Who are the "sons of God" and "daughters of men" in this passage?

This verse has been understood in more than one way, but many readers see the “sons of God” as the line of people who called on the Lord, and the “daughters of men” as those from families that did not follow God. The problem was not beauty itself, but that the godly chose spouses only by outward looks and desire, without caring about faith or character. These mixed marriages drew the once godly away from God. The verse warns us how easily faith can be weakened when we join our lives closely with those who do not share it.

What does it mean that God’s Spirit "shall not always strive with man"?

When God says His Spirit will not always strive with man, it means He would not keep on patiently warning and restraining people who refused to listen. For a long time He had been bearing with their sin and calling them to turn back. Now He set a limit of one hundred and twenty years before the flood would come. This shows both God’s kindness in giving time to repent and the sober truth that His patience has an end when people harden themselves against Him.

Why were there giants and "mighty men" in those days?

The passage speaks of giants and calls them mighty men and men of renown. They seem to have been people of great size, strength, or power who became famous in that corrupt world. But their strength did not lead them toward God. Instead, they used their power for pride, oppression, and violence. They were talked about and praised, even when they did evil. This shows that human greatness without God often leads to abuse and that fame can go to those who hurt others rather than help them.

What does it mean that God repented that He had made man and was grieved?

When it says God repented that He had made man and was grieved in His heart, it does not mean God made a mistake or changed His mind like we do. The words are human ways of speaking to show how deeply God hates sin. People’s thoughts and desires had become evil all the time, and this brought God’s holy sorrow. The grief language helps us feel that sin is not small or light. God’s decision to judge the world with a flood flows from this holy displeasure, not from a sudden mood.

Why did God decide to destroy "all flesh" with a flood?

God decided to destroy all flesh because the earth was full of corruption and violence. People had turned from Him so completely that their thoughts were only evil all the time. This was not a quick reaction but a settled response to deep and widespread sin. The judgment reached even the animals, showing how far human sin had spoiled the whole world. The flood was God’s way of wiping away that corrupt order. Yet even in this, He made a plan to spare Noah and those with him in the ark.

Why did Noah find grace in the eyes of the Lord?

Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord because God kindly chose to show him favor in a wicked time. The passage says Noah was a just man, blameless among his generation, and that he walked with God. While everyone around him was corrupt and violent, Noah listened to God and obeyed. His goodness did not earn God’s grace, but it showed the effect of that grace in his life. God’s favor toward Noah became the way of saving not only him, but also his family and many creatures.

What does this story teach about God’s character?

This story shows that God is both holy and patient, and also kind. He sees not only outward acts but the thoughts of the heart. He is grieved by sin and will judge it, even if the whole world is involved. At the same time, He does not rush to punish. He gives warning and time to repent. In the middle of judgment, He makes a way of rescue through the ark and His covenant with Noah. So we see a God who takes sin very seriously yet delights to show mercy to those who walk with Him.

Why is the command to build the ark described in such detail?

The detailed instructions about the ark show that God had a clear plan for saving Noah, his family, and the animals. The size, the rooms, the stories, the window, and the door all point to a real, practical vessel that could ride out a great flood. It also teaches us about obedience. Noah did not argue or change the design. He followed every command, even when others likely mocked him. His careful obedience shows what it looks like to trust God’s word in a dark and corrupt time.

How does Noah’s obedience speak to people today?

Noah obeyed God when the world around him was full of evil and when God’s warning about a flood must have seemed unlikely. He spent many years preparing an ark based only on God’s word. For people today, this example shows what it means to walk with God in a culture that often ignores Him. It calls us to trust what God says, even when it sets us apart from others, and to show our faith not just in words but in steady, long-term obedience, even when it is costly or lonely.

Why is the phrase "every imagination of the thoughts of his heart" important?

That phrase shows that the problem was not just bad actions but the deep inner thoughts and plans of people. Their hearts were turned away from God, and from that came constant evil. It paints a picture of sin as something that reaches into the mind and desires, not just outward behavior. This helps us see why judgment was so severe and why we need more than small changes. We need our hearts to be changed, because when the heart is wrong, the whole life becomes twisted.

Gen.6.1

Genesis 6:1

KJV

And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,

Corruption on the Earth

1 And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,

2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.

3 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.

4 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.

5 ¶ And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

6 And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.

7 And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.

Noah’s Favor with God

8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.

9 ¶ These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.

10 And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.

12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.

Preparing the Ark

13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

14 ¶ Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.

15 And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.

16 A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it.

17 And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.

18 But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee.

19 And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female.

20 Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive.

21 And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them.

22 Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.

Cross References

No cross references available for this verse.