EOB: Official Site of the Eastern / Greek Orthodox Bible (Old and New Testament)

Genesis 6:1

EOB (Eastern / Greek Orthodox Bible):

When people started to have more and more children on the earth, and they had daughters, the sons of God noticed how beautiful these daughters were. So they married any of them they wanted.

EOB Footnote:

The MT includes the phrase “on the face of the earth” (Hebrew: al-penei ha-adamah) modifying where humanity began to multiply, which is also present in the LXX (epi tes ges). The MT uses “ha-adam” (the man/humanity) while the LXX renders this as “hoi anthropoi” (the men/people), both referring collectively to humankind. No DSS manuscript witness exists for this verse.

Other Translations:

KJV (King James Version):

And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,

WEB (World English Bible):

When men began to multiply on the surface of the ground, and daughters were born to them,

Benton LXX (Vaticanus):

And it came to pass when men began to be numerous upon the earth, and daughters were born to them,

Douai-Rheims (Vulgate):

And after that men began to be multiplied upon the earth, and daughters were born to them.

Apostoliki Diakonia (LXX):

When people began to multiply on the earth and daughters were born to them

YLT (Young Literal Translation )(MT):

And it comes to pass when mankind began to multiply on the face of the ground, and daughters were born to them.

BBE (Bible in Basic English):

And after a time, when men were increasing on the earth, and had daughters.

EOB COMMENTARY:

EOB Commentary:

Genesis 6:1 – Commentary

The Multiplication of Humanity and the Prelude to Corruption

This verse marks a pivotal transition in the Genesis narrative, moving from the genealogies of the patriarchs to the account of humanity’s increasing wickedness that precipitates the Flood. The simple observation that “men began to multiply on the face of the earth” carries profound theological weight, as numerical increase becomes paradoxically linked with spiritual decline.

Patristic Interpretation: The Church Fathers understood this multiplication not merely as demographic growth but as the spreading of both Cainite and Sethite lineages across the earth. Saint John Chrysostom emphasizes that the increase in population should have corresponded to an increase in worship and thanksgiving to God, yet instead it became an occasion for greater transgression. The multiplication of humanity, rather than multiplying praise to the Creator, multiplied occasions for sin.

Typological Significance: The Fathers saw in this pre-diluvian multiplication a type of the world before Christ’s second coming. Our Lord Himself draws this parallel in Matthew 24:37-38, stating that “as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be.” The multiplication of humanity in Noah’s time, accompanied by spiritual blindness and moral corruption, prefigures the condition of the world at the end of the age.

Liturgical Connections: The Orthodox Church reads from these chapters during the Great Fast, particularly during the first weeks of Lent, when the faithful are called to repentance. The multiplication of humanity serves as a reminder that population and prosperity do not guarantee righteousness. The Lenten hymnography frequently invokes the Flood narrative as a warning against complacency and a call to vigilance.

Spiritual Application: For Orthodox spirituality, this verse teaches that external growth without internal transformation leads to destruction. The multiplication of the human race should have been accompanied by the multiplication of virtues, yet the opposite occurred. Saint Ephrem the Syrian notes that as bodies multiplied, souls became increasingly darkened. This principle applies to the spiritual life of each believer: the accumulation of years, possessions, or even religious activities means nothing without corresponding growth in theosis.

The daughters born to men, mentioned at the verse’s conclusion, will become central to the mysterious passage that follows concerning the “sons of God.” Yet even here, the Fathers note that the birth of daughters is mentioned specifically because it sets the stage for the unlawful unions that contributed to humanity’s corruption, demonstrating how even the natural blessing of childbearing can become an occasion for sin when divorced from obedience to God.

Introduction to the book of Leviticus

The Book of Leviticus receives its English title from the Latin Vulgate, which is derived from the Greek Septuagint (LXX) title Leuitikon (Λευιτικόν), meaning “Levitical” or “pertaining to the Levites.”

Read More »

Introduction to the book of Exodus

The Book of Exodus receives its English title from the Greek Septuagint (LXX), where it is called Exodos (Ἔξοδος), meaning “departure” or “exit.” This name was chosen because the central

Read More »