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An 18th-century Ethiopian manuscript of the Book of Enoch in Ge'ez
An 18th-century Ethiopian manuscript of the Book of Enoch in Ge'ez. Image: Francesco Bini · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons
Myth & legend · Ancient Judea and Ethiopia · c. 300 BCE – today

The Nephilim and the Book of Enoch

Legend300 BCE – 100 CEQumran, West Bank; Ethiopia

Four verses in Genesis mention mysterious 'Nephilim'. An ancient book expanded them into a story of fallen angels and giants.

Genesis 6:1–4 describes the 'sons of God' taking human wives and says 'the Nephilim appeared on earth' — 'the heroes of old, the men of renown.' The passage is brief and has puzzled readers for over two thousand years.

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The Dead Sea ScrollsInfluence · Enoch fragments are among the Dead Sea Scrolls.

See The Nephilim and the Book of Enoch in the discovery universe →

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How to read the labels

EstablishedSupported by strong, converging evidence.
ContestedEvidence exists but qualified scholars disagree.
UnresolvedThe question is open; evidence does not settle it.
LegendComes from myth, literature or tradition, not physical evidence.
SpeculativeA hypothesis with little direct evidence so far.

Hero image: An 18th-century Ethiopian manuscript of the Book of Enoch in Ge'ez. Image: Francesco Bini · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons. Evidence labels describe the written claims, not the image. Version 1 · updated 2026-10-22.