“And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. 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. 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 Hebrew letters symbolism whisper a hidden story here. “Sons of God” carry the strokes of a house (ב) filled with seed (ן)- a dwelling of divine essence, called to manifest heaven’s likeness. “Daughters of Adam” bear the strokes of inner chamber (ב) and cross-mark (ת), symbolizing vulnerability, the hidden potential of embodied earth. When heaven’s call joined fleshly desire without Spirit’s guidance, the result was not harmony but distortion. Out of that union came the Nephilim, fallen ones, mighty in stature yet broken in spirit.
The fuller sense points beyond ancient myth. It tells us what happens whenever divine vocation is consumed by fleshly ambition. What is birthed looks powerful, giants of renown but in truth it is a fallen strength, a counterfeit glory. Humanity’s days, set at 120 years, were a mercy, a limit on corruption, a line God drew to preserve creation.
Christ reframes the whole picture. The Incarnation is the divine “Son of God” uniting with the “daughter of Adam,” not to corrupt but to redeem. Where the old union produced giants of violence, Jesus, the True Son, became the Fallen One on the cross, descending into death so that we might rise as true children of God. “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God” (Romans 8:14). No longer does Spirit strive against flesh, for in Christ flesh has become the temple of Spirit.
Every time you chase power, reputation, or “renown,” you risk birthing giants that look mighty but stand fallen. Yet every time you yield to the gentle seed of Christ within, heaven and earth unite in you, birthing a new creation.
Where in your life do you sense ambition pulling your soul toward renown instead of surrender? That pull is the whisper of Nephilim, fallen strength masquerading as success.
Where do you feel the Spirit still striving with you, tugging at places where flesh resists? That is not condemnation but mercy, a boundary keeping you from collapse.
Where have you tasted the Incarnation within yourself: the Son of God meeting the daughter of Adam in you, heaven dwelling in flesh? That is the seed of Christ, a new humanity rising from within.
As these questions settle in you, notice how the giants lose their power and how grace grows quietly into something stronger than renown: love.
By Anthony Osuya (Saint Anthony)