Noah's Family Chronicle
The family archive of Noah comes next, recapitulating the family lineage right back to Adam, then tracing forward via Adam's son Seth, and making no mention of Cain. The frequent mention of 'other sons and daughters' helps us understand how the descendants of Adam could have found wives who were also of Adam's line:
Recapitulation of human origins
In the day that God created man, he made him in God's likeness. He created them male and female, and blessed them. On the day they were created, he named them "Adam". Adam lived one hundred thirty years, and became the father of a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth. The days of Adam after he became the father of Seth were eight hundred years, and he became the father of other sons and daughters. All the days that Adam lived were nine hundred thirty years, then he died.
Seth's family line
Seth lived one hundred five years, then became the father of Enosh. Seth lived after he became the father of Enosh eight hundred seven years, and became the father of other sons and daughters. All of the days of Seth were nine hundred twelve years, then he died.
Enosh lived ninety years, and became the father of Kenan. Enosh lived after he became the father of Kenan, eight hundred fifteen years, and became the father of other sons and daughters. All of the days of Enosh were nine hundred five years, then he died.
Kenan lived seventy years, then became the father of Mahalalel. Kenan lived after he became the father of Mahalalel eight hundred forty years, and became the father of other sons and daughters and all of the days of Kenan were nine hundred ten years, then he died.
Mahalalel lived sixty-five years, then became the father of Jared. Mahalalel lived after he became the father of Jared eight hundred thirty years, and became the father of other sons and daughters. All of the days of Mahalalel were eight hundred ninety-five years, then he died.
Jared lived one hundred sixty-two years, then became the father of Enoch. Jared lived after he became the father of Enoch eight hundred years, and became the father of other sons and daughters. All of the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty-two years, then he died.
Enoch lived sixty-five years, then became the father of Methuselah. After Methuselah's birth, Enoch walked with God for three hundred years, and became the father of more sons and daughters. All the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty-five years. Enoch walked with God, and he was not found, for God took him.
Methuselah lived one hundred eighty-seven years, then became the father of Lamech. Methuselah lived after he became the father of Lamech seven hundred eighty-two years, and became the father of other sons and daughters. All the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty-nine years, then he died.
Lamech lived one hundred eighty-two years, then became the father of a son. He named him Noah, saying, "This one will comfort us in our work and in the toil of our hands, caused by the ground which Yahweh has cursed." Lamech lived after he became the father of Noah five hundred ninety-five years, and became the father of other sons and daughters. All the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy- seven years, then he died.
Noah's sons
Noah was five hundred years old, then Noah became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
The problem
When men began to multiply on the surface of the ground, and daughters were born to them, God's sons saw that men's daughters were beautiful, and they took any that they wanted for themselves as wives. Yahweh said, "My Spirit will not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; so his days will be one hundred twenty years." The Nephilim were in the earth in those days, and also after that, when God's sons came in to men's daughters and had children with them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.
Yahweh's solution
Yahweh saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of man's heart was continually only evil. Yahweh was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him in his heart. Yahweh said, "I will destroy man whom I have created from the surface of the ground-man, along with animals, creeping things, and birds of the sky-for I am sorry that I have made them." But Noah found favor in Yahweh's eyes.
Retrospective concluding title
This is the history of the generations of Noah
There is a huge challenge in how to interpret 'the sons of God' in this passage. The easiest answer is that they were the top men of the line of Seth, and that allows one to say that the 'daughters of men' they fancied were the offspring of the less worthy Cain. This line has been followed by many commentators.
But if one looks into other biblical uses of the phrase 'sons of God' one is taken down a different path. The phrase can describe angels:
Now on the day when God's sons came to present themselves before Yahweh, Satan also came among them. [Job 1:6]
Again, on the day when the God's sons came to present themselves before Yahweh, Satan came also among them to present himself before Yahweh. [Job 2:1]
When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy. [Job 38:7]
The idea that some wicked angels did not stay within their true spiritual form, but took human physicality, seems to be hinted at in the letter of Jude:
Angels who didn't keep their first domain, but deserted their own dwelling place, he has kept in everlasting bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day.
The product of this union between rebel angels taking human form and ordinary women are described as Nephilim, and the word is used again in the book of Numbers, where they are indicated as large and powerful men.
This latter interpretation certainly has the benefit of presenting a very deep reason for the decision that the human race had become so badly corrupted that a new start needed to be made. The flood becomes a saving act of rescue rather than the spite of a vengeful deity.
The actual account of the flood comes in the next family archive, but it worthwhile at this point to recognise that the flood had a limited purpose. It was to restore a human family as the sole surviving group of a flood which was intended to eliminate the corrupted group of humans in that area. The inevitable impact on other local life forms was to have a solution, so that what we would call the collateral damage would be minimised. That Noah's flood covered the whole of the planet is neither implied here nor, of course, physically possible.