Genesis 6:1
New International Version
When human beings began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them,

New Living Translation
Then the people began to multiply on the earth, and daughters were born to them.

English Standard Version
When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them,

Berean Standard Bible
Now when men began to multiply on the face of the earth and daughters were born to them,

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

New King James Version
Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them,

New American Standard Bible
Now it came about, when mankind began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them,

NASB 1995
Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them,

NASB 1977
Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them,

Legacy Standard Bible
Now it happened, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them,

Amplified Bible
Now it happened, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them,

Christian Standard Bible
When mankind began to multiply on the earth and daughters were born to them,

Holman Christian Standard Bible
When mankind began to multiply on the earth and daughters were born to them,

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

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

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The number of people increased all over the earth, and daughters were born to them.

Good News Translation
When people had spread all over the world, and daughters were being born,

International Standard Version
Now after the population of human beings had increased throughout the earth, and daughters had been born to them,

Majority Standard Bible
Now when men began to multiply on the face of the earth and daughters were born to them,

NET Bible
When humankind began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them,

New Heart English Bible
And it happened, when humankind began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them,

Webster's Bible Translation
And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them,

World English Bible
When men began to multiply on the surface of the ground, and daughters were born to them,
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And it comes to pass that mankind has begun to multiply on the face of the ground, and daughters have been born to them,

Young's Literal Translation
And it cometh to pass that mankind have begun to multiply on the face of the ground, and daughters have been born to them,

Smith's Literal Translation
And it shall be when man begins to multiply upon the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them,
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And after that men began to be multiplied upon the earth, and daughters were born to them.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And when men began to be multiplied upon the earth, and daughters were born to them,

New American Bible
When human beings began to grow numerous on the earth and daughters were born to them,

New Revised Standard Version
When people began to multiply on the face of the ground, and daughters were born to them,
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
AND it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth and daughters were born to them,

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And it was that when sons of men began to multiply on the face of the Earth and daughters were born to them,
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,

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

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Corruption on the Earth
1Now when men began to multiply on the face of the earth and daughters were born to them, 2the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they took as wives whomever they chose.…

Cross References
Matthew 24:37-39
As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be at the coming of the Son of Man. / For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark. / And they were oblivious until the flood came and swept them all away. So will it be at the coming of the Son of Man.

Luke 17:26-27
Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man: / People were eating and drinking, marrying and being given in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.

1 Peter 3:19-20
in whom He also went and preached to the spirits in prison / who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In the ark a few people, only eight souls, were saved through water.

2 Peter 2:4-5
For if God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but cast them deep into hell, placing them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment; / if He did not spare the ancient world when He brought the flood on its ungodly people, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, among the eight;

Jude 1:6-7
And the angels who did not stay within their own domain but abandoned their proper dwelling—these He has kept in eternal chains under darkness, bound for judgment on that great day. / In like manner, Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, who indulged in sexual immorality and pursued strange flesh, are on display as an example of those who sustain the punishment of eternal fire.

Hebrews 11:7
By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in godly fear built an ark to save his family. By faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

Job 22:15-16
Will you stay on the ancient path that wicked men have trod? / They were snatched away before their time, and their foundations were swept away by a flood.

1 Corinthians 11:10
For this reason a woman ought to have a sign of authority on her head, because of the angels.

1 Peter 4:6
That is why the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged as men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.

Romans 5:12-14
Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, so also death was passed on to all men, because all sinned. / For sin was in the world before the law was given; but sin is not taken into account when there is no law. / Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who did not sin in the way that Adam transgressed. He is a pattern of the One to come.

2 Peter 3:5-6
But they deliberately overlook the fact that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water, / through which the world of that time perished in the flood.

Isaiah 54:9
“For to Me this is like the days of Noah, when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth. So I have sworn that I will not be angry with you or rebuke you.

Ezekiel 14:14
then even if these three men—Noah, Daniel, and Job—were in it, their righteousness could deliver only themselves, declares the Lord GOD.

Job 15:14-16
What is man, that he should be pure, or one born of woman, that he should be righteous? / If God puts no trust in His holy ones, if even the heavens are not pure in His eyes, / how much less man, who is vile and corrupt, who drinks injustice like water?

Psalm 14:2-3
The LORD looks down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if any understand, if any seek God. / All have turned away, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.


Treasury of Scripture

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

A.

Genesis 1:28
And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

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Begun Born Daughters Earth Face Ground Increase Increasing Mankind Multiply Surface Time
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Begun Born Daughters Earth Face Ground Increase Increasing Mankind Multiply Surface Time
Genesis 6
1. The wickedness of the world, which provoked God's wrath.
8. Noah finds grace.
9. His family line
14. The order, form, dimensions, and building of the ark.














Now when men began to multiply
The phrase "Now when men began to multiply" marks a significant transition in the narrative of Genesis. The Hebrew word for "men" here is "אָדָם" (adam), which can refer to humanity in general. This multiplication signifies the fulfillment of God's command to "be fruitful and multiply" (Genesis 1:28). It reflects a period of population growth and expansion across the earth. Historically, this era could be seen as a time when early human societies began to form, leading to increased social complexity and interaction. Theologically, it underscores the spread of human life as part of God's creative purpose, yet it also sets the stage for the ensuing moral decline that prompts divine intervention.

on the face of the earth
The phrase "on the face of the earth" emphasizes the geographical and universal scope of humanity's expansion. The Hebrew word for "earth" is "אֶרֶץ" (erets), which can mean land, country, or the entire world. This expression suggests that human beings were spreading across the entire planet, fulfilling their God-given mandate to inhabit and steward the earth. It also foreshadows the global impact of the events that follow, particularly the flood narrative. From a conservative Christian perspective, this underscores the belief in a historical Adam and Eve whose descendants populated the earth, aligning with a literal interpretation of the Genesis account.

and daughters were born to them
The mention of "daughters" being born highlights the natural process of human reproduction and the continuation of family lines. In Hebrew, "daughters" is "בָּנוֹת" (banot), which is significant in the context of the subsequent verses where the "sons of God" take notice of these daughters. This phrase sets the stage for the controversial interactions between the "sons of God" and the "daughters of men," which have been the subject of much theological debate. Historically, this could reflect the increasing complexity of human relationships and societal structures. Theologically, it points to the inherent value and dignity of women as part of God's creation, while also introducing the moral challenges that arise from human choices and interactions.

VI.

(1) When men (the adam) began to multiply.--The multiplication of the race of Adam was probably comparatively slow, because of the great age to which each patriarch attained before his first-born was brought into the world: though, as the name given is not necessarily that of the eldest, but of the son who enjoyed the birthright, it does not follow that in every case the one named was absolutely the eldest son. There may have been other substitutions besides that of Seth for Cain; and Noah, born when his father was 182 years of age, seems a case in point. He was selected to be the restorer of mankind because of his piety, and may have had many brothers and sisters older than himself. Each patriarch, however, begat "sons and daughters," and as we find Cain building a city, he must have seen, at all events, the possibility of a considerable population settling round him. It was probably, as we saw above, about the time of Enoch that the corruption of the family of Adam began to become general.

Verses 1, 2. - And it came to pass. Literally, it was; not in immediate sequence to the preceding chapter, but at some earlier point in the antediluvian period; perhaps about the time of Enoch (corresponding to that of Lamech the Cainite), if not in the days of Enos. Havernick joins the passage with Genesis 4:26. When men - ha'adham, i.e. the human race in general, and not the posterity of Cain in particular (Ainsworth, Rosenmüller, Bush) - began to multiply - in virtue of the Divine blessing (Genesis 1:28) - on (or over) the face of the earth. "Alluding to the population spreading itself out as well as increasing" (Bonar). And daughters were born unto them. Not referring to any special increase of the female sex (Lange), but simply indicating the quarter whence the danger to the pious Sethites rose: "who became snares to the race of Seth" (Wordsworth). That the sons of God. Bene-ha Elohim.

1. Not young men of the upper ranks, as distinguished from maidens of humble birth (Onk., Jon., Sym., Aben Ezra); an opinion which "may now be regarded as exploded" (Lange).

2. Still less the angels (LXX., - some MSS. having ἄγγελοι τοῦ θεοῦ, - Philo, Josephus, Justin Martyr, Clement, Tertullian, Luther, Gesenius, Rosenmüller, Von Bohlen, Ewald, Baumgarten, Delitzsch, Kurtz, Hengstenberg, Alford); for

(1) they are either good angels, in which case they might be rightly styled sons of God (Psalm 29:1; Psalm 89:7; Job 1:6; Job 2:1; Job 38:7; Daniel 3:25), though it is doubtful if this expression does not denote their official rather than natural relationship to God, but it is certain they would not be guilty of the sin here referred to; or they are bad angels, in which ease they might readily enough commit the sin, if it were possible, but certainly they would not be called "the sons of God." . . .

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Now
וַֽיְהִי֙ (way·hî)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

when
כִּֽי־ (kî-)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

men
הָֽאָדָ֔ם (hā·’ā·ḏām)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 120: Ruddy, a human being

began
הֵחֵ֣ל (hê·ḥêl)
Verb - Hifil - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 2490: To bore, to wound, to dissolve, to profane, to break, to begin, to play

to multiply
לָרֹ֖ב (lā·rōḇ)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 7231: To cast together, increase, in number, to multiply by the myriad

on
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

the face
פְּנֵ֣י (pə·nê)
Noun - common plural construct
Strong's 6440: The face

of the earth
הָֽאֲדָמָ֑ה (hā·’ă·ḏā·māh)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 127: Ground, land

and daughters
וּבָנ֖וֹת (ū·ḇā·nō·wṯ)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 1323: A daughter

were born
יֻלְּד֥וּ (yul·lə·ḏū)
Verb - QalPass - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 3205: To bear young, to beget, medically, to act as midwife, to show lineage

to them,
לָהֶֽם׃ (lā·hem)
Preposition | third person masculine plural
Strong's Hebrew


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OT Law: Genesis 6:1 It happened when men began to multiply (Gen. Ge Gn)
Genesis 5:32
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