Sons of God (Heb: bənê hāʼĕlōhîm,[1]בני האלהים) is a phrase used in the Hebrew Bible and apocrypha. When applied to men, the phrase refers to the righteous who become conscious of God’s fatherhood to his creation. The phrase is also used in Kaballah whereBene elohim are part of different Jewish angelic hierarchies.
Hebrew Bible
In the Hebrew Bible, the phrase “sons of the Elohim” occurs in:
- Gen 6:2 bənê hāʼĕlōhîm (בְנֵי־הָֽאֱלֹהִים) the sons of Elohim. https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/gen/6/2/t_conc_6004[citation needed]
- Job 1:6 bənê hāʼĕlōhîm (בְּנֵי הָאֱלֹהִים) the sons of Elohim.https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/job/1/6/t_conc_437006[citation needed]
- Job 38:7 bənê ĕlōhîm (בְּנֵי אֱלֹהִֽים) without the definite article – sons of godly beings. https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/job/38/7/t_conc_474007[citation needed]
- Psalm 29:1 bənê ēlîm (בְּנֵי אֵלִים) without the definite article – sons of elim.[citation needed]
Deuteronomy 32:8 also mentions “sons of Israel” bÿney yisra’el (בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל), which is translated as the “people of Israel” in the HCSB, “heavenly court” in the New Living Translation, and “heavenly assembly” in the New English Translation. [2][3] In some copies of Deuteronomy, the Dead Sea Scrolls refer to the sons of God rather than the sons of Israel, probably in reference to angels. The Septuagint reads similarly.[4][5]
