The term "Sons of God" appears in various contexts throughout the Bible, carrying different meanings depending on the passage. It is a phrase that has intrigued theologians and scholars for centuries, and its interpretation often depends on the context in which it is used.

Old Testament Usage

1. Genesis 6:1-4: One of the earliest mentions of the "Sons of God" is found in Genesis 6:1-4. The passage describes a time when the "sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they took as wives whomever they chose" . This union is said to have produced the Nephilim, a race of giants. The identity of the "sons of God" in this context has been the subject of much debate. Some interpretations suggest they were fallen angels, while others propose they were the godly descendants of Seth intermarrying with the ungodly line of Cain.

2. Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7: In the Book of Job, the "sons of God" are depicted as heavenly beings who present themselves before the LORD. "One day the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them" (Job 1:6). Here, the term is generally understood to refer to angelic beings who serve in the divine council.

New Testament Usage

1. John 1:12: In the New Testament, the term takes on a more spiritual and relational meaning. John 1:12 states, "But to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God" . Here, "sons of God" refers to believers who have accepted Jesus Christ and are thus adopted into God's family.

2. Romans 8:14: The Apostle Paul further elaborates on this concept, saying, "For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God" . This passage emphasizes the transformative relationship between believers and God, highlighting the role of the Holy Spirit in guiding and affirming their status as God's children.

3. Galatians 3:26: Paul reiterates this theme in Galatians, stating, "You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus" . This underscores the idea that faith in Christ is the key to becoming a "son of God," transcending ethnic, social, and cultural barriers.

Theological Implications

The term "Sons of God" carries significant theological implications. In the Old Testament, it often denotes beings with a special relationship to God, whether angelic or human. In the New Testament, it reflects the new identity and status granted to believers through faith in Jesus Christ. This transition from a more general or angelic reference to a specific relational and spiritual status highlights the unfolding of God's redemptive plan through history.

Conclusion

The phrase "Sons of God" serves as a powerful reminder of the diverse ways in which God's relationship with His creation is expressed throughout Scripture. Whether referring to angelic beings, the faithful lineage of Seth, or believers in Christ, the term underscores the unique and privileged position of those who are called by God.Sons of God

The descendants of Seth were called by the name of the Lord (Genesis 4:25,26). This is not true in reference to the descendants of Cain. The servants of God in all ages have been called the sons of God (Job 1:6; Romans 8:14; 1 John 3:2). The character of Seth's descendants proves that they were the sons of God (Genesis 5:3-29; Genesis 6:9; Genesis 7:1). The character of Cain's descendants proves that they were not the sons of God, for Cain Himself was a murderer, a fugitive, and vagabond (Genesis 4:8-14), and his descendants were polygamists and murderers (Genesis 4:17-23).

Sons of God

SONS OF GOD

(Old Testament) (bene ha-'elohim, "sons of God" (Genesis 6:2, 4 Job 1:6; Job 2:1); bene 'elohim, "sons of God" (Job 38:7); bene 'elim, "ye mighty," the King James Version; "ye sons of the mighty," King James Version margin, the Revised Version (British and American); "sons of God" or "sons of the gods," the Revised Version margin (Psalm 29:1); "sons of the mighty," the King James Version and the Revised Version (British and American); "sons of God" or "sons of the gods," the Revised Version margin (Psalm 89:6 (Hebrew 7)); Septuagint huioi tou theou, hoi aggeloi tou theou (Genesis 6:2); huioi tou theou (Genesis 6:4); hoi aggeloi tou theou (Job 1:6; Job 2:1); aggeloi mou (Job 38:7); huioi theou (Psalm 29:1; Psalm 89:6; compare Daniel 3:25)):

1. Job and Psalms:

This article will deal with this phrase as it is used in the above passages. In the passages from Job and Psalms it is applied to supernatural beings or angels. In Job the "sons of God" are represented as appearing before the throne of Yahweh in heaven, ready to do Him service, and as shouting for joy at the creation of the earth, In the Psalms they are summoned to celebrate the glory of Yahweh, for there is none among them to be compared to Him. The phrase in these passages has no physical or moral reference. These heavenly beings are called "sons of God" or "sons of the 'elohim" simply as belonging to the same class or guild as the 'elohim, just as "sons of the prophets" denotes those who belong to the prophetic order (see A.B. Davidson, Commentary on Job 1:6).

2. Genesis 6:2, 4:

Different views, however, are taken of the passage in Genesis 6:2, 4: "The sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all that they chose..... The Nephilim were in the earth in those days, and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men."

See GIANTS; NEPHILIM.

(1) "Sons of God" is interpreted as referring to men,

(a) to sons of the nobles, who married daughters of the common people. This is the view of many Jewish authorities, who hold that it is justified by the use of 'elohim in the sense of "judges" (Exodus 21:6; Exodus 22:8, etc.). But this cannot be the meaning of 'elohim here, for when 'adham, "men," is used to denote the lower classes, it is contrasted with 'ish, as in Psalm 49:2 (Hebrew 3), not with 'elohim. When contrasted with 'elohim it signifies the human race.

(b) Some commentators hold that by "sons of God" is to be understood the pious race descended from Seth, and by "daughters of men" the daughters of worldly men. These commentators connect the passage with Genesis 4:25, where the race of Seth is characterized as the worshippers of Yahweh and is designated as a whole, a seed (compare Deuteronomy 14:1; Deuteronomy 32:5 Hosea 1:10 (Hebrew 2:1)). They consider the restricted meaning they put upon "men" as warranted by the contrast (compare Jeremiah 32:20 Isaiah 43:4), and that as the term "daughters" expresses actual descent, it is natural to understand "sons" in a similar sense. The phrase "took wives," they contend also, supports the ethical view, being always used to signify real and lasting marriages, and cannot, therefore, be applied to the higher spirits in their unholy desire after flesh. On this view Genesis 6:1-4 are an introduction to the reason for the Flood, the great wickedness of man upon the earth (6:5). It is held that nothing is said in 6:4 of a race of giants springing from the union of angels with human wives (see paragraph 2, below), and that the violence which is mentioned along with the corruption of the world (6:11) refers to the sin of the giants.

(2) Most scholars now reject this view and interpret "sons of God" as referring to supernatural beings in accordance with the meaning of the expression in the other passages. They hold that Deuteronomy 14:1, etc., cannot be regarded as supporting the ethical interpretation of the phrase in a historical narrative. The reference to Jeremiah 32:20, etc., too, is considered irrelevant, the contrast in these passages being between Israel and other nations, not, as here, between men and God. Nor can a narrower signification (daughters of worldly men) be attached to "men" in Genesis 6:2 than to "men" in 6:1, where the reference is to the human race in general. This passage (Genesis 6:1-4), therefore, which is the only one of its kind, is considered to be out of its place and to have been inserted here by the compiler as an introduction to the story of the Flood (6:5-8). The intention of the original writer, however, was to account for the rise of the giant race of antiquity by the union of demigods with human wives. This interpretation accords with Enoch chapters 6-7, etc., and with Jude 1:6, where the unnatural sin of the men of Sodom who went after "strange flesh" is compared with that of the angels (compare 2 Peter 2:4;). (See Havernick, Introduction to the Pentateuch; Hengstenberg on the Pentateuch, I, 325; Oehler, Old Testament Theology, I, 196 f; Schultz, Old Testament Theology, I, 114;; Commentary on Genesis by Delitzsch, Dillmann, and Driver.)

See ANTEDILUVIANS, 3; CHILDREN OF GOD; GIANTS; NEPHILIM; REPHAIM.

James Crichton

4275. proeido -- to foresee
... Gal 3:7-9: " 7 Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons
of Abraham. 8 The Scripture, (4275a) that God would justify the Gentiles by ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4275.htm - 7k

5206. huiothesia -- adoption
... of huios and a derivative of tithemi; the placing as a son, ie Adoption (figuratively,
Christian sonship in respect to God) -- adoption (of children, of sons). ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5206.htm - 7k

5207. huios -- a son
... 5207 ("son") emphasizes , ie His character more and more by living ("God's inwrought ,"
see 4102 ... attendants (3), foal (1), man (1), son (1), son (307), sons (68 ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5207.htm - 8k

5043. teknon -- a child (of either sex)
... This prompts God to them into . ... Origin from tikto Definition a child (of either sex)
NASB Word Usage child (13), children (76), children's (2), son (8), sons (1 ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5043.htm - 7k

The Sons of God
... The Sons of God. A Sermon (No.339). ... No. May you be holy, harmless, sons of God, without
rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation. ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 6 1860/the sons of god.htm

The Unrevealed Future of the Sons of God
... I. JOHN THE UNREVEALED FUTURE OF THE SONS OF GOD. ... 'Now are we the sons of God,'
therefore we shall be. We are the sons; we do not know what we shall be. ...
/.../expositions of holy scripture ephesians peter/the unrevealed future of the.htm

May the Twenty-Eighth the Sons of God
... MAY The Twenty-eighth THE SONS OF GOD. "For as many as are led by the
Spirit of God they are the sons of God." "Romans 8:9-17. ...
/.../my daily meditation for the circling year/may the twenty-eighth the sons.htm

Christians are the Sons of God.
... Chapter CXXIV."Christians are the sons of God. And when I saw that they
were perturbed because I said that we are the sons of ...
/.../chapter cxxiv christians are the sons.htm

"Now are we Sons of God. "
... 445. " "Now are we sons of God.". 445. CM Doddridge. "Now are we sons of God.".
1 How rich thy favors, God of grace! How various, how divine! ...
//christianbookshelf.org/adams/hymns for christian devotion/445 now are we.htm

Of the Fall of the Sons of God who were Captivated by the ...
... Chapter 22."Of the Fall of the Sons of God Who Were Captivated by the Daughters
of Men, Whereby All, with the Exception of Eight Persons, Deservedly Perished ...
//christianbookshelf.org/augustine/city of god/chapter 22 of the fall of.htm

June 23. "Now we are the Sons of God, and it Doth not yet Appear ...
... JUNE 23. "Now we are the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we
shall be" (I. John iii. 2). "Now ... We are the sons of God. We ...
/.../simpson/days of heaven upon earth /june 23 now we are.htm

How we May Become Hidden Sons of God, and Attain to the God-Seeing ...
... THE SPARKLING STONE CHAPTER IX. HOW WE MAY BECOME HIDDEN SONS OF GOD, AND ATTAIN
TO THE GOD-SEEING LIFE. ... In this birth all good men are sons of God. ...
/.../john/the adornment of the spritual marriage/chapter ix how we may.htm

Of the Difference Between the Secret Friends and the Hidden Sons ...
... THE SPARKLING STONE CHAPTER VIII. OF THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE SECRET
FRIENDS AND THE HIDDEN SONS OF GOD. But further we find a ...
/.../john/the adornment of the spritual marriage/chapter viii of the difference.htm

Those Persons who do not Believe in God, but who are Disobedient ...
... According to nature, then"that is, according to creation, so to speak" we are
all sons of God, because we have all been created by God. ...
/.../irenaeus/against heresies/chapter xli those persons who do.htm

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