Gen 6:1-4:"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 who were of old, the men of fame."
Several suggestions as to the identity of these Nephilim have been offered:
Some Bible commentators have thought that the derivation of the name indicates that the Nephilim had fallen from heaven, that is, that they were ‘fallen angels’ (1 Pet. 3:19,20) who mated with women to produce "mighty ones . . . the men of fame." One problem with this is, how can non-gender angels mate with women?
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 (angels taking human form) having intercourse with the daughters of men.
This last group of scholars seem closest to defining the true identity of the Nephilim when considering the Biblical context.
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As for the ten spies who brought back to the Israelites in the wilderness a false report on the land of Canaan at Numbers 13:31-33; 14:36, 37, no doubt there were some large men in Canaan, as other scriptures show, but never except in this “bad report,” which was carefully couched in language designed to strike terror and cause panic among the Israelites, are they called Nephilim. (SOURCE: NEPHILIM; Insight-2 pp. 491-493; Watchtower Online Library)
For more, see:
Nephilim - Links to Information (INDEX; Watchtower Online Library)
NEPHILIM (Insight-2 pp. 491-493; Watchtower Online Library)
Also see:
Noah - Links to Information
Flood - Links to information
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