Demons and Humans Procreating After the Ark
The biblical account of the flood and the subsequent repopulation of the earth raises questions about the possibility of demons and humans procreating after the ark. The narrative in Genesis 6:1-4 describes the "sons of God" marrying the "daughters of men," producing offspring known as the Nephilim or giants. Interpretations of this passage vary across traditions.
One understanding is that the "sons of God" refer to the descendants of Seth, who were considered righteous, while the "daughters of men" were the Cainites, known for their wickedness [4]. This view is supported by Keil & Delitzsch, who argue that the passage describes the intermarriage between the Sethites and Cainites, leading to widespread wickedness.
In contrast, some interpretations suggest that the "sons of God" were supernatural beings or demons. However, this view is not universally accepted. Adam Clarke, for instance, understands the "sons of God" as the righteous descendants of Seth, who corrupted their faith by marrying irreligious women [3].
The question of whether demons and humans can procreate after the flood is also related to the issue of whether animals bred in the ark. Abraham Ibn Ezra notes that some rabbis believed that animals did not engage in intercourse in the ark, while others argued that they did [1]. John Gill, on the other hand, assumes that the animals were preserved in the ark for the purpose of propagation, citing the fact that they went in "male and female of all flesh" [6].
After the flood, the biblical account describes the animals leaving the ark "after their kinds" or "according to their families" (Genesis 8:19). Jamieson, Fausset & Brown interpret this as indicating that there had been an increase in the ark, suggesting that the animals did breed during their time on the ark [5].
The possibility of demons and humans procreating after the ark is not directly addressed in the biblical text. However, Adam Clarke's commentary on Luke 20:34 suggests that human procreation is necessary to restore the population of the earth, implying that humans, not supernatural beings, are responsible for repopulating the earth [2].
The various interpretations of the Genesis account highlight the complexity of understanding the relationship between demons and humans in the biblical narrative. While some traditions view the "sons of God" as supernatural beings, others see them as human descendants of Seth. The biblical text itself focuses on the repopulation of the earth by humans and animals, without explicitly addressing the possibility of demonic-human procreation.
The historical development of these interpretations is rooted in the early Jewish and Christian traditions. The rationalist Jewish commentary represented by Abraham Ibn Ezra reflects a nuanced understanding of the biblical text, while the Christian commentators cited here (Clarke, Keil & Delitzsch, Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, and Gill) demonstrate a range of perspectives within their respective traditions.
Sources
- Sefaria (Jewish (Rationalist)) “Abraham Ibn Ezra on Genesis 8:19: AFTER THEIR FAMILIES. After their kind. Some say that the animals bred in the ark. 40 In contradistinction to the rabbis who said that the animals did not engage in intercourse in the ark. Therefore they had “families,” each of which left the ark by itself. According to the first interpretation they did not breed in the ark. Hence they had no “families.” Thus they interpret “families” as kinds. Each family then left the ark by itself and did not intermingle with any other. This interpretation is not farfetched.”
- Luke (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Luke 20:34: The children of this world - Men and women in their present state of mortality and probation; procreation being necessary to restore the waste made by death, and to keep up the population of the earth.”
- Genesis (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Genesis 6 (introduction): The children of God, among whom the true religion was at first preserved, corrupt it by forming matrimonial connections with irreligious women, Gen 6:1, Gen 6:2. God, displeased with these connections and their consequences, limits the continuance of the old world to one hundred and twenty years, Gen 6:3. The issue of those improper connections termed giants, Gen 6:4. An affecting description of the depravity of the world, Gen 6:5, Gen 6:6. God threatens the destruction of every living creature, Gen 6:7. Noah and his family find grace in his sight, Gen ”
- Genesis (Lutheran) “Keil & Delitzsch on Genesis 6:1: The genealogies in Gen 4 and 5, which trace the development of the human race through two fundamentally different lines, headed by Cain and Seth, are accompanied by a description of their moral development, and the statement that through marriages between the "sons of God" (Elohim) and the "daughters of men," the wickedness became so great, that God determined to destroy the men whom He had created. This description applies to the whole human race, and presupposes the intercourse or marriage of the Cainites with the Sethites. Gen 6:1-2 Gen 6:1-2 relates to the ”
- Genesis (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Genesis 8:15: DEPARTURE FROM THE ARK. (Gen 8:15-22) And God spake . . . Go forth--They went forth in the most orderly manner--the human occupants first, then each species "after their kinds" [Gen 8:19], literally, "according to their families," implying that there had been an increase in the ark.”
- Genesis (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Genesis 7:14: And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh,.... These pairs were not two males or two females, but one male and one female; so they were coupled for the propagation of their species, which was the end of their entering into the ark, and being preserved: as God had commanded him: Noah, who took care, as they entered, that there were so many of a sort as was enjoined, and these were male and female: and the Lord shut him in; or shut the door after him (l), he being the last that entered; and which he could not so well shut himself, at least so clos”