Q:I love to read Genesis. However, Genesis 6:1-4 has never made sense to me. Who are the "sons of God"? Who are the "giants"?

A:This is one of the mysteries of the Bible. Some scholars have speculated that the "sons of God" were angels. This is unlikely given the way humans and angels can interact. From the context of the section, it appears that "sons of God" refers to Godly men who intermarried with unbelieving wives. This caused great corruption and unfaithfulness among God's people. Because of the sin and unfaithfulness, the flood was sent.

The "giants" or "Nephilim" appear to be a group of tall, large human beings. Numbers 13:33 uses the word when referring to the residents of the land of Canaan. The people of Israel said, "We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them." These were large, mighty people—famous for many years!