THE GIANTS OF GENESIS 6:1–7

Reader, it is imperative to set the record straight concerning the origin of the giants in Chapter 6 of Genesis. The exegesis of Chapter 6 provided by the notes and annotations in the original Douay-Rheims Holy Bible clearly point to the giants originating from forbidden marriages between the sons of God (i.e., the righteous sons from the incorrupted seed of Seth) and the daughters of men (i.e., the unrighteous daughters from the corrupted seed of Cain).

Accordingly, Genesis 6:1–7 is herewith transcribed, first in Latin from the 1598 edition of the Sixto-Clementine Vulgate Biblia Sacra, followed by Early Modern English from the original 1582/1609/1610 Douay-Rheims Holy Bible including the relevant notes and annotations thereof. We proceed thus:

In Latin:

* 1 CVmq. cœpiſſent homines multiplicari ſuper terram, & filias procreaſſent, * 2 Videntes filij Dei filias hominum quod eſſent pulchræ, acceperunt ſibi vxores ex omnibus, quas elegerant. * 3 Dixitq. Deus : Non permanebit ſpiritus meus in homine in æternũ, quia caro eſt : eruntq. dies illius centum viginti annorum. * 4 Gigantes autem erant ſuper terram in diebus illis . poſtquã enim ingreſſi ſunt filij Dei ad filias hominum, illæq. genuerunt, iſti ſunt potẽtes a ſæculo viri famoſi. * 5 Vidẽs autem Deus quod multa malitia hominum eſſet in terra, & cuncta cogitatio cordis intenta eſſet ad malum omni tẽpore, * 6 pœnituit eum quod hominum feciſſet in terra. Et tactus dolore cordis intrinſecus, * 7 ^‖ Delebo, inquit, hominem, quem creaui, a facie terræ, ab homine vſque ad animantia, a reptili vſque ad volucres cæli. pœnitet enim me feciſſe eos. ^‖Inf.8.d.21 Matth. 15. c.19.
— liber genesis, hebraice beresith, vi: 1–7, Biblia Sacra, Vvlgatae Editionis (1598 A.D.)¹

In Early Modern English (EOM):

1 ANd after that men began to be multiplied vpon the earth, & had procreation of daughters: † 2 The ^⸬ ^[″^] ſonnes of God ^a ſeing the daughters of men, that they were faire, tooke to them ſelues wiues out of al, which they had choſen. ^⸬ The profeſſors of true religion were called the ſõnes of God. the folowers of errors the ſõnes of men. † 3 And God ſaid: My ſpirit ſhal not remaine in man for euer, becauſe he is flesh: & his dayes ſhal be ^[″^] an hũfred & twentie yeares.^b † 4 And ^[″^] Giants were vpon the earth ^c in thoſe dayes. For after the ſonnes of God did companie with the daughters of men, and they brought forth children, theſe be the mightie of the olde world, famous men. † 5 And God ſeing the malice of men was much on the earth, and that ^[″^] al the cogitation of their hart was bent to euil ^d at al times, † 6 it ^⸬ repented him that he had made man on the earth. ^⸬ God who is immutable, & ſubject to no paſſion, yet by the enormitie of ſinnes ſemeth prouoked to wrath, and to repent that he had made man. S. Amb. li. de Noe & arca. c. 4. And touched inwardly with ſorrowe of hart, † 7 I wil, ſaith he, cleane take away man, whom I haue created, from the face of the earth, from man euen to beaſtes, from that which creepeth euen vnto the foules of the ayre, for it repenteth me that I haue made them.
— the booke of genesis, in hebrew beresith, vi: 1–7, Holie Bible, Doway-Rhemes Edition (1582, 1609, 1610 A.D.)²^,³^,⁴

(Genesis)
ANNOTATIONS
Chap. I.

a 2. Sonnes of God.] Sõnes of God and ſonnes of men was then ſuch a distinction, as now Catholiques and Heretiks.The progenie of Seth, profeſſing true faith & Religion, were called the ſonnes of God : and thoſe of Cains iſſue and congregation, folowing erronious and wicked opinions, were called the ſonnes of men. VVhich were then the diſtinctiue termes of true and falſe Religion, as afterwardes were the termes of Iewes and Gentiles : after Chriſt, Chriſtians and Paganes : and laſtly true and falſe Chriſtians are diſtinguiſhed, by the names of Catholiques and Heretikes. As S. Auguſtin teacheth, in his queſtions vpon Geneſis, & other places. lib. 15. & 23. ciuit. De vera relig. c.7 con. epiſt. fund. c.4 Trac. 32. in Ioan. VVhich is confirmed by the like iugement of S. Ciril Alexandrinus li. 9. aduerſ. Iulianum. S. Ambroſe li. de Noe & arca. c. 4. S. Pacianus epiſt. ad Symphorianum. Theodoret. & manie others vpon this place.

b 3. An hundred and tvventie yeares.] This warning and expectation of repentance ſheweth freewil in mã. Mans life was not here ſhortned to an hundred and twentie yeares, as ſome haue miſunderſtood this place. For after this diuers liued much longer, as appeareth in the genealogie of Sem to Abram in the 11. chapter of Geneſis. And Abraham liued. 175. yeares (c. 25.) Iſaae 180. (c. 35.) Iacob 147. (c. 47.) and Ioiadas borne 1500. yeares after, liued 130. yeares (2. par.24.) Philo. Ioſephus. Lactant. Rupert. Teſtatum. But 120. yeares were granted before the floud for that generation to repent in, as the Chaldee Edition expreſſeth more plainely : Terminus dabitur ei centum viginti annorum ſi ſorte conueriatur. The tearme of an hundred and twentie yeares ſhal be geuen them, if perhaps they may conuert. And ſo S. Chriſoſtom. S. Hierom. and S. Auguſtin expound this Scripture. Scriptures not eaſie. Yet whether God cut of 20. of theſe yeares, and brought the floud after a 100 (for Noe had his ſonnes when he was 500. yeares old, & the floud came in the 600, yeare of his age) or that this warning was geuen twentie yeares before anie of his ſõnes were borne, is not ſo eaſely decided by the holie Doctors. ho.22. in Gen. Tradit. Heb. lib. 15. c. 24. ciuit. How eaſie ſoeuer Proteſtants ſay al Scriptures are. Though vnder correction of better iudgement, it ſemeth more probable, that Moyſes by anticipation ioyneth the birth of Noes ſonnes (when he was 500. yeares old) to thr reſt of the geneologie of the firſt Patriarkes, in the former chapter, and then telleth of this admonition, geuen 20. yeares before their birth. And ſo God expected the peoples repentence the whole time of 120. yeares preſcribed.

c 4. Giants vvere vpon the earth.] Erronious opinions concerning theſe giants. Some haue thought that theſe giantes were not men, nor begotten by men, but that either diuels, which fel at firſt from heauen, or other Angels allured with concupiſence, begate them of the daughters of Cain. Philo Iudeus in his booke de Gigantibus, writeth that thoſe whom Moyſes here called Angels, the Philoſophers called Genios. Qui ſunt animalia aërea, vvhich are liuing creatures vvith ayrie bodies. Ioſephus (li. r. Antiq.) ſaith that Angels begate theſe giantes. Tertullian alſo (li. de habitu muliebri) holdeth the ſame error, and diuers more otherwiſe good authors. The principal doctors proue that they were men, and begotten of men. But S. Ciril of Alexandria (li.9.aduer. Iulian) S. Chriſoſtom (homil. 22 in Gen) S. Ambroſe (de Noe & arca. c.4) S. Auguſtin (li.15.c.23 de ciuit) S. Hierom (tradit. Hebraie) and other moſt principal Doctors teach it to be vntrue, yea vnpoſſible, that theſe giants ſhould haue bene begotten by anie other creatures then by men. [emphasis added] Firſt reason For that Angels and diuels are mere ſpirits without natural bodies. And if they had ayrie bodies (as they haue not) yet they could not haue ſuch generation. 2 For the powre or force to engender belongeth to the vegatatiue ſoule, whoſe proper operations are to turne nutriment into the ſubſtance of the ſubiect wherin it is, and to engender new iſſue or ofspring from the ſame, as Ariſtotle ſheweth (li. 2. de anima, textu. 24.) And in what bodies ſoeuer there is a vegatatiue ſoule, it muſt needes be, that the ſame was engendered, and muſt ſome times decay and die, and ſo diuels ſhould be mortal. 3 Moreouer if they could haue generation together with mankind, then ſuch iſſue ſhould be a diſtinct ſpecies both from man and diuel, as a mule differeth both from horſe and aſſe. 4 Againe, if ſpirits had abuſed wemen in attempted bodies, and ſhape of men, yet they did not take them to wiues as the Scripture ſaith they did, who begate theſe giants. 5 Finally the holie Scripture here expreſly calleth the giants men. Theſe be the mightie ones, famous men. The modeſtie of Scripture terming them famous, whom our common phraſe would cal infamous being more monſtrous in wickednes of mind, then in hugenes of bodie. For they were moſt inſolent, laſciuious, couetous, cruel, and in al kinde of vices moſt impious.

d 5. Al the [cogitation] bent to euel.] Luthers argument that al mens workes are ſinnes. Luther (in his 21. article condemned by Leo the tenth) would proue by theſe wordes, and the like folowing, Al flesh had corrupted his vvay vpon earth, that al workes of men are ſinnes. For (ſaith he) ſeeing the hartes of al men are bent alwaies to euil, and al humane actions proceede from the hart, it muſt needes be that the hart as the fountaine being corrupt, the ſtreames alſo iſſuing from the ſame muſt be corrupted. Againe al ſleſh hauing corrupted his way vpon the earth, there is not any iuſt man (ſaith he) nor any man without ſinne : and with Proteſtantes al ſinnes are mortal. Heretiks like to Siſyphus. But Heretikes arguments are like to that the Poëts feyne of Siſyphus laboring to carie a great ſtone to the toppe of an high hil, which when he hath brought almoſt to the height, it ſtil falleth from him, & tumbleth againe to the bottome. Euen ſo their arguments that make greateſt ſhew of prouing their opinions, are nothing but vaine traueling, when they come to be tried by the true ſenſe of holy Scripture. The ſinnes before the floud very greuous in foure reſpects, In this place, Moyſes deſcribeth the enormitie of ſinne that reigned in the world before the floud, for which God ſent that deſtruction. For it was haynous in deede, and that eſpecially in foure reſpects. 1 Firſt the malice and wickednes was general, which is ſignified by thoſe wordes, al fleſh hath corrupted his vvay vpon the earth. 2 Secõdly it was great malice, ſignified by the words much, and al the cogitations of their hart is bent to euel. For they committed al maner of wickednes in hautines of pride, in al laſciuiouſnes of the fleſh, in al crueltie of robbing, ſacking, & murthering, in al impietie, againſt God & Man. 3 Thirdly, it was of long continuance, and dayly iterated. For Cain once fallen into damnable ſinne neuer repented, and al his progenie was exceding wicked and after that Adam and Seth were dead, and Enoch tranſlated, manie of the faithful fel to the wicked ſorte, and became worſe and worſe omni tempore, alwaies, or euerie day. 4 Fourthly they were obſtinate and obdurate, not repenting when Noe built the arke, and preached iuſtice (as S. Peter teſtifieth) 2 Pet. 2 and therfore God ſaved him and his familie, bringing in the deluge vpon the vvorld of the impious. Al which maketh nothing at al for Luther. Luthers [argument] anſwered. For although the malice of man, and corruption of fleſh, was then verie genaral, great, of long continuance, & obſtinate, yet was it not ſo vniuerſal, but that God him ſelfe excepted Noe, ſaying to him I haue found thee iuſt in my ſight in this generation, whereby it is clere that theſe general termes, al cogitation and al fleſh haue exceptions. As likewiſe other as general propoſitions in this ſame chapter, concerning the puniſhment threatned, comprehend not abſolutely al, and euerie one, but almoſt al, very few excepted. I vvil cleane take avvay, or deſtroy man vvhom I haue created, from the face of the earth. The end of al flesh is come before me. againe, that I may deſtroy al fleſh vvherin is breath of life vnder heauen. Theſe are very general ſpeaches, that al ſhould be deſtroyed, and yet eight perſons of mankind, that had the ſame natural fleſh, and amongſt other liuing creatures, that had breath, diuers payres were ſaued aliue. So that this place (nor anie other in holie Scripture) wil not proue that Proteſtants paradox, that al mens actions are mortal ſinnes, or that no man in this life is or can be iuſt:but manie ſcriptures tel vs plainly that ſome men were iuſt, as Noe, Iob, Daniel, Zacharias, Eliſabeth, Simeon and others. Ezech. 1. Luc. 1 & 2. Apoc. 22. Of Noe ſee more in the next annotation.

Denouement

The notes and annotations of the original, uncorrupted Douay-Rheims Holy Bible is definitive on the matter: The antediluvian giants were the offspring from forbidden marriages between the sons of God (i.e., the righteous sons from the incorrupted seed of Seth) and the daughters of men (i.e., the unrighteous daughters from the corrupted seed of Cain). That exegetical conclusion is supported by principal Doctors of the Church — no less than Saint Cyril of Alexander, Saint Chryostom, Saint Ambrose, Saint Augustine, and Saint Jerome — as noted and referenced above. The error held by some podcasters that fallen non-carnal beings were carnally involved in the the generation of the antediluvian giants, stems from their adherence to non-canonical writings, and in any event, defies exegetical logic and flies in the face of common sense.

For a brief introduction to the original, uncorrupted Douay-Rheims Holy Bible, readers are advise to carefully review our web page (posted on this website) titled, Part A: The Original and Uncorrupted Douay Rheims Bible (1582, 1609, 1610 A.D.).

— FINIS —

Edwin WrightDecember 27, 2025

THE GIANTS OF GENESIS 6:1–7

(Genesis)ANNOTATIONSChap. I.

Denouement

(Genesis)
ANNOTATIONS
Chap. I.