https://doi.org/10.5325/jtheointe.16.2.0168 Journal of Theological Interpretation, Vol. 16, No. 2, 2022, 168–186 Copyright © 2022 The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA Genesis 6:1–4: A Theological Interpretation BENJAMIN J . AICH Asbury Theological Seminary, United States ABSTRACT | This article investigates the narrative of Gen 6:1–4 through William P. Brown’s theological “method” in order to understand what the text says about YHWH, so that students, scholars, and clergy would think of this passage less in terms of defin- ing its problem characters and more in terms of appreciating how it presents YHWH in his relationship to the world. KEYWORDS | theological interpretation, YHWH, sons of God, daughters of humankind, Nephilim, critical methodology, William P. Brown, Y ahwist, Holiness School, Gen 6:1–4 Te text of Gen 6:1–4 is a challenging pericope that conveys an imagination- capturing scene of peculiar personalities (e.g., the Nephilim). Most scholars would agree that the little narrative contains countless intractable aspects that necessitate a healthy dose of epistemic humility. 1 Nevertheless, the fght for the right interpre- tation continues. Typically, this hermeneutical struggle centers on the identity of the “sons of God.” 2 Even biblical-theological approaches tend to gravitate toward understanding these fgures rather than focusing on YHWH himself. 3 But because the text was transmitted to indicate something about YHWH—with the exposition of the sons of God as a subordinated (though not excluded) purpose—new eforts 1. For example, Victor P. Hamilton, Te Book of Genesis: Chapters 1–17, NICOT (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1990), 265. 2. See an intriguing thesis by Jonathan Grossmann in his article “Who Are the Sons of God? A New Suggestion,” Bib 99 (2018): 1–18. Grossmann argues that the “sons of God” are the “giants” mentioned in Gen 6:4. 3. See Rita F. Cefalu, “Royal Priestly Heirs to the Restoration Promise of Genesis 3:15: A Biblical Teological Perspective on the Sons of God in Genesis 6,” WTJ 76 (2014): 351–70. See also David Beakley, “Te Sons of God and ‘Strange Flesh’ in Genesis 6:1–4,” MSJ 31 (2020): 79–105.