Who were the "sons of God," "daughters of men," and "the Nephilim" mentioned in Genesis 6:1-4? How did the Nephilim survive the flood?

These verses have generated more than their share of imaginative interpretations and have become a breeding ground for fantastic speculation. Thanks for allowing me to review options and offer comments.

MORE BIZARRE BUT LESS LIKELY OPTION

The least plausible yet persistently popular idea is that Genesis 6 is talking about fallen angels ("sons of God") who impregnated select beautiful women ("daughters of men"). Their demon-human offspring ("the Nephilim") were giants before the flood. Since the Nephilim are spoken of after the flood (Numbers 13:33), this race of giants somehow survived the flood or was restarted by another post-flood, demonic invasion with sexual unions with humans.

This scenario, of course, grabs people's attention. Superhuman giants! Hybrid creatures! And, stated honestly, it is grammatically and linguistically possible to arrive at this conclusion through a reading of Genesis 6:1-4. But this view is utterly impossible and flagrantly contrary to Scripture.

LESS BIZARRE AND MORE LIKELY OPTION

The less exotic understanding is more compatible with everything else revealed in the Bible. This view holds that male descendents of Adam and Eve through Seth—the dominant line of believers or "sons of God"—intermarried with attractive female descendents of Cain—the dominant line of unbelievers or "daughters of men." The result was a deterioration of religious principles and aggressive children who dominated others—"the Nephilim."

The term Nephilim most likely comes from the Hebrew nphl ("to fall" or "fall upon") and refers to "fallen" people, either unbelieving rebels against God or aggressive bullies who "fall on" others and overpower them. Nephilim might also come from the root pl' ("to be awesome, full of wonder"). The title then stresses that they were people who were strong in physical stature, accomplishment, and reputation, including—if ancient traditions are considered—bullying others as gangsters or mobsters.

These early Nephilim perished in the flood (Genesis 7:21), but other giants in stature developed after the flood. The term Nephilim need not refer to a specific race or tribe, but to people who bore the same general characteristics. Included among them were the Anakim, Rephaim, and Emim, mentioned in Numbers 13:33, Deuteronomy 3:11, and Deuteronomy 2:10. The Philistine warrior Goliath is probably the best known example of an aggressive giant (1 Samuel 17:4), but there is evidence that people of exceptional size lived in various parts of the world through most of history.

THE PREFERABLE OPTION