Genesis 6:1 kjv
And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,
Genesis 6:1 nkjv
Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them,
Genesis 6:1 niv
When human beings began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them,
Genesis 6:1 esv
When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them,
Genesis 6:1 nlt
Then the people began to multiply on the earth, and daughters were born to them.
Genesis 6 1 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference Note |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 1:28 | God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth..." | Original creation mandate for humanity to procreate. |
| Gen 5:3-32 | The genealogies detailing generations from Adam to Noah, including long lifespans and the birth of children. | Provides the historical context of human longevity and increasing population. |
| Gen 9:1 | And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth." | Reiteration of the multiplication mandate after the Flood. |
| Gen 11:4 | Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower...lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth." | Shows human tendency to congregate despite the command to spread out. |
| Gen 6:5 | The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. | The consequence of widespread human multiplication—widespread depravity. |
| Gen 7:1 | Then the Lord said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation." | Direct precursor to the Flood, caused by widespread sin. |
| Ps 104:30 | When you send forth your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground. | God's creative power over the earth, contrasting human decay. |
| Isa 45:18 | ...who formed the earth and made it (he established it; he did not create it empty, he formed it to be inhabited!). | God's purpose for the earth to be populated by humanity. |
| Jer 33:22 | As the host of heaven cannot be numbered and the sands of the sea cannot be measured, so I will multiply the offspring of David my servant... | God's power to multiply populations (here in a covenant context). |
| Acts 17:26 | And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place. | Highlights God's sovereignty over humanity's origin and spread across the globe. |
| Rom 3:9 | What then? Are we better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin. | Reinforces the universal condition of sinfulness that permeated early humanity. |
| Rom 3:23 | For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. | The pervasive nature of sin, a consequence of multiplying fallen humanity. |
| 2 Pet 2:5 | if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly. | Connects the "ancient world" and the Flood directly to the sin described in Genesis 6. |
| Luke 17:26 | Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. | Jesus connects the conditions of pre-Flood humanity to the conditions preceding His return. |
| Matt 24:37 | For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. | Another direct reference by Jesus to the pre-Flood period as a prophetic warning. |
| 1 Pet 3:20 | ...who formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. | Mentions the widespread disobedience and the few saved during this period of increasing population. |
| Rev 20:8 | and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. | Shows large, numerous populations engaging in rebellion against God at the end times. |
| Job 1:6 | Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. | Introduces the "sons of God" who appear in Gen 6:2. |
| 2 Cor 6:14 | Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? | Reflects a broader principle related to the context of mixing dissimilar entities, as possibly foreshadowed in Gen 6:2. |
| Deut 7:3-4 | You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons, for they would turn away your sons from following me... | Later Mosaic Law prohibition against intermarriage, which provides context to dangers of relationships in Gen 6:2 following daughters' births. |
| Eph 2:2-3 | ...the sons of disobedience, among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh... | Describes the ungodly human condition analogous to that preceding the Flood. |
| 1 Tim 2:15 | ...if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control. | Women's role in the family, balancing the particular emphasis on daughters. |
Genesis 6 verses
Genesis 6 1 Meaning
Genesis 6:1 marks a critical transition point in biblical history, describing the fulfillment of the divine mandate for humanity to "be fruitful and multiply," leading to a significant increase in the human population spreading across the earth. Specifically noting the birth of daughters, this verse sets the stage for the dramatic moral decline and unusual interactions detailed in subsequent verses, which ultimately provoke divine judgment in the form of the Great Flood. It portrays a burgeoning human civilization, whose expansion creates the conditions for the rampant wickedness that necessitates God's decisive intervention.
Genesis 6 1 Context
Genesis 6:1 serves as a bridge from the genealogies of chapter 5, which emphasized the longevity and procreation of early humanity, to the dramatic escalation of sin and divine judgment presented in the rest of chapter 6 and 7. The verse underscores the widespread proliferation of humanity following the Creation mandate. It describes the general state of the earth before the events of the "sons of God" in Genesis 6:2-4 and before God's lament over humanity's profound wickedness in Genesis 6:5-7. Historically, this period represents the accelerating moral decline of humanity on the earth, building up to the comprehensive judgment of the Flood. It implicitly contrasts the human-centric focus on increasing numbers with God's ultimate sorrow over their corruption.
Genesis 6 1 Word analysis
When: The Hebrew word is וַיְהִי (vayhi), commonly translated as "and it came to pass" or "now it happened." This is a frequent introductory phrase in Hebrew narrative, signaling a new and significant development in the unfolding story. It marks a shift from the historical accounts of generations to the conditions that led to the Flood.
man: The Hebrew is הָאָדָם (ha'adam), specifically using the definite article "the." This refers not to a specific individual named Adam, but to "humanity" collectively or "mankind." It underscores that the ensuing events concern the entire human race that originated from adam (man) formed from the adamah (ground). This signifies a pervasive, universal state of affairs.
began to multiply: The phrase הֵחֵלּוּ לָרֹב (hechelu larov) means "they began to become numerous" or "to grow in number." Hechel denotes an inception, indicating a significant point when human population growth reached an exponential stage. Rabah signifies increasing in quantity or magnitude. This fulfillment of the creation mandate (Gen 1:28) initially good, becomes problematic in a fallen world, facilitating widespread corruption.
on the face of the land: The Hebrew is עַל־פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה (al-penei ha'adamah). Al-penei literally means "upon the face of," conveying widespread distribution. Ha'adamah refers to the "ground" or "earth." This phrase emphasizes the geographical reach of human population and, by extension, the ubiquity of their coming sin. It signifies that the problem of sin would become global, requiring a global judgment.
and daughters were born to them: The Hebrew וּבָנוֹת יֻלְּדוּ לָהֶם (uvanot yull'du lahem) specifically highlights the birth of female offspring. While population increase inherently includes both sexes, the explicit mention of daughters is a narrative pointer, strategically drawing the reader's attention to their crucial role in the very next verse (Gen 6:2), where "the sons of God" take them as wives. This detail sets the stage for the unnatural unions that characterize the escalating pre-Flood depravity.
Words-group analysis:
- When man began to multiply on the face of the land: This entire clause establishes the setting. It signifies a stage of critical mass in human population and global spread. This growth, though an fulfillment of the divine blessing, created a denser human environment where wickedness could propagate more readily and widely. The earth was becoming crowded with fallen humanity, ripe for a pervasive corruption.
- and daughters were born to them: This short phrase functions as a narrative catalyst. It directs the reader's attention from general demographic growth to a specific and highly significant development regarding gender. The birth of daughters, presumably of great beauty and allure (as implied by subsequent verses), forms the precise object of desire for the "sons of God," initiating the unusual events that plunge humanity into deeper moral chaos. This specific detail is pivotal for the narrative's progression towards the Flood.
Genesis 6 1 Bonus section
- The rapid proliferation of humanity described in Gen 6:1, when coupled with the longevity of individuals outlined in Gen 5, would have led to an extraordinarily dense population. This numerical explosion could contribute to increased social complexity and potential for conflict, enabling the widespread and deep corruption (Gen 6:5).
- The pre-Flood genealogies in Gen 5 are not merely lists; they establish the human line, underscore the reality of human procreation and longevity, and thereby lend credence to the population growth described here, making the widespread nature of the coming sin a logical consequence.
- The phrasing "on the face of the land" signals that humanity's problem was global in scope, not confined to one region, thus necessitating a global response in the form of the Flood. This highlights the comprehensive nature of sin's influence post-Fall.
- This verse subtly reintroduces a core biblical theme: even positive divine blessings (like procreation) can lead to negative consequences in a fallen world when divorced from righteousness and godly purpose.
Genesis 6 1 Commentary
Genesis 6:1 provides the narrative preamble to the comprehensive depravity that grips humanity, culminating in the Flood judgment. It indicates a phase in human history where the "be fruitful and multiply" mandate of Gen 1:28 has been fulfilled, resulting in a large and spreading population. While population growth in itself is not inherently sinful, it amplified the fallen nature of humanity, creating conditions for the rapid spread and deepening of wickedness across the earth (Gen 6:5). The specific mention of "daughters being born" is not coincidental but sets up the next verse's mysterious and contentious "sons of God" episode (Gen 6:2), indicating that this particular demographic development provided a direct occasion for the unnatural unions that further corrupted humanity's moral fabric. This verse thus lays the foundation for understanding why God's heart was grieved and why such extreme judgment became necessary. It portrays a world flourishing in human numbers but simultaneously degenerating morally.
