Genesis 6:2 Meaning and Explanation
“That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Marriage is presented in Genesis as a weighty human bond, joined to family, faithfulness, and God's purposes for life. This brief verse raises difficult questions because it names the "sons of God" without defining them here. Its clearest concern, however, is the movement from seeing beauty to taking wives according to desire, within a chapter that soon exposes widespread corruption and violence.
Genesis 6:2 describes men called "sons of God" seeing women called "daughters of men," finding them fair, and taking wives according to their own choosing. The verse introduces a troubled human pattern that stands near the flood judgment.
The Context of Genesis 6:2
Genesis 6 opens after human beings have multiplied across the earth. Verse 1 mentions daughters being born, and verse 2 reports the actions of the sons of God toward the daughters of men. Verse 3 follows with the LORD's declaration concerning man's flesh and the limited time before judgment. Verse 4 adds the presence of giants and renowned mighty men, yet gives few details. The chapter then plainly describes great wickedness, corrupt ways, and violence, before turning to Noah, who found grace and walked with God. The narrative moves from a concise description of human conduct toward the flood and God's covenantal preservation of Noah's household.
What Does Genesis 6:2 Mean?
The verse is carefully shaped by three actions: they "saw," judged the women "fair," and "took them wives." Seeing beauty is not itself condemned in the words of the verse. Genesis has already honored the goodness of male and female life and the marriage bond. The troubling emphasis may lie in the unrestricted phrase, "of all which they chose," especially as the chapter proceeds immediately toward divine grief over human evil. The text does not tell us whether every marriage described was forced, nor does it name each motive of these men. We can say with confidence that their choosing is presented without any mention of seeking God, honoring a covenant, or receiving a divine command.
The identity of the "sons of God" has been understood in more than one way. Some readers connect the phrase with heavenly beings because it is used that way elsewhere in Scripture. Others understand it as a human group distinguished by worship, lineage, or authority. Genesis 6:2 itself does not settle the question, and verse 4 leaves many details unexplained. Its place in the chapter gives a firm interpretive boundary: whatever the phrase includes, the episode belongs to the account of a world becoming corrupt before God. The chapter's central concern is humanity's moral ruin, expressed in evil thoughts, corrupted ways, and violence. Noah's faithful walk with God provides the chapter's contrasting human response.
The Bible's first marriage account speaks of a man and woman united as one flesh before God. Genesis 6:2 therefore invites serious attention to how desire, power, and choice are brought into marriage. Later Scripture likewise calls God's people to honor marriage and to live with holiness rather than being governed by unchecked lust. The verse does not provide a complete teaching about marriage, yet its setting warns that relationships can be drawn into the larger disorder of a sinful society. Christ affirmed the Creator's design for marriage when answering questions about it. His teaching directs our attention back to God's ordering purpose and to the faithfulness that such a bond calls forth.
Bible Verses Related to Genesis 6:2
“Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”
- Genesis 2:24
“Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.”
- Job 1:6
“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.”
- Genesis 6:5
“And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,”
- Matthew 19:4
Where Genesis 6:2 Echoes in Scripture
Matthew 19:4 strongly echoes Genesis by directing attention to the Creator's making of male and female. Jesus uses the creation account while teaching about marriage, showing that the earliest chapters of Genesis remain important for understanding God's purposes for human unions. Genesis 6:2 stands in a darker setting, where human choice is followed by the chapter's account of corruption. Read beside Matthew 19:4, it encourages us to weigh marital choices in the light of the Creator's intention rather than desire alone.
How to Apply Genesis 6:2 Today
This verse gives us reason to treat attraction and choice with honesty before God. Beauty may be rightly recognized, yet a lasting relationship involves far more than what first catches the eye. We can make room for prayer, wise counsel, integrity, patience, and concern for the other person's good. Married people can also receive the verse as a call to resist habits that reduce a spouse or any person to appearance and personal preference. In families and communities, we can speak of marriage with reverence, remembering that human choices carry consequences within the wider life of those around us.
Reflection & Prayer
Where might desire, appearance, or personal preference be shaping our relationships more strongly than reverence for God and care for others? We can ask the Lord to make our choices truthful, patient, and honorable. Suggested prayer: "Lord, teach us to see one another with purity and gratitude. Guide our relationships by thy wisdom, and help us walk with thee in the choices placed before us. Amen."