A Giant’s Actions Brought Extreme Violence and Corruption to the Earth
The Bible’s account of the giants—particularly in Genesis 6—presents them not merely as imposing figures but as active agents of destruction. Their deeds filled the earth with violence, corruption, and defilement, prompting God to bring catastrophic judgment through the Flood. These giants, offspring of the rebellious Watchers and human women, plundered resources, engaged in cannibalism, defiled creation, and spread occult knowledge.
While the record of their actions is brief in Genesis, ancient Jewish writings like 1 Enoch expand the picture, showing how their influence intensified human wickedness to unprecedented levels. Their reign of terror contrasted sharply with God’s design for humanity: to bear His image, cultivate creation, and bless the nations. Instead, the giants reflected the rebellion of their fathers, spreading evil across every sphere of life.
1. Reveal the Giants’ Role in Corrupting Creation
Genesis 6:11 records, “Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence.” This was not random chaos—it was the fruit of a sustained rebellion. The giants, born of the Watchers’ union with human women, stood at the center of this corruption. They dominated the land, consuming its resources without restraint, and turning to violence when those resources were depleted.
In God’s plan, humanity was tasked with stewarding the earth (Genesis 1:28). The giants reversed this purpose, treating creation as something to exploit and destroy. Their actions not only brought physical ruin but also spiritual defilement, undermining God’s order and leading others into rebellion.
2. Record the Atrocities that Marked Their Reign
Ancient tradition paints a grim picture of the giants’ behavior. 1 Enoch describes them consuming all the earth’s produce, then turning to cannibalism when food ran out. They sinned against birds, beasts, reptiles, and fish—acts of cruelty that desecrated creation. They even drank blood, a direct violation of the life-giving principle in Leviticus 17:14: “For the life of every creature is in its blood.”
Their violence was not limited to the physical realm. The giants also spread occult knowledge—sorcery, astrology, weapon-making—tools of oppression and idolatry. What later cultures might celebrate as the beginnings of civilization, Scripture frames as corruption. By teaching humanity to wage war and seek power apart from God, they entrenched evil into the fabric of human society.
3. Recognize How Their Actions Provoked Divine Judgment
The Flood was not a random act of destruction but a deliberate response to the overwhelming corruption of the giants’ age. Genesis 6:5 says, “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.” While humanity as a whole was guilty, the giants had supercharged this wickedness through their violent domination and spiritual deception.
God’s judgment was both physical and spiritual. The giants were destroyed in the Flood, while the Watchers were bound in chains until the final day of judgment (Jude 6; 2 Peter 2:4). Yet even here, God’s sovereignty was on display—He preserved Noah and his family, ensuring the continuation of His covenant plan.
4. Recall the Post-Flood Persistence of the Giants’ Influence
Genesis 6:4 contains the striking note that the Nephilim were on the earth “in those days, and also afterward.” Post-Flood, giant clans like the Anakim and Rephaim appeared, particularly in the land of Canaan. Their presence often stood directly in the way of God’s promises to His people.
Even when their physical line was defeated, their spiritual influence persisted. Jewish tradition held that the spirits of dead giants became demons, continuing to corrupt and oppress humanity. This view explains why spiritual warfare is such a prominent theme in both Old and New Testaments. Christ’s ministry of casting out demons was, in part, a direct confrontation with this lingering legacy of rebellion.
5. Reflect on the Theological Pattern in Their Actions
The giants’ deeds reveal a theological pattern that recurs throughout Scripture:
Defilement of creation – turning God’s good world into a place of ruin.
Oppression of humanity – enslaving others through fear, violence, and deception.
Spread of idolatry – redirecting worship away from the Creator to false powers.
Resistance to God’s purposes – standing in the way of His covenant blessings.
This pattern appears again in later enemies of God’s people and reaches its climax in the final opposition to Christ’s reign. The giants serve as an early and extreme example of what happens when spiritual rebellion is given full expression on earth.
6. Reaffirm God’s Redemptive Plan in the Face of Violence
Despite the chaos, God’s plan was never thwarted. The covenants He made—with Noah, with Abraham, and ultimately in Christ—show His commitment to redeeming the world from violence and corruption. The Flood foreshadows the final judgment when all rebellion will be removed, but it also points to the grace that preserves a remnant.
In Christ, believers find the ultimate answer to the giants’ legacy. Colossians 2:15 declares, “He disarmed the rulers and authorities and disgraced them publicly; he triumphed over them in him.” Where the giants sought to enslave, Christ sets free. Where they spread death, Christ brings life.
Conclusion
The giants’ actions—plundering resources, practicing cannibalism, defiling creation, and spreading occult knowledge—were the embodiment of corruption. They accelerated humanity’s descent into wickedness, making the Flood an act of necessary judgment. Yet their story is not only about destruction; it is also about the God who redeems.
From Noah’s ark to the cross, God has consistently preserved His people, defeated His enemies, and moved His redemptive plan forward. The giants’ reign of terror is a stark reminder of the seriousness of sin, the reality of spiritual warfare, and the certainty of God’s ultimate victory.
Bible Verses about the Giants’ Violence and God’s Judgment
Genesis 6:11 – “Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence.”
Genesis 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.”
Genesis 6:7–8 – “So the LORD said, ‘I will wipe mankind, whom I created, off the face of the earth… But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.’”
Numbers 13:33 – “We even saw the Nephilim there—the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim. To ourselves we seemed like grasshoppers, and we must have seemed the same to them.”
Deuteronomy 2:10–11 – “The Emim, a great and numerous people, as tall as the Anakim, had previously lived there. They were also regarded as Rephaim, like the Anakim, though the Moabites called them Emim.”
Jude 6 – “And the angels who did not keep their own position but abandoned their proper dwelling—he has kept in eternal chains in deep darkness for the judgment on the great day.”
2 Peter 2:4 – “For if God didn’t spare the angels who sinned but cast them into hell and delivered them in chains of utter darkness to be kept for judgment.”
Psalm 82:6–7 – “I said, ‘You are gods; you are all sons of the Most High. However, you will die like humans and fall like any other ruler.’”
Luke 17:26–27 – “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in the days of the Son of Man: People went on eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage until the day Noah boarded the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.”
Colossians 2:15 – “He disarmed the rulers and authorities and disgraced them publicly; he triumphed over them in him.”
