Affluent Savvy
Photo by Jep Gambardella Pexels Logo Photo: Jep Gambardella

Are there sons of God?

In Judaism "Sons of God" usually refers to the righteous, i.e. the children of Seth. Angels: All of the earliest sources interpret the "sons of God" as angels.

en.wikipedia.org - Sons of God - Wikipedia
What natural thing kills rats?
What natural thing kills rats?

All you need to do is mix 2 – 2 and a half cups of ammonia, 100 – 200 mL of water and a 2-3 spoonful of detergent in a bowl. Then, put it to places...

Read More »
Can you hear anything after death?
Can you hear anything after death?

As humans lay dying, new research suggests that one crucial sense is still functioning: The brain still registers the last sounds a person will...

Read More »
Awaken your dormant DNA ability to attract wealth effortlessly
Awaken your dormant DNA ability to attract wealth effortlessly

The simple yet scientifically proven Wealth DNA method laid out in the report allows you to effortlessly start attracting the wealth and abundance you deserve.

Learn More »

Phrase used in the Hebrew Bible and apocrypha

Sons of God (Hebrew: בְנֵי־הָאֱלֹהִים, romanized: Bənē hāʾĔlōhīm,[1] literally: "sons of the Elohim"[2]) is a phrase used in the Tanakh or Old Testament and in Christian Apocrypha. The phrase is also used in Kabbalah where bene elohim are part of different Jewish angelic hierarchies.

Hebrew Bible [ edit ]

Genesis 6 [ edit ]

1 And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, 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. 3 And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. 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 bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. — Genesis 6:1–4, KJV The first mention of "sons of God" in the Hebrew Bible occurs at Genesis 6:1–4. In terms of literary-historical origin, this phrase is typically associated with the Jahwist tradition.[3] That the "sons of God" were separate enough from the "daughters of men" that they warranted such a distinction, has spawned millennia's worth of debate regarding the meaning of the term. Historically, in Jewish thought, this passage has had many interpretations. Here are three: Rabbinic Judaism traditionally adheres to the first interpretation, with some exceptions, and modern Jewish translations may translate bnei elohim as "sons of rulers" rather than "sons of God". Regardless, the second interpretation (sons of angels or other divine beings) is nonexistent in modern Judaism. This is reflected by the rejection of Enoch and other Apocrypha supporting the second interpretation from the Hebrew Bible Canon.

Ugaritic text [ edit ]

Claus Westermann claims that the text of Genesis 6 is based on an Ugaritic urtext.[4] In Ugaritic, a cognate phrase is bn 'il.[5] This may occur in the Ugaritic Baal Cycle.[6] KTU² 1.40 demonstrates the use of bn il to mean "sons of gods". [7] to mean "sons of gods". KTU² 1.65 (which may be a scribal exercise) uses bn il three times in succession: il bn il / dr bn il / mphrt bn il "El, the sons of gods, the circle of the sons of gods / the totality of the sons of gods."[5] The phrase bn ilm ("sons of the gods") is also attested in Ugaritic texts,[8][9][10][11][12] as is the phrase phr bn ilm ("assembly of the sons of the gods").[13] Elsewhere in the Ugarit corpus it is suggested that the bn ilm were the 70 sons of Asherah and El, who were the titulary deities of the people of the known world, and their "hieros gamos" marriage with the daughters of men gave rise to their rulers.[14] There is evidence in 2 Samuel 7 that this may have been the case also in Israel.[15]

Late text [ edit ]

J. Scharbert associates Genesis 6:1–4 with the Priestly source and the final redaction of the Pentateuch.[16] On this basis, he assigns the text to later editorial activity.[17] Rüdiger Bartelmus sees only Genesis 6:3 as a late insertion.[16] Józef Milik and Matthew Black advanced the view of a late text addition to a text dependent on post-exilic, non-canonical tradition, such as the legend of the Watchers from the pseudepigraphic version of the Book of Enoch.[16]

Who is enemy Aquarius?
Who is enemy Aquarius?

Aquarius tends to be enemies with Capricorn and Taurus. Taureans like to follow rules and Aquarius wants to do everything their own way. Capricorn...

Read More »
What pests does cinnamon keep away?
What pests does cinnamon keep away?

"Ground cinnamon is a natural repellent to carpenter ants and other bugs that may roam the kitchen," says pest control expert Jordan Foster. Apr 5,...

Read More »
Awaken your dormant DNA ability to attract wealth effortlessly
Awaken your dormant DNA ability to attract wealth effortlessly

The simple yet scientifically proven Wealth DNA method laid out in the report allows you to effortlessly start attracting the wealth and abundance you deserve.

Learn More »

Translations [ edit ]

Different source versions of Genesis 6:1–4 vary in their use of "sons of God". Some manuscripts of the Septuagint have emendations to read "sons of God" as "angels".[citation needed] Codex Vaticanus contains "angels" originally.[citation needed] In Codex Alexandrinus "sons of God" has been omitted and replaced by "angels".[18] This reading of Angels is further confirmed by Augustine in his work City of God where he speaks of both variants in book 15 chapter 23.[19] The Peshitta reads "sons of God".[20] Furthermore the Vulgate goes for the literal filii Dei meaning Sons of God.[21] Most modern translations of Christian bibles retain this whereas Jewish ones tend to deviate to such as Sons of Rulers which may in part be due to Simeon ben Yohai who cursed anyone who translated this as "Sons of God" (Genesis Rabbah 26:7).[22] Beyond this in both the Codices Job 1:6 and Deuteronomy 32:8 when the phrase "angels of God" is used in place of where the Hebrew says "sons of God".[23] For the verse in Deuteronomy the Masoretic Text does not say "sons of God" but "sons of Israel" however in 4Q37 the term "sons of God" is used.[24] This is probably the root reading for the reading we see in the Septuagint.[25]

Other mentions [ edit ]

The phrase "sons of the Elohim" also occurs in:

Job 1:6 bənê hāʼĕlōhîm (בְּנֵי הָאֱלֹהִים) the sons of Elohim. [26] [27]

(בְּנֵי הָאֱלֹהִים) the sons of Elohim. Job 2:1 bənê hāʼĕlōhîm (בְּנֵי הָאֱלֹהִים) the sons of Elohim. (בְּנֵי הָאֱלֹהִים) the sons of Elohim. Job 38:7 bənê ĕlōhîm (בְּנֵי אֱלֹהִֽים) without the definite article - sons of Elohim. [28] (בְּנֵי אֱלֹהִֽים) without the definite article - sons of Elohim. Deuteronomy 32:8 both bənê ĕlōhîm (בְּנֵי הָאֱלֹהִים) and bənê ĕl (בני אל) the sons of Elohim or sons of El in two Dead Sea Scrolls (4QDtj and 4QDtq); mostly "angels of God" (αγγελων θεου) in the LXX (sometimes "sons of God" or "sons of Israel"); "sons of Israel" in the MT.[29][30] : 147 [31]

Closely related phrases include:

Psalms 29:1 bənê ēlîm (בְּנֵי אֵלִים) without the definite article - sons of elim (a similar expression). [32] (בְּנֵי אֵלִים) without the definite article - sons of elim (a similar expression). Psalms 82:6 bənê elîon (בְּנֵי עֶלְיוֹן) without the definite article and using ‘Most high’ instead of ēl . (בְּנֵי עֶלְיוֹן) without the definite article and using ‘Most high’ instead of . Psalms 89:6 bənê ēlîm (בְּנֵי אֵלִים) - sons of elim (בְּנֵי אֵלִים) - sons of elim A closely related Aramaic expression occurs in Daniel 3:25: bar elahin - בַר אֱלָהִֽין - Son of God.[33]

Second Temple Judaism (c. 500 BCE – 70 CE) [ edit ]

The Book of Enoch, the Enochic Book of Giants, and the Book of Jubilees refer to the Watchers who are paralleled to the "sons of God" in Genesis 6.[34] The Epistle of Barnabas is considered by some to acknowledge the Enochian version.[35]

Interpretation [ edit ]

Christian antiquity [ edit ]

Christian writers such as Justin Martyr, Eusebius, Clement of Alexandria, Origen, and Commodianus believed that the "sons of God" in Genesis 6:1–4 were fallen angels who engaged in unnatural union with human women, resulting in the begetting of the Nephilim.[1] Some scholars view Jesus' comment in Matthew 22:30 that angels in heaven do not marry, as a refutation to this view.[1] Other early Christians believed that the "sons of God" in Genesis 6:1–4 were the descendants of Seth.[1] Augustine of Hippo subscribed to this view, based on the Chronographiai of Julius Africanus in his book City of God, which refer to the "sons of God" as being descendants of Seth (or Sethites), the pure line of Adam. The "daughters of men" are viewed as the descendants of Cain (or Cainites). Variations of this view were also received by Jewish philosophers.[36]

What day is the real Sabbath?
What day is the real Sabbath?

Saturday The Jewish Sabbath (from Hebrew shavat, “to rest”) is observed throughout the year on the seventh day of the week—Saturday. According to...

Read More »
What is the 110 rule for investing?
What is the 110 rule for investing?

There are different rules of thumb you can follow when deciding how to divvy up your assets, and a popular one is the rule of 110. It states that...

Read More »
Awaken your dormant DNA ability to attract wealth effortlessly
Awaken your dormant DNA ability to attract wealth effortlessly

The simple yet scientifically proven Wealth DNA method laid out in the report allows you to effortlessly start attracting the wealth and abundance you deserve.

Learn More »

Medieval Judaism [ edit ]

Traditionalists and philosophers of Judaism[37] in the Middle Ages[38] typically practiced rational theology. They rejected any belief in rebel or fallen angels since evil was considered abstract. Rabbinic sources, most notably the Targum, state that the "sons of God" who married the daughters of men were merely human beings of exalted social station.[39] They have also been considered as pagan royalty[1] or members of nobility[40] who, out of lust, married women from the general population. Other variations of this interpretation define these "sons of God" as tyrannical Ancient Near Eastern kings who were honored as divine rulers, engaging in polygamous behavior.[1] No matter the variation in views, the primary concept by Jewish rationalists is that the "sons of God" were of human origin.[39] Most notable Jewish writers in support for the view of human "sons of God" were Saadia, Rashi, Lekah Tob, Midrash Aggada, Joseph Bekor Shor, Abraham ibn Ezra, Maimonides, David Kimhi, Nahmanides, Hizkuni, Bahya Ashur. Gersonides,[41] Shimeon ben Yochai, and Hillel ben Samuel.[42] Ibn Ezra reasoned that the "sons of God" were men who possessed divine power, by means of astrological knowledge, able to beget children of unusual size and strength.[40] Jewish commentator Isaac Abrabanel considered the aggadot on Genesis 6 to have referred to some secret doctrine and was not to be taken literally. Abrabanel later joined Nahmanides and Levi ben Gerson in promoting the concept that the "sons of God" were the older generations who were closer to physical perfection, as Adam and Eve were perfect. Though there are variations of this view, the primary idea was that Adam and Eve's perfect attributes were passed down from generation to generation. However, as each generation passed, their perfect physical attributes diminished. Thus, the early generations were mightier than the succeeding ones. The physical decline of the younger generations continued until the Flood, to the point that their days were numbered as stated in Genesis 6:3. It was immoral for the older generations to consort with the younger generations, whereby puny women begot unusually large children. Nephilim was even considered a stature.[36] Jacob Anatoli and Isaac Arama viewed the groups and events in Genesis 6:1–4 as an allegory, primarily for the sin of lust that declined man's higher nature.[43]

See also [ edit ]

en.wikipedia.org - Sons of God - Wikipedia
What are 5 good money habits?
What are 5 good money habits?

How to Build Healthy Money Habits #1: Set Financial Goals and Review Them Often. #2: Plan Your Purchases. #3: Check Your Budget, Not Your Bank...

Read More »
How can I attract money to good luck?
How can I attract money to good luck?

8 Ways To Attract Luck and Wealth In 2022 Upgrade your money mindset. What are your money beliefs? ... Practise Active Patience. Rome wasn't built...

Read More »
Awaken your dormant DNA ability to attract wealth effortlessly
Awaken your dormant DNA ability to attract wealth effortlessly

The simple yet scientifically proven Wealth DNA method laid out in the report allows you to effortlessly start attracting the wealth and abundance you deserve.

Learn More »
Which zodiac is genuine?
Which zodiac is genuine?

Capricorn They are always honest and genuine about their feelings and intentions. Thus, these are one of the most genuine zodiac signs on the list....

Read More »
Awaken your dormant DNA ability to attract wealth effortlessly
Awaken your dormant DNA ability to attract wealth effortlessly

The simple yet scientifically proven Wealth DNA method laid out in the report allows you to effortlessly start attracting the wealth and abundance you deserve.

Learn More »
What is the correct way to do meditation?
What is the correct way to do meditation?

Meditation is something everyone can do, here's how. 1) Take a seat. Find place to sit that feels calm and quiet to you. 2) Set a time limit. ......

Read More »