Bible Strands
Genesis 6:2
the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they took as wives whomever they chose.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The narrator describes a historical moment after human populations multiplied and daughters were born, immediately preceding God’s declaration that His Spirit will not contend with humanity forever and that human lifespan will be limited to 120 years.
The words — בְנֵי־הָֽ/אֱלֹהִים (bene ha'Elohim) = sons of God, a phrase that establishes a distinct group acting with autonomous choice in the narrative.
The thread — The phrase "sons of God" reappears in Psalms 82:6 where divine beings are addressed as sons of the Most High, while the visual attraction and marital action parallel the "desires of the eyes" condemned in 1 John 2:16.
Why it lands — The text records a boundary violation that triggers divine judgment, requiring the reader to recognize that transgressing created distinctions carries immediate consequential limits rather than unbounded liberty.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
Cross-references
- Psalms 82:6 I have said, ‘You are gods; you are all sons of the Most High.’
- 1 John 2:16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not from the Father but from the world.
- Romans 9:7 Nor because they are Abraham’s descendants are they all his children. On the contrary, “Through Isaac your offspring will be reckoned.”
- Deuteronomy 7:3 Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons,
- 2 Samuel 11:2 One evening David got up from his bed and strolled around on the roof of the palace. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing—a very beautiful woman.
- Nehemiah 13:24 Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod or of the other peoples, but could not speak the language of Judah.
- 2 Peter 2:14 Their eyes are full of adultery; their desire for sin is never satisfied; they seduce the unstable. They are accursed children with hearts trained in greed.
- Genesis 3:6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eyes, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom, she took the fruit and ate it. She also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate it.
- Ezra 9:1 After these things had been accomplished, the leaders approached me and said, “The people of Israel, including the priests and Levites, have not kept themselves separate from the surrounding peoples whose abominations are like those of the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, and Amorites.
- Ezra 9:12 Now, therefore, do not give your daughters in marriage to their sons or take their daughters for your sons. Never seek their peace or prosperity, so that you may be strong and may eat the good things of the land, leaving it as an inheritance to your sons forever.’