Violence in the Land: The Real Reason God Sent the Flood (Demons, Giants, and the Truth Behind “Them”)

Why did God flood the earth in Noah’s time? The answer is right there in Genesis 6:11‑12: there was violence in the land, and that violence had a cause. Many people casually talk about “them”—the shadowy figures or forces they blame for the world’s trouble—without knowing who “they” really are. The Bible doesn’t leave us guessing.

Genesis paints a picture of a world run wild because of “them.” We’re not just talking about bad neighbors or petty criminals. The original Hebrew and ancient sources point to something deeper: fallen angels, also called demons. Some believe these fallen angels were sent to earth by God (Genesis 6), sent to help govern mankind but failed their assignment. These angels became corrupted, crossed boundaries with humanity, and fathered a race of giants. Those giants, in turn, filled the earth with violence and controlled nearly everything—the kings, the systems, the culture.

So when people today refer to “them” running things behind the scenes, they’re brushing up against a truth older than the flood. The giants didn’t just die out. Some people believe when these giants died, their spirits became the principalities and powers (demons) the Bible warns us about—still shaping the world through governments and unseen systems. Others believe demons are the angels that fell with Satan, while some people believe both. This article will break down what Genesis 6 really says, trace who “they” are, and show why the violence in the land was so serious that God hit reset on the entire world.

Biblical Context of the Flood and the Phrase “Violence in the Land”

When most people picture the history of the flood, they imagine a world gone wild—a landscape of non-stop crime and chaos. But according to Genesis 6, things were much deeper than that. The phrase “violence in the land” (Genesis 6:11-12) is not a throwaway line. It’s a signpost, pointing to a corrupt system that had taken over the planet. This wasn’t about some neighborhood squabbles or petty theft. We’re talking about something that had infected the whole earth: a culture shaped by supernatural rebellion.

From the start, there’s a pattern: God sent spiritual beings (the “sons of God”) to govern mankind. Instead, they crossed the line, became corrupted, and produced a race of giants. These giants weren’t just tall troublemakers. They shaped law, culture, and governments, spreading their version of “order”—which was nothing but violent oppression.

And when we see people today pointing at shadowy powers or “them” running the world, they’re echoing an old truth. These powers didn’t disappear; their influence lives on. Now let’s look at what the original language and ancient setting reveal about the phrase “violence in the land” and why God acted as he did.

The Hebrew Term ḥeras and Its Semantic Range

If you check the Hebrew text, “violence” in Genesis 6 uses the word ḥamas (חָמָס), not ḥeras—but let’s clear up what this word means and why it matters. This isn’t about isolated acts of aggression or random crime. Chamas points to violent oppression embedded in the culture. It means a total breakdown of justice, safety, and decency.

• In Genesis 6:11-12, the text reads: “Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence [chamas] because of them.” Who is “them”? These are not ordinary humans. The context points to the giants, the offspring of fallen angels, as the main drivers of this chaos.
• The same Hebrew word appears in places like Jeremiah 22:3, where God says, “Do no wrong or violence [chamas] to the foreigner, the fatherless, or the widow…” In Amos 5:12, it describes the crushing of the poor by the powerful.
• Chamas is a society-wide disease. It’s oppression, exploitation, and cruelty built into the system, not just personal sin.

In short, “violence in the land” means that people were not just breaking laws—they were living under a system run by beings who had set up a violent order as normal life. Violence wasn’t the exception; it was the rule. For a bit more info, check out this breakdown of “violence” in the Biblical context.

Ancient Near‑Eastern Parallels of “Violence in the Land”

The Bible isn’t alone in linking a flood with widespread violence and corruption. Ancient Mesopotamian stories, like the Epic of Gilgamesh, echo a similar theme: the gods flood the earth because human society is out of control. In both the Biblical and pagan accounts, violence signals that the land itself isn’t safe, and that something has gone so wrong it can’t be fixed by simple punishment.

Here are two points of comparison:

• Babylonian flood myths: In tablets like the Atrahasis Epic, the gods decide on a flood because “the clamor of mankind” is too much. This clamor doesn’t just mean noise; it’s a word for chaos, violence, and social disorder. Sound familiar? Both traditions point to a breakdown in order and hint at supernatural causes behind it.
• The Biblical account’s difference: The Bible goes further by defining who is causing the chaos—not just people, but beings who weren’t supposed to rebel. The giants, born from fallen angels, were the power behind the throne—the “them” everyone whispers about, but no one can name.

If you want to see a breakdown between the Bible and other traditions, check out this comparison of the violence in Noah’s day.

When the Bible talks about violence in the land, it’s not just about bad choices or a rough neighborhood. It’s about a world hijacked by powers not meant to rule here, using violence as their signature. This is not random brutality but a pattern—one that shaped the world until God decided it all had to go.

Identifying “Them”: Fallen Angels, Demons, and the Nephilim

It’s easy to nod along when people blame today’s chaos on “them,” like there’s a shadowy group puling the strings. What most folks don’t realize is that the Bible actually calls out exactly who “they” were in Noah’s day. The history goes a lot deeper than just bad people doing bad things. “Violence in the land” was driven by supernatural powers that invaded human affairs, shifting the course of history. Let’s pull back the curtain and see who God was talking about when He decided to wipe the slate clean.

The “Sons of God” in Genesis 6:1‑4

The phrase “sons of God” jumps right out at you in Genesis 6:1-4. In Hebrew, it’s b’nei ha’Elohim, a term packed with meaning. The grammar is straightforward: these are not humans, but spiritual beings. Ancient Jewish teachers—Rashi, Ibn Ezra, and many others—agreed that these “sons of God” refer to angels, not kings or noblemen.

• Why does this matter? Because the text says the earth was filled with violence “because of them.” Ordinary humans can mess things up, but the kind of violence in the land here points to a much bigger threat.
• The angelic reading fits the context: The Bible says the sons of God took human women and had children by them. The result? The Nephilim (literally “fallen ones”)—giants who filled the earth with violence. God’s anger wasn’t just about human sin. It was aimed at corrupted beings who ruined His plan for earth.

• Ancient expositors like Rashi taught that the “sons of God” were angels who overstepped their boundaries.
• Context in Genesis 6: The violence in the land wasn’t random. It was the direct result of giants born from these unions, who turned society upside down and made brutality the norm.

For a straightforward explanation of the various views and why the angelic one makes the most sense, check out this article from Biblical Archaeology: The Nephilim and the Sons of God.

The Watchers and the Birth of Giants in Extra‑Biblical Sources

The Old Testament hints at strange events, but extra-Biblical writings like the Book of Enoch and Jubilees spell it out. These books describe a group of angels called the Watchers—spiritual beings tasked with watching over mankind. Instead, they rebelled, descended to earth, and taught humans all sorts of forbidden knowledge. Then things really went sideways.

• The Book of Enoch names these Watchers and tells how they fathered the Nephilim. These giants weren’t just tall—they ran human society, using violence to dominate people and twist God’s creation.
• The Book of Jubilees backs this up, explaining that the Watchers’ offspring spread “violence in the land” by teaching magic, warfare, and dark arts. Every sort of corruption flowed from their influence.
• Other Second-Temple literature supports this, laying the blame for humanity’s darkest moments at the feet of these supernatural giants.

Why mention these ancient sources? Because they match the Bible’s claim that the flood didn’t just target bad behavior but a corrupted system fueled by supernatural rebellion. It’s these Nephilim—born from fallen angels—who became the “them” everyone today still blames for violence, oppression, and lies that shape the world.

Modern scholarship traces how stories about the Nephilim and their continuing legacy show up in both ancient and modern discussions about spiritual powers. For more on who these giants really were, Who Are the Nephilim? untangles their mysterious place in Biblical history.

If you keep seeing “them” at the center of every chaotic story, now you know: these are more than just myth or rumor. They’re fallen angels, corrupted “watchers,” and the giants who left a mark deeper than most people ever guess. The Bible doesn’t leave the meaning of “violence in the land” to the imagination—it traces the problem straight to these supernatural rebels, whose legacy still shapes how people talk about “them” today.

How the Giants Amplified Violence and Prompted Divine Judgment

If you look at the history of Noah’s flood—really look at it, not just the Sunday school version—it’s clear the “violence in the land” didn’t spring from nowhere. There’s a direct line from the corrupted sons of God to the Nephilim (giants), then to the total breakdown of peace in society. God wasn’t reacting to normal human failings. He was responding to forces that bent the world’s system away from justice and filled it with brutality.

The giants had set up shop. Their legacy? A world on the brink, teaching us why the flood happened and, in some ways, why the chaos we see today still echoes those ancient days.

Giants as “Them” in Contemporary Discourse

Ever noticed how people love to talk about “them”? Social media, late-night conversations, even pop culture—someone’s always blaming “them” for the way the world works. But ask for specifics, and it gets vague. Politicians, secret societies, shadow governments—it’s always something in the shadows. What if these conversations echo an old, real pattern?

In the Bible, “them” has names and faces. Genesis 6 doesn’t just point to troublemakers, it highlights a group: the Nephilim, born from the union of fallen angels and humans. Those giants weren’t lurking in the shadows: they were right out front, holding power, dominating systems, and enforcing a violent order. Unlike today’s hazy conspiracy theories, Scripture pins the chaos of the “violence in the land” squarely on these corrupted beings.

When modern people talk about unseen rulers or evil manipulations, they’re unknowingly reaching for the original history—the giants who, according to the Bible, shaped every cruel law and power structure. This isn’t a new idea. It’s a memory, buried deep in the collective imagination, resurfacing every time someone wonders who “they” really are. If you want a detailed breakdown of this Biblical and modern connection, take a look at Ken Ham’s discussion on who the Nephilim were.

In simple terms:

• Modern talk about “them” hints at hidden, corrupt control but lacks substance.
• The Biblical account names “them” as real beings (giants) born from the supernatural crossing the natural.
• The world’s lasting obsession with shadowy rulers echoes the time when giants openly ruled…and violence became normal.

Biblical Evidence of Their Corrupt Influence

The Bible is full of hints (and some outright statements) about where our biggest problems started. When God calls out “violence in the land,” He pins it directly on beings who shouldn’t have had that kind of power over humans. Here’s how Scripture lays it out, showing the path from fallen angels to corrupted giants, then to global judgment.

2 Peter 2:4-5 draws a clear line:

“For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; if He did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah…when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly—”

Who got judged first? The angels who crossed the line. Their sin wasn’t just personal rebellion; it led directly to a world dominated by their giant offspring. Peter tightens the focus: God judged both the angels and their toxic influence on mankind.

Jude 1:6-7 says it again, and adds detail:

“And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, He has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day.”

Jude takes you back to the root—the crossing of God’s boundaries led to everything that followed. These spiritual beings (“them”) threw away their assignment and injected corruption into the heart of society through their children (the giants).

Revelation 12:7-9 ties the whole cosmic drama together:

“Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon…He was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.”

This passage tells you where the troublemakers will all land for their short time. The spiritual fight became and is yet to become an earthly conflict, and fallen angels (and by extension, their offspring) took on and will take on new roles as the forces behind earthly powers. The Bible later calls these beings “principalities” and “powers,” the real rulers behind corrupt governments and social systems. If all this is new to you, here’s a scholarly rundown on Nephilim and their place in Genesis 6.

What’s the takeaway?

• God saw that violence wasn’t random—it was systemized by supernatural rulers (giants and their fathers).
• He judged not only the world they broke, but the angels who started the problem.
• The principle stands: when beings created to serve end up dominating and corrupting, judgment follows.

The whole chain is right there in Scripture:
Fallen angels go rogue → Giants are born and seize control → Violence in the land hits the breaking point → God sends the flood to reset His creation.
Today’s vague anxiety about “them” is rooted in this real, ancient history. And just like back then, today the violence in the land is a sign something hidden is still pulling the strings.

Want to learn more about how this spiritual battle still shapes our lives? Read up on Christian spiritual warfare and how believers address unseen powers.

From Fallen Giants to Principalities: Ongoing Spiritual Authority Over Nations

When most people talk about secret rulers or “them” lurking behind governments and systems, they’re touching on an ancient truth. The Bible doesn’t paint these powers as faceless human conspirators. Instead, it traces their roots all the way back to the giants, the Nephilim, who ruled with violence in the land before the flood. But did their influence end when God wiped out the earth? Scripture says no.

There’s a pattern: what began with corrupted authority on earth left a spiritual footprint that still shapes who rules today, only now we call them “principalities and powers.” Let’s unpack how the Bible draws that line from destroyed giants to the spiritual authorities behind nations, and why “violence in the land” keeps showing up no matter how many empires rise or fall.

Theological Implication of “Created on Earth Stays on Earth”

Ever wonder why God didn’t just erase those giants from the story entirely? There’s a principle at play: what is created on earth, stays on earth. The bodies of the Nephilim (giants) died in the flood, but their spirits didn’t go back to heaven or descend into some far-off void. They lingered here, becoming the very forces the Bible calls “demons” or “evil spirits.”

Here’s how this unfolds in plain terms:

• Physical end, spiritual persistence: The flood wiped away the Nephilim’s bodies, but their spirits remain tied to this world.
• Genesis, Enoch, and Jewish tradition: Extra-Biblical texts like Enoch lay it out straight. When these giants died, their spirits became wandering adversaries—what we’d call demons.
• Scripture agrees: The New Testament picks up on this pattern, linking corrupt spiritual rulers with ongoing chaos in human systems. Just because the giants left the stage doesn’t mean their script got tossed out.

People today still talk about “them” controlling the world. From a Biblical view, they’re sensing the aftershocks of decisions made before the flood. These aren’t just spooky stories. They’re the fallout of divine beings who disobeyed God, created a mess, and left a legacy that even the flood didn’t fully erase. The giants’ spirits became the dark powers and principalities that Paul warns about in Ephesians 6:12. That’s why “violence in the land” hasn’t gone away—it just changed hands and tactics.

Want to dig deeper into the background and see how ancient sources tie giants and demons together? Check out this clear analysis of Nephilim in Genesis 6.

Mapping Ancient Giants to Modern Principalities and Governments

It might sound wild, but the Bible actually draws a straight line from the giants of Genesis to the principalities running the show today. When Paul writes in Ephesians 6:12 about wrestling “not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers…,” he isn’t introducing a new idea. He’s referencing a world view that started in Genesis and kept going.

Let’s break down exactly how this works:

• Old powers, new uniforms: The giants ran the world openly before the flood, crushing anything that stood in their way. After the flood, their spirits went underground—literally and figuratively—but didn’t lose their hunger for authority. They operate now as unseen spiritual rulers over nations and systems.
• Paul’s wording matters: In Ephesians 6, “principalities” (Greek: archai) and “powers” (exousiai) aren’t just poetic words. They describe real, ranked spiritual authorities still active behind the world’s governments. For the full text and context, see Ephesians 6:12 (KJV).
• Same story, different era: People in Paul’s day, just like now, looked at the world’s “violence in the land” and wondered who or what was behind it. The answer? The same corrupted forces from the ancient days, only now working their influence through political systems, global institutions, and cultural tides.

If you’re tracking how ancient spiritual corruption still drives modern chaos, you’re not alone. Scholars and Bible teachers note that the Biblical language around principalities fits this pattern. These aren’t just metaphors; they’re the unbroken spiritual lineage of those first rebellious giants. This also helps explain today’s sense of global disorder and why some governments seem almost bent on injustice—the old giants may be gone, but their spirits found new thrones.

For a fresh, thoughtful breakdown on just how these principalities work, take a look at this overview on principalities and powers in Ephesians.

In short, the cycle repeats:

• Ancient rebellion
• Giants become symbols—and then spirits—of oppression
• Spiritual principalities keep the “violence in the land” system going, generation after generation

So next time you hear talk of “them” running the world, remember, the Bible says it’s nothing new. Giants may be history, but the principalities they became are still very much part of the present.

Conclusion

The Biblical history is blunt: God sent the flood because “violence in the land” had swallowed up all sense of justice and peace. Scripture points the finger at “them”—not random sinners, but fallen angels who crossed the line, became corrupted, and fathered giants that controlled people and systems. When people today talk about “them” running things behind the scenes, they’re echoing a very old problem.

The Bible spells out exactly who these rulers were and how their legacy survived, turning into the spiritual forces—the principalities—that still shape governments and culture. Understanding this history peels back the curtain on the world’s brokenness and shows why real change can only come from a better source: the redemption offered by God.

If you’re looking for deeper answers about spiritual warfare and resisting these ancient powers, check out essential teachings on spiritual warfare. What do you think: Is “violence in the land” still echoing from Noah’s day to now? Let’s keep searching for truth and healing together.