Were the Nephilim mentioned in the Bible as aliens?

No, I don't believe they were aliens. It talks about the sons of God taking wives of the daughters of men, and the offspring being called Nephilim or giants, I believe. (I have not read that in a while, so excuse me if I got that wrong.) There are generally 3 differing views on who the sons of God were. 1) the men from the line of Seth, 2) rulers and kings, and 3) fallen angels who left heaven and took wives of human females. Many believe in the third version of who the sons of God were, and it would give some explaination of why their offspring were unusual (giants), and why the earth got filled with so much violence so soon after creation, and why God saw fit to destroy all but Noah and his line, who were not corrupted in their generations. In the book of Enoch, which is not included in the Bible and should not be taken as biblical truth, it goes into much detail about this, and also includes animals.

Also see the works of Bryan Davis in his Oracles of Fire book series

Insight from the Scriptures:

(Neph′i·lim) [Fellers; Those Who Cause [Others] to Fall Down].

This is a transliteration of the Hebrew word nephi·lim′, plural in its three occurrences in the Bible. (Genesis 6:4; Numbers 13:33 [twice]) It evidently stems from the causative form of the Hebrew verb na·phal′ (fall) as found, for example, in 2 Kings 3:19; 19:7.

The Bible account describing Jehovah's displeasure with men in the days of Noah before the Flood relates that "the sons of the true God" took for themselves wives from among the attractive daughters of men. It then mentions the presence of "Nephilim," saying: "The Nephilim proved to be in the earth in those days, and also after that, when the sons of the true God continued to have relations with the daughters of men and they bore sons to them, they were the mighty ones [Hebrew, hag·gib·bo·rim′] who were of old, the men of fame."-Genesis 6:1-4.

Identity. Bible commentators, considering verse 4, have offered several suggestions as to the identity of these Nephilim. Some have thought that the derivation of the name indicates that the Nephilim had fallen from heaven, that is, that they were 'fallen angels' who mated with women to produce "mighty ones . . . the men of fame." Other scholars, focusing their attention particularly on the statement "and also after that" (vs 4), have said the Nephilim were not the 'fallen angels' or the "mighty ones," since the Nephilim "proved to be in the earth in those days" before the sons of God had relations with women. These latter scholars hold the opinion that the Nephilim were simply wicked men like Cain-robbers, bullies, and tyrants who roamed the earth until they were destroyed by the Flood. Still another group, taking into consideration the context of verse 4, conclude that the Nephilim were not themselves angels, but were the hybrid offspring resulting from materialized angels having intercourse with the daughters of men.

Same as "gib·bo·rim′." Certain Bible translations adjust the location of the phrase "and also after that," placing it near the beginning of verse 4, thus identifying the Nephilim with the "mighty ones," the gib·bo·rim′, mentioned in the latter part of the verse. For example: "In those days, as well as afterward, there were giants [Hebrew, han·nephi·lim′] on the earth, who were born to the sons of the gods whenever they had intercourse with the daughters of men; these were the heroes [Hebrew, hag·gib·bo·rim′] who were men of note in days of old."-Genesis 6:4, Smith & Goodspeed's The Complete Bible-An American Translation (1939); see also Moffatt's A New Translation of the Bible (1935), The Holy Bible-New International Version (1978), and Today's English Version (1976).

The Greek Septuagint also suggests that both the "Nephilim" and "mighty ones" are identical by using the same word gi′gan·tes (giants) to translate both expressions.

Reviewing the account, we see that verses 1 to 3 tell of "the sons of the true God" taking wives and of Jehovah's statement that he was going to end his patience with men after 120 years. Verse 4 then speaks of the Nephilim proving to be in the earth "in those days," evidently the days when Jehovah made the statement. Then it shows that this situation continued "after that, when the sons of the true God continued to have relations with the daughters of men," and describes in more detail the results of the union of "the sons of the true God" with women.

Who were the 'sons of God' that fathered the Nephilim?

Increased Wickedness. "The mighty ones who were of old, the men of fame" that were produced by these marriages, were not men of fame with God, for they did not survive the Flood, as did Noah and his family. They were "Nephilim," bullies, tyrants, who no doubt helped to make conditions worse. Their angelic fathers, knowing the construction of the human body and being able to materialize, were not creating life, but lived in these human bodies and, cohabiting with women, brought forth children. Their children, "mighty ones," were therefore unauthorized hybrids. Apparently the Nephilim did not, in turn, have children.

In Mythology. The fame and dread of the Nephilim, it appears, gave rise to many mythologies of heathen people who, after the confusion of languages at Babel, were scattered throughout the earth. Though the historical forms of the Genesis account were greatly distorted and embellished, there was a remarkable resemblance in these ancient mythologies (those of the Greeks being only one example), in which gods and goddesses mated with humans to produce superhuman heroes and fearful demigods having god-man characteristics.

First answer by Lonestarr. Last edit by Ronald Morales. Contributor trust: 4 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 58 [recommend question]