The Sons of God (Job 38:6-7)

2023-05-21

Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? (Job 38:6-7)

In the Old Testament, the phrase “sons of God” likely means angels. We can see from this pair of verses that while the foundations of the world were laid, these sons of God were already in existence, praising God for His work. Humankind was not created until the sixth day of Creation; these cannot be human beings. We know that fallen angels fell very early in the creation narrative, for we see Satan tempting Eve in the newly planted garden.

Earlier in the book of Job, we see that these sons of God were gathered before the Lord along with Satan, himself being a cherub. “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them” (Job 1:6). This sort of gathering is mentioned elsewhere by Micaiah, confirming these sons of God are likely spirit beings:

And he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left. And the LORD said, Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramothgilead? And one said on this manner, and another said on that manner. And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the LORD, and said, I will persuade him. And the LORD said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so. Now therefore, behold, the LORD hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the LORD hath spoken evil concerning thee. (1 Kings 22:19-23)

These sons of God were also behind the marriages that produced the giants of old:

And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. (Genesis 6:1-4)

From these, we can see that these sons of God are not necessarily aligned with the Lord. We see that many were wicked fallen angels, though they still could only work within the parameters of God’s sovereign direction.

In the New Testament, this convention is no longer used, as the Lord emphasizes that we are now the sons of God. “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God” (Romans 8:14).