The Flood Targeted the Giants as a Key Part of God’s Cleansing of the Earth
The account of the Flood in Genesis 6–9 presents one of Scripture’s most dramatic acts of divine judgment. While the canonical text emphasizes humanity’s widespread wickedness as the reason for the Flood, ancient Jewish traditions—especially from the Second Temple period—connect the catastrophe to the destruction of the Nephilim, the giants born of the Watchers and human women.
In this expanded view, the Flood was both a judgment on human corruption and a decisive act against supernatural rebellion. The giants, as offspring of angelic transgression, embodied violence, defilement, and opposition to God’s created order. Their destruction removed a central source of corruption, while Noah’s preservation offered a reset for humanity’s future.
1. Reveal the Biblical Reason for the Flood
Genesis 6:5–7 provides God’s stated reason:
“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. And the LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the LORD said, ‘I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land… for I am sorry that I have made them.’”
The focus is on human sin—violence, corruption, and rebellion against God’s ways. The text notes that “the earth was filled with violence” (Genesis 6:11), which echoes the earlier mention of the Nephilim in Genesis 6:4. While the canonical account does not explicitly name the giants as the primary target, their presence is part of the context of the judgment.
2. Record the Link between the Giants and the Flood in Tradition
Ancient Jewish writings like 1 Enoch develop the connection further. These texts describe the Watchers descending from heaven, taking human wives, and producing giants who ravaged the earth. Their violence and defilement of creation, along with the forbidden knowledge they spread, escalated human wickedness to the point that the world cried out for justice.
In 1 Enoch, God commands the archangels to bind the Watchers in chains, separate from the Flood’s destruction, and to cause the giants to destroy each other before the waters come. This portrayal presents the Flood as the final removal of their physical presence, even though their spirits—identified as demons—remained active in the world.
3. Recognize the Dual Nature of the Judgment
From this combined biblical and traditional perspective, the Flood was a twofold act:
Justice against supernatural rebellion – The Watchers were imprisoned, and their hybrid offspring destroyed.
Judgment on human sin – Every inclination of human hearts was evil, and God acted to cleanse the earth.
This dual focus aligns with the Bible’s broader theme that both human and spiritual powers stand under God’s judgment. The giants’ destruction was not incidental—it was part of God’s comprehensive cleansing of a world corrupted in both realms.
4. Recall the Preservation of Noah’s Family
Amid the destruction, Genesis 6:8 offers a ray of hope: “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.” Noah’s preservation was not due to his strength but to God’s grace. Hebrews 11:7 describes Noah as acting “in reverent fear” when warned about the coming judgment, building the ark for the saving of his household.
This preservation ensured the continuation of God’s covenant purposes. In the broader theological arc, Noah’s role foreshadows Christ, who provides a refuge from the coming judgment, bringing believers safely into a new creation.
5. Reflect on the Spiritual Legacy after the Flood
Though the Flood removed the giants physically, it did not end spiritual rebellion. Jewish tradition held that the spirits of the dead giants became demons, continuing to afflict humanity until the final judgment. Genesis 6:4’s note—“and also afterward”—points to the reappearance of giant clans like the Anakim and Rephaim in the post-Flood world.
This enduring presence of rebellion reminds us that the cleansing of the earth through water was not the final act. A greater cleansing, one that would deal with both sin and the spiritual powers behind it, was still to come in the person and work of Christ.
6. Reaffirm God’s Sovereignty and the Gospel’s Fulfillment
The Flood account reveals a God who will not allow corruption to rule indefinitely. Just as He acted to judge and cleanse in Noah’s day, He will bring about a final judgment that removes all evil from His creation. Peter draws this parallel in 2 Peter 3:6–7, noting that just as the ancient world perished by water, the present heavens and earth are being kept for fire on the day of judgment.
In the Gospel, the themes of the Flood find their ultimate expression. 1 Peter 3:20–21 connects Noah’s salvation through water with baptism, which now saves believers—not by washing dirt from the body, but as a pledge of allegiance to Christ, who has triumphed over all powers. Where the Flood purged the earth of giants and widespread sin, Christ’s victory ensures a final, complete cleansing at His return.
Conclusion
The Flood was God’s decisive act to cleanse the earth of pervasive corruption. While the Genesis account centers on human wickedness, the giants formed part of that corrupted world, and their destruction was a necessary element in restoring creation’s order. Second Temple Jewish tradition underscores this connection, presenting the Flood as a judgment on both human and supernatural rebellion.
Yet the Flood also points forward. Just as Noah was preserved through the waters by God’s grace, so believers are preserved in Christ through the ultimate judgment to come. The destruction of the Nephilim in Noah’s day foreshadows the final defeat of every rebellious power, ensuring a future in which righteousness dwells.
10 Bible Verses about the Flood, Judgment, and God’s Cleansing
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 blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land… But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.’”
Genesis 6:11 – “Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence.”
Genesis 7:23 – “He wiped out every living thing that was on the face of the earth—man and livestock, creeping things and birds of the heavens. They were wiped off the earth. Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ark.”
Hebrews 11:7 – “By faith Noah, being warned by God about what was not yet seen, in reverent fear built an ark to deliver his household.”
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 2:4–5 – “For if God didn’t spare the angels who sinned but cast them into hell… and if he didn’t spare the ancient world, but protected Noah… when he brought the flood on the world of the ungodly.”
1 Peter 3:20–21 – “In the ark a few—that is, eight people—were saved through water. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you…”
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…”
2 Peter 3:6–7 – “Through these the world of that time perished when it was flooded. By the same word the present heavens and earth are stored up for fire…”
