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Fallen: The Sons of God and the Nephilim
“The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—whenever the sons of God went in to the daughters of men, who bore to them children. They were the mighty men of antiquity, men of renown.” — Genesis 6:4 Few sections of the Bible have been as controversial and misunderstood as Genesis 6:1–4. Who were the Nephilim? Were they giants? And who were the sons of God? Fallen angels, godly men, or wicked tyrants? Wild speculations and sensational claims abound, generating more questions than answers. Regrettably, this misinformation leads many to adopt conspiracy theories while others either avoid the topic altogether or believe there is no hope of discerning the meaning of these verses. Fallen is the answer. This detailed and easy-to-follow book represents the most comprehensive treatment of the Nephilim and the sons of God. Carefully and thoroughly researched, Fallen examines the biblical and historical data to clear up the confusion. Join researcher Tim Chaffey as he…
Analyzes the three major views of the sons of God
Reveals the truth about the divine council
Addresses what Jesus said about these matters
Investigates the biblical teaching about giants
Explores similar records from ancient cultures
Readers of Fallen will discover its relevance to modern issues and importance in the biblical narrative. Genesis 6:1–4 will no longer be a mystery.
476 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 3, 2019
350 people are currently reading
152 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
August 10, 2019
Having read Tim Chaffey’s original thesis in 2013, I was excited to see this popular level work that expands on that thesis. Working through the three major views regarding the Sons of God in Genesis 6:1-4 (Royalty, Sethite, and Fallen Angel), Tim makes a compelling case that the Fallen Angel view is the correct view.
Tim does an excellent job surveying Scripture (the most important resource on any biblical matter), the early church fathers, the apocrypha, and history to demonstrate that the Fallen Angel view was the dominant view held until the time of St. Augustine (when allegorizing Scripture became a more popular way of handling the Bible) and that the view has regained acceptability in the last 50-100 years as Christians have been returning to a more straightforward reading of the text (aided by discoveries such as the Dead Sea Scrolls).
I had no trouble agreeing with Tim’s conclusions about the Sons of God before reading his book, but the addition of his discussion of the Divine Council clarified other details in the Bible for me.
As Tim readily admits, this issue is not one worth causing a church split, but it DOES contribute to the conversation regarding the authority and reliability of Scripture.
Tim does an excellent job surveying Scripture (the most important resource on any biblical matter), the early church fathers, the apocrypha, and history to demonstrate that the Fallen Angel view was the dominant view held until the time of St. Augustine (when allegorizing Scripture became a more popular way of handling the Bible) and that the view has regained acceptability in the last 50-100 years as Christians have been returning to a more straightforward reading of the text (aided by discoveries such as the Dead Sea Scrolls).
I had no trouble agreeing with Tim’s conclusions about the Sons of God before reading his book, but the addition of his discussion of the Divine Council clarified other details in the Bible for me.
As Tim readily admits, this issue is not one worth causing a church split, but it DOES contribute to the conversation regarding the authority and reliability of Scripture.
August 28, 2024
The author makes the case for the nephilim being the offspring of fallen angels and sinful human beings. I think he makes a strong case for this, and I tend to agree with him.
At the beginning of the book he talks a bit about the “divine counsel” (as it pertains to his case for what the nephilim are), which quite honestly I find very confusing and I do not totally understand.
I don’t think he takes exactly the same stance as Michael Heiser.
At any rate, as far as I’m concerned, the divine counsel is when God is referring to the other members of the Trinity. If I’m mistaken on that, perhaps someday I’ll understand it better. But considering that wasn’t really the point of the book, I didn’t spend a lot of time trying to figure it out.
Where the book spoke about the topic of nephilim, I found it relatively easy to follow, and made good sense. I liked the book and would probably recommend it to others.
At the beginning of the book he talks a bit about the “divine counsel” (as it pertains to his case for what the nephilim are), which quite honestly I find very confusing and I do not totally understand.
I don’t think he takes exactly the same stance as Michael Heiser.
At any rate, as far as I’m concerned, the divine counsel is when God is referring to the other members of the Trinity. If I’m mistaken on that, perhaps someday I’ll understand it better. But considering that wasn’t really the point of the book, I didn’t spend a lot of time trying to figure it out.
Where the book spoke about the topic of nephilim, I found it relatively easy to follow, and made good sense. I liked the book and would probably recommend it to others.
February 13, 2024
The best single volume work on the topic of the Nephilim. It's covers nearly every aspect of the issue you can think of, and does with primarily exegesis. There is no credence given to baseless conspiracy theories or wacky eschatology. Chaffey writes in such a way that is still scholarly while simultaneously explaining things in a way the average Joe could understand. Highly recommended.
July 5, 2025
Chaffey does an excellent job of analyzing the various views of Genesis 6 (and many other topics closely related) and arguing for the angelic view. His style is accessible even though it is fairly scholarly and meticulous. I would probably only disagree with him in that he does not believe that demons are the souls of the nephilim.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 17, 2024
Man this was an unexpected read. I had it on my shelf as something to read possibly later in the year but my curiosity got the best of me. I'm sure glad it did because I loved it.
Chaffey did a thorough job handling the subject matter of Genesis 6:1-4. This is the often confusing passage about the sons of God mating with the daughters of man. The three main perspectives on this passage are the Sethite, Royalty, and the Fallen Angel view. Sethite is that the sons of God refers to the godly line of Seth and the daughters of man are the ungodly line of Cain and that the intermarrying of godly and ungodly caused the flood. The Royalty view sees the sons of God as human kings that were seen as divine similar to that of ancient cultures. His perspective is that of the Fallen Angel view and he argues persuasively from the text that the sons of God refers to divine beings or fallen angels that come and lust after human women and create the Nephilim. I agree with Chaffey in that this makes most sense of the Biblical text and that it also agrees with the vast majority view of the early church fathers. He explains in the book why the perspective changed around the time of Augustine. The flow of his argument about the sons of God lead him to define the biblical term "Elohim" as the term used of the sons of God is the "bene ha'elohim." This took the book in a direction I did not expect as he delves into Psalm 82. Verse 1 states, "God(Elohim) has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods(elohim) he holds judgment:" If you have read Michael Heiser's work, "The Unseen Realm" this stuff is not new to you but for me this was the first time I had ever really thought of the concept of the divine council. It was fascinating and it is an idea that is prevalent throughout Scripture in numerous places but if you don't know what you are looking for you will breeze over passages that talk about the Ancient of Days in his throne room among other thrones (Daniel 7). That is just one example of many. There's so much more I could say about this book, it was lengthy but not in a bad way. The meat of this book is definitely in the first 75% and it slows down toward the end but I won't hold that against Chaffey. :)
I really appreciate what authors/theologians like Chaffey and Heiser are trying to do with their work. We need to recover a supernatural worldview. As 21st century Christians we tend to adopt a materialistic mindset. That all that is out there in our universe is just stuff. Rocks, plants, animals, etc. The heavenly realm of God and his heavenly creation is somewhere so far off in the 17th dimension and that they are not even really a factor. This is not the teaching of Scripture. God is present with us in the Spirit. We are seated with Christ in the heavenly places. Christ is present with us through the Lord's Supper. Our God is not this impersonal being that just created the world and is off doing His own thing. I was once a Christian that wanted to look at all the experiences people had with demons as being a figment of their imagination or mental illness or whatever explanation I could come up with to dismiss the supernatural. This book, the Haunted Cosmos podcast, and my faithful wife convinced me otherwise. Demons are real. They have power. But we serve a God that defeated the prince of the demons at the cross. The snake crusher smashed the head of the serpent. If we resist the devil he will flee. Christ is King of all the principalities and powers. He is the true Son of God and we are true sons of God in Him. Praise our supernatural God forever and ever amen.
Chaffey did a thorough job handling the subject matter of Genesis 6:1-4. This is the often confusing passage about the sons of God mating with the daughters of man. The three main perspectives on this passage are the Sethite, Royalty, and the Fallen Angel view. Sethite is that the sons of God refers to the godly line of Seth and the daughters of man are the ungodly line of Cain and that the intermarrying of godly and ungodly caused the flood. The Royalty view sees the sons of God as human kings that were seen as divine similar to that of ancient cultures. His perspective is that of the Fallen Angel view and he argues persuasively from the text that the sons of God refers to divine beings or fallen angels that come and lust after human women and create the Nephilim. I agree with Chaffey in that this makes most sense of the Biblical text and that it also agrees with the vast majority view of the early church fathers. He explains in the book why the perspective changed around the time of Augustine. The flow of his argument about the sons of God lead him to define the biblical term "Elohim" as the term used of the sons of God is the "bene ha'elohim." This took the book in a direction I did not expect as he delves into Psalm 82. Verse 1 states, "God(Elohim) has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods(elohim) he holds judgment:" If you have read Michael Heiser's work, "The Unseen Realm" this stuff is not new to you but for me this was the first time I had ever really thought of the concept of the divine council. It was fascinating and it is an idea that is prevalent throughout Scripture in numerous places but if you don't know what you are looking for you will breeze over passages that talk about the Ancient of Days in his throne room among other thrones (Daniel 7). That is just one example of many. There's so much more I could say about this book, it was lengthy but not in a bad way. The meat of this book is definitely in the first 75% and it slows down toward the end but I won't hold that against Chaffey. :)
I really appreciate what authors/theologians like Chaffey and Heiser are trying to do with their work. We need to recover a supernatural worldview. As 21st century Christians we tend to adopt a materialistic mindset. That all that is out there in our universe is just stuff. Rocks, plants, animals, etc. The heavenly realm of God and his heavenly creation is somewhere so far off in the 17th dimension and that they are not even really a factor. This is not the teaching of Scripture. God is present with us in the Spirit. We are seated with Christ in the heavenly places. Christ is present with us through the Lord's Supper. Our God is not this impersonal being that just created the world and is off doing His own thing. I was once a Christian that wanted to look at all the experiences people had with demons as being a figment of their imagination or mental illness or whatever explanation I could come up with to dismiss the supernatural. This book, the Haunted Cosmos podcast, and my faithful wife convinced me otherwise. Demons are real. They have power. But we serve a God that defeated the prince of the demons at the cross. The snake crusher smashed the head of the serpent. If we resist the devil he will flee. Christ is King of all the principalities and powers. He is the true Son of God and we are true sons of God in Him. Praise our supernatural God forever and ever amen.
July 14, 2022
To be sure, the interpretation of Genesis 6 and what is meant by "the sons of God" and the "daughters of men" is confusing. There are some Christians who view it as the fallen angels mating with human women and there are some who say it is the children of Cain mating with the daughters of Seth. Some Christians completely ignore it and others prefer to admit they don't understand it and let it go at that. However, it is in the Bible for a reason. Is it a warning? After all, the next event in the Scriptures is the account of Noah's ark. Clearly whatever occurred during that perplexing piece of Scripture that opens Genesis chapter 6 is devastating enough that God determines to destroy the world, saving only Noah, his wife, his three sons and his three daughters-in-law. Having read a few books on the topic, I decided to give Tim Chaffey's book a try. He is a well-regarded Christian writer and clearly loves Scripture. However, the book was very long, there were extended passages concerning various myths in other cultures, which was good for comparison, but went on a bit too long. (After a few accounts, we got the idea). There are also parts that were questionable and maybe stretching Scripture too much and making it say something it didn't really say. An interesting source of information about the Nephilim, but one I wouldn't put too much emphasis on. It's worthwhile noting that Jewish rabbis believed the Nephilim to be the ancient gods of Rome and Greece. I wish more had been covered from that angle. Because whatever these gods (small g) were, they were more than just statues of wood and stone. There is clearly more to the Scriptural passage of Genesis 6 than meets the eye. Tim Chaffey's perspective is one of many and should be considered as such.
March 21, 2020
An excellent review of the theory that the sons of God of Genesis 6 are fallen angels. Though I do not share this view, this book is the best survey of that theory that I have read, and should form part of any creationist's library.
July 10, 2024
This work is an excellent overview on the topic of Genesis 6. Thorough, balanced and well researched, this book should be required reading for anyone interested in the topic or desiring to claim an informed opinion on the matter. Too often those objecting to the "angelic" interpretation, the oldest interpretation, betray a woeful ignorance of the subject matter and all the relevant data.
Despite my 5 star rating, I have a two minor criticisms. The first is that Chaffey briefly touches upon the "gap" interpretation of Genesis 1:1-2 and dismmises it a bit too casually in my opinion. While I am not necessarily one who insists on this "gap" interpretation, the author doesn't do it justice (in my opinion) and while I may not go as far as saying he argues against a "straw man" of this position, he does not present the strongest case and merit it potentially has. However I understand that this isn't the topic of the book, and he has his reasons for bringing it up briefly and dismissing it. I still think, in my opinion, that he does so a bit too casually.
The second criticism is that while I think he succeeds fairly well in remaining neutral and objective when dealing with the topic of the book itself - trying not to begin with presuppositions born out of his theological leanings - he does allow his Protestant bias (should I say "anti-Catholic" bias?) to show when he says on two occasions that the Roman Catholic Church "added" the deuterocanonical books to their canon. That statement can be very strongly contested, and I'd say is outright false, and was uneeded to make his point. Tim, I figure you read these reviews, I'd suggest you change those two instances to a more neutral wording for future printings. Say something to the effect that the Catholic Canon (not simply "Roman" btw) includes these books, without the controversial assertion that we "added" them at the council of Trent. This is inserting a very controversial statement for no good reason and which doesn't make anything you say any clearer. All is does is show your bias in that regard and may reduce your credibility as a neutral objective scholar in the eyes of Catholics (and Orthodox and Orientals etc.) who may choose to give your book a chance despite you being a Protestant. With non-scholars we can expect that "Protestants gonna Prot". But as a more scholarly work, you should avoid this.
There is a third matter which isn't a criticism but a suggestion as to something he could add petaining to how this topic intersects with that of "unlimited atonement", but I'll contact him directly on that front.
Despite these two criticisms, I still unhesitatingly give this work 5 stars given that my criticism is minor and regards to matters which aren't the actual subject of the book itself. Having studied this topic for a good 15 years, and having paid attention to all his footnotes, I commend Tim Chaffey for having evidently done his research and engaging with the relevant scholarly material. He succeeds in offering a very accessible work, while not straying from a scholarly approach, and without any misrepresentation of the opposing views.
Despite my 5 star rating, I have a two minor criticisms. The first is that Chaffey briefly touches upon the "gap" interpretation of Genesis 1:1-2 and dismmises it a bit too casually in my opinion. While I am not necessarily one who insists on this "gap" interpretation, the author doesn't do it justice (in my opinion) and while I may not go as far as saying he argues against a "straw man" of this position, he does not present the strongest case and merit it potentially has. However I understand that this isn't the topic of the book, and he has his reasons for bringing it up briefly and dismissing it. I still think, in my opinion, that he does so a bit too casually.
The second criticism is that while I think he succeeds fairly well in remaining neutral and objective when dealing with the topic of the book itself - trying not to begin with presuppositions born out of his theological leanings - he does allow his Protestant bias (should I say "anti-Catholic" bias?) to show when he says on two occasions that the Roman Catholic Church "added" the deuterocanonical books to their canon. That statement can be very strongly contested, and I'd say is outright false, and was uneeded to make his point. Tim, I figure you read these reviews, I'd suggest you change those two instances to a more neutral wording for future printings. Say something to the effect that the Catholic Canon (not simply "Roman" btw) includes these books, without the controversial assertion that we "added" them at the council of Trent. This is inserting a very controversial statement for no good reason and which doesn't make anything you say any clearer. All is does is show your bias in that regard and may reduce your credibility as a neutral objective scholar in the eyes of Catholics (and Orthodox and Orientals etc.) who may choose to give your book a chance despite you being a Protestant. With non-scholars we can expect that "Protestants gonna Prot". But as a more scholarly work, you should avoid this.
There is a third matter which isn't a criticism but a suggestion as to something he could add petaining to how this topic intersects with that of "unlimited atonement", but I'll contact him directly on that front.
Despite these two criticisms, I still unhesitatingly give this work 5 stars given that my criticism is minor and regards to matters which aren't the actual subject of the book itself. Having studied this topic for a good 15 years, and having paid attention to all his footnotes, I commend Tim Chaffey for having evidently done his research and engaging with the relevant scholarly material. He succeeds in offering a very accessible work, while not straying from a scholarly approach, and without any misrepresentation of the opposing views.
July 29, 2025
The Sons of God in Genesis 6 Were Angels
In this book the author demonstrates the “sons of God” in Genesis 6 were angels by examining all of the available data. He thoroughly refutes the other two popular views (I.e. human tyrants and the descendants of Seth) by showing how they violate sound reasoning. He even addresses some minor views. Further the author shows credible evidence the offspring of sexual unions between women and these angels were morally corrupt individuals of large size and unusual strength… termed the Nephilim. He also argues these individuals were sired before and after Noah’s flood and what their overall purpose was for being sired in the first place. This information helped me to have more a detailed understanding of the underlying themes of the early chapters of the book of Genesis demonstrating the struggle between God and opposing spiritual forces have been going on since the beginning of creation.
In this book the author demonstrates the “sons of God” in Genesis 6 were angels by examining all of the available data. He thoroughly refutes the other two popular views (I.e. human tyrants and the descendants of Seth) by showing how they violate sound reasoning. He even addresses some minor views. Further the author shows credible evidence the offspring of sexual unions between women and these angels were morally corrupt individuals of large size and unusual strength… termed the Nephilim. He also argues these individuals were sired before and after Noah’s flood and what their overall purpose was for being sired in the first place. This information helped me to have more a detailed understanding of the underlying themes of the early chapters of the book of Genesis demonstrating the struggle between God and opposing spiritual forces have been going on since the beginning of creation.
December 3, 2024
This book is a deep dive into a passage of the Bible that has caused alot of puzzlement, Genesis 6. While the author speculated somewhat in this book, he was really upfront about what things he is drawing from Scripture and what things are just his own speculation. I wasn't sure I would put things quite like he did in some spots, and some aspects of the subject matter were disturbing, but it is rather a dark subject. His goal was to argue for the fallen angel view of Genesis 6 over the Sethite and other views, and I think this book was really persuasive on that front. Wouldn't necessarily recommend it unless you are already wondering about this passage, but if you are, I thought he did a good job of presenting his case.
February 6, 2025
This book has been on my TBR list forever and I wish I hadn’t waited so long! It is meticulously researched and amazingly comprehensive, yet all the information is laid out in a clear and easily-readable format. Even the rabbit trails that sometimes felt tangental were fascinating and ended up being very relevant. I especially appreciated that the author’s approach is solidly Biblical, and though he acknowledges other sources and ideas the Scripture always takes precedence over speculation or crazy theories. You may not end up agreeing with him on all points, but give this book a try anyway. You will likely end up seeing history in a whole new way.
June 3, 2025
Fallen: The Sons of God and the Nephilim is an exhastive defense of the views that the sons of God are fallen angels and the nephilim are giants. I think it does very well in this endeavor. Though I already held to these views this book has strengthened the argument for the views. Though I do disagree with his views on Satan and his lack of arguments against the 120 years being a countdown to the flood they are not what the book is mainly about so I will not dock point for them. If you hold to other views and want to be challenged on them or want to be strengthened in the views in this book as I have I heartily suggest reading this book, you won't regret it.
May 12, 2024
Such a thorough scholarly book
This book is long and can be tedious. I’d like to read a briefer version. However, what I want would defeat the very purpose. All the words and chapters are needed. Only a scholar can produce such an opus. This subject is ro important and ill understood or even unknown to the people who need to hear it.
This book is long and can be tedious. I’d like to read a briefer version. However, what I want would defeat the very purpose. All the words and chapters are needed. Only a scholar can produce such an opus. This subject is ro important and ill understood or even unknown to the people who need to hear it.
November 26, 2024
Absolute must read. Tim Chaffey approaches this controversial matter like a professor teaching a high level college course. It’s a great read, that you won’t want to put down. Recommend for anyone from the person who doesn’t know anything about the subject matter to someone who has a strong opinion one way or the other.
December 8, 2024
Such a great comprehensive piece of work that was put together with such care and detail. It's such a good read on the sons of God and nephilim. It explores multiple perspectives, theories and beliefs and takes us through each one so perfectly. The written style makes it easy to understand and interesting to read. Can't wait to read the authors other books too.
June 27, 2020
Very thorough treatise on the subject of the Sons of God and the Nephilim. I found Chaffey's book to be well researched and he uses Scripture throughout his writing. It isn't light or casual reading, but best described as an academic work.
January 26, 2024
Fallen: The Sons of God and the Nephilim
Tim does an excellent job of presenting the positive and negative sides in each chapter. I see why he won his thesis on this topic. The appendixes are just as good a read as the book itself. His research and conclusions make sense.
Tim does an excellent job of presenting the positive and negative sides in each chapter. I see why he won his thesis on this topic. The appendixes are just as good a read as the book itself. His research and conclusions make sense.
June 6, 2024
A very informative review of this subject matter.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this material on the subject and will recommend it to anyone who is interested in this particular subject matter.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this material on the subject and will recommend it to anyone who is interested in this particular subject matter.
April 10, 2023
Exceptional study
This read answered a lot of questions I had regarding Genesis, why God would wipe out entire civilizations, etc. Excellent book. I totally recommend it.
This read answered a lot of questions I had regarding Genesis, why God would wipe out entire civilizations, etc. Excellent book. I totally recommend it.
April 14, 2023
Very interesting. Gave me even greater confidence in the details of God’s word.
November 5, 2024
brilliant
Brilliant. Well written and thought out. I have leaned so much through this book who gives alternatives to his argument for those who disagree with him
Brilliant. Well written and thought out. I have leaned so much through this book who gives alternatives to his argument for those who disagree with him
November 20, 2024
Awesome
Love the deep and thoughtful explanations. He really dives in and looks at all points and examples. A must read.
Love the deep and thoughtful explanations. He really dives in and looks at all points and examples. A must read.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews