"The angels are not called 'sons of God' as if they had actually derived their nature from Him as a child from its father; nor in a less exact way, because though created they have received a nature similar to God's, being spirits; nor yet as if on account of their steadfast holiness they had been adopted into the family of God. These ideas are not found here. The name Elohim or sons (i.e. members of the race) of the Elohim is a name given directly to angels in contrast with men . . . the name is given to God and angels in common; He is Elohim pre-eminently, they are Elohim in an inferior sense" (Davidson, Job, Camb. Bible, p. 6).
In an earlier polytheistic recension of the myth, they
were perhaps called (
Hebrew characters) simply. It is only a desire to
save the credibility of the record as literal history, that
has prompted the untenable interpretations mentioned in
the note below.—2. These superhuman beings, attracted
by the beauty of the daughters of men (i.e. mortal women)
took to themselves as wives (strictly implying permanent
marriages, but this must not be pressed) whomsoever they chose. No sin is imputed to mankind or to their daughters
Ho. Einl. 97.—(Hebrew characters)] see Oxf. Hex. i. 187.—2. (Hebrew characters)[(Hebrew characters)](Hebrew characters)] Jb. 16
21 387, [Dn. 325]; cf. (Hebrew characters), Ps. 291 897. In all these places the superhuman
character of the beings denoted is evident,—'belonging to the
category of the gods.' On this Semitic use of (Hebrew characters), see Rob. Sm. KM2,
17; Pr.2 85, 389 f. (1) The phrase is so understood by G ((Greek characters)
[also (Greek characters)] (Greek characters)), Θ, Jub. v. 1, En. vi. 2 ff. (Jude 6, 2 Pe. 24), Jos. Ant.
i. 73; Fathers down to Cyprian and Lactantius, and nearly all moderns.
[S transliterates (Syriac characters) as in Jb. 16 21.] (2) Amongst the
Jews this view was early displaced by another, according to which
the 'sons of the gods' are members of aristocratic families in distinction
from women of humble rank: TOJ ((Hebrew characters)), Σ ((Greek characters)),
Ber. R., Ra. IEz. [Aq. ((Greek characters)) is explained by Jer. as 'deos intelligens
sanctos sive angelos']. So Spinoza, Herder, al. (3) The
prevalent Christian interpretation (on the rise of which see Charles's
valuable Note, B. of Jub. 33 ff.) has been to take the phrase in an
ethical sense as denoting pious men of the line of Seth: Jul. Afr., most
Fathers, Luth., Calv. al.: still maintained by Strack. Against both
these last explanations it is decisive that (Hebrew characters) cannot have a
narrower reference in v.2 than in v.1; and that consequently (Hebrew characters) cannot
denote a section of mankind. For other arguments, see Lenormant,
Orig.2 291 ff.; the Comm. of De. (146 ff.), Di. (119 f.), or Dri. (82 f.).
On the eccentric theory of Stuart Poole, that the sons of God were a
wicked pre-Adamite race, see Lenorm. 304 ff.—(Hebrew characters) . . . (Hebrew characters)] = 'marry':
419 1129 251 362 etc.—(Hebrew characters)] 'consisting of all whom,'—the rare (Hebrew characters) of explication; BDB, s.v. 3b (e); cf. G-K. § 119 w2: Gn. 722 910.
