Status Updates From The Sons of God in Genesis ...

Doedens comes very close to suggesting my view as a plausible option in the final pages of the book when he offers "origins of idolatry" as a possible purpose of Gen 6:1-4. However, he does not quite connect that purpose to the actual usage, simply referring to it as a "metaphor," and he leaves the theme undeveloped.

Doedens does an admirably thorough job in surveying all the OT instances of the phrase "sons of elohim" as well as its related phrases, and analyzing them in their respective contexts. I don't agree with his conclusion, and he has not included my view as one of his considered options, but the chapter is nevertheless a worthwhile study.

Doedens history of interpretation with extensive quotes from primary sources is invaluable. No doubt I will frequently return to the chapter as a reference.

Doedens has embarked on an excellent account of the interpretation of Genesis 6, which manages to be both broad and detailed, including full translations of relevant texts, together with a summary of their date and provenance. In his study he leaves not a single stone unturned. Regardless of his later conclusions, this section is a huge asset to those studying the reception history of Genesis 6.

Doedens has finished defining terms and exploring their lexical possibilities. A most useful study with some helpful insights. He has confirmed a few things I suspected.

Getting into some really useful philological studies on the word "nephilim" and "gibborim," as well as their LXX and other OG translations.

So far, good descriptive analysis of philology and historical positions.