesians 6:10-12, KJV
"For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."
Hebrews 4:12, KJV
Returning to our main topic, for me personally, a key issue is discovering how it came to be that there were still races of giants on the Earth following the Flood. Reiterating my questions from part two, did God actually fail? I doubt it. Were the antediluvian Nephilim possibly genetically related to the post-Flood giants, or did the latter have a different origin? I have no solid answers to this question. I can only offer human-based theories.
At this point in our discussion, we are going to advance some nine hundred years in our story to the time of Moses. In the set of verses which follows, Moses sends Joshua and Caleb to spy out the promised land of Canaan, along with many other of the Israelite tribal leaders. Upon their return, they report to Moses that a race of giants -- the sons of Anak -- dwell in the land of Canaan, and that they are no match for these giants, as we see here:
"And they ascended by the south, and came unto Hebron; where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of Anak, were. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.) And they came unto the brook of Eshcol, and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bare it between two upon a staff; and they brought of the pomegranates, and of the figs. The place was called the brook Eshcol, because of the cluster of grapes which the children of Israel cut down from thence. And they returned from searching of the land after forty days. And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and shewed them the fruit of the land. And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it. Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there. The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan. And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight."
Numbers 13:22-33, KJV
Allow me to bring a few things to your attention regarding the previous verses. First of all, you will notice that the spies describe the land of Canaan as "a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof". Exactly what do they mean by this? Obviously, physical land -- the ground -- cannot eat anyone, unless of course you are perhaps referring to an earthquake, a sinkhole, or a mudslide. However, that isn't what the spies were referring to. As it turns out, the Hebrew word that is used there is "erets" or "eretz". Some of you are probably familiar with the well-known phrase "Eretz Israel", which means the "Land of Israel". However, the word "eretz" isn't always used to refer to the physical land. It is also used to refer to the actual people who dwell in the land.
Please also note that the phrase "eateth up" is derived from the Hebrew verb "akal", the primary meaning of which is to eat, devour or consume. Thus, it is my belief that what the spies were really saying, is that Canaan was full of giants who ate other people. Isn't that precisely what Enoch tells us concerning the Nephilim as well? Here again are the words of Enoch:
"And they became pregnant, and they bare great giants, whose height was three thousand ells: Who consumed all the acquisitions of men. And when men could no longer sustain them, the giants turned against them and devoured mankind."
Book Of Enoch 7:2-4
Even in our modern day, there still exist certain tribes of people in certain remote regions of the world -- such as in the jungles of South America and Indonesia -- who have no qualms about eating other people. So why should it come as a surprise to us that there were man-eating giants in the land of Canaan?
Once we understand this, the remaining terms that the spies use -- "great stature", "giants", "which come of the giants" and "as grasshoppers" -- make perfect sense. Just as a man would seem like a small bug in the hand of a Nephilim who stood three thousand ells tall, this is precisely how some of the spies must have felt when they beheld the towering giants -- the sons of Anak -- in the land of Canaan. They were much bigger than the Israelites, and may have eyed the Israelites as their next meal. Perhaps these facts will help some of you to better understand why some of the spies were so hesitant to march into Canaan and claim it for their own.
Please go to part four for the continuation of this series.
⇒ Go To The Next Part . . .