Nephilim - Famous men and generic giants...
Gen 6: 4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days (and also after this).... They were the mighty heroes of old, the famous men.
Notes: tn The Hebrew word נְפִילִים (nÿfilim) is simply transliterated here, because the meaning of the term is uncertain. According to the text, the Nephilim became mighty warriors and gained great fame in the antediluvian world. The text may imply they were the offspring of the sexual union of the “sons of God” and the “daughters of humankind” (v. 2), but it stops short of saying this in a direct manner. The Nephilim are mentioned in the OT only here and in Num 13:33, where it is stated that they were giants (thus KJV, TEV, NLT “giants” here). The narrator observes that the Anakites of Canaan were descendants of the Nephilim. Certainly these later Anakite Nephilim could not be descendants of the antediluvian Nephilim (see also the following note on the word “this”).
This observation is parenthetical, explaining that there were Nephilim
even after the flood. If all humankind, with the exception of Noah and
his family, died in the flood, it is difficult to understand how the
postdiluvian Nephilim could be related to the antediluvian Nephilim or
how the Anakites of Canaan could be their descendants (see Num 13:33). It is likely that the term Nephilim refers generally to “giants” (see HALOT 709 s.v. נְפִילִים) without implying any ethnic connection between the antediluvian and postdiluvian varieties.
Gen 6: 9 This is the account of Noah. Noah was a godly man; he was blameless among his contemporaries. He walked with God.
Note: The construction translated “walked with” is used in Gen 5:22, 24 (see the note on this phrase in 5:22) and in 1 Sam 25:15, where it refers to David’s and Nabal’s men “rubbing shoulders” in the fields. Based on the use in 1 Sam 25:15, the expression seems to mean “live in close proximity to,” which may, by metonymy, mean “maintain cordial relations with.”
Note: Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture readings and notes
are taken from the NET Bible. You can find the M'Cheyne reading plan
many places online, as PDFs to print out, as well as in Bible reading
apps (e.g., Olive Tree) - some of my favorites include here and in the
Lumina online Bible (click Daily and then select M'Cheyne in the
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