What Does Genesis 6:2 Mean in the King James?

That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.

Genesis 6:2 · KJV

The analysis reads the King James wording.

King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.

THE KEY

The hidden sequence is seeing, judging as good, and taking: perception becomes possession when the chooser’s judgment sets the terms.

THE MEANING

The verse sets before you a stark sequence: the sons of God see the daughters of men, judge them fair, and take wives from among those they choose. Desire moves from perception to selection and then possession, with the chooser’s will controlling each step.

THE ROOT

טֹבֹת

tovot

GROWS FROM

טוב

tov

to be good, pleasing, or beneficial

The word translated “fair” is the feminine plural form of tov, meaning “good” or “pleasing,” so the verse presents not only appearance but a judgment of goodness. Genesis 3:6 uses the same root for what the woman sees as “good” before taking it.

ALSO GROWS

tov: good, pleasant, beneficial

טוֹב

The same adjective calls the tree “good” in Genesis 3:6, giving the two scenes a shared word of evaluation.

heitiv: to do good, benefit

הֵיטִיב

The root can describe doing good as well as judging something good, joining evaluation with perceived effect.

וַיִּקְחוּ

wayyiqḥu

GROWS FROM

לקח

laqach

to take, receive, or acquire

“took” in this verse is wayyiqḥu. The Hebrew verb carries the sense of taking or receiving, and here the women are the object of an action shaped by the takers’ own selection. The sequence does not stop at seeing or judging; it reaches an act of taking.

ALSO GROWS

laqach: take, receive

לָקַח

This is the verb’s basic range, which makes the verse’s movement from choosing to taking explicit.

leqaḥ: instruction, teaching

לֶקַח

This related noun can mean what is received or taken in, showing another branch of the root’s range.

וַיִּרְאוּ

wayyirʾu

GROWS FROM

ראה

ra'ah

to see, look at, or perceive

“saw” in this verse is wayyirʾu. Seeing stands immediately before finding the women fair and taking wives from among those chosen. Genesis 3:6 repeats the roots for seeing and taking, placing sight within a recurring sequence rather than leaving it as an isolated observation.

ALSO GROWS

ro'eh: one who sees; a seer

רֹאֶה

The root can name the one who sees, bringing the perceiving subject into focus.

mar'eh: appearance, sight, vision

מַרְאֶה

This branch names what is seen or appears, linking perception to the evaluation that follows.

THE PATTERN

When perception is judged good and the chooser’s desire sets the terms, seeing can move into taking.

And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

Genesis 3:6 · KJVThe same roots for seeing, good, and taking put desire’s judgment before the act of taking.

And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king’s house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon. And David sent and enquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bath-sheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite? And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her uncleanness: and she returned unto her house.

2 Samuel 11:2-4 · KJVDavid sees a woman as beautiful and sends to take her, carrying the movement from perception to taking into a scene where she is another man’s wife.

But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

James 1:14-15 · KJVDesire moves through enticement toward its consequence, showing the same progression from inward wanting to action and outcome.

THE THREAD

And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

Genesis 3:6 · KJV

Genesis 3:6 repeats the same Hebrew roots for “saw” (⁨ראה⁩, ra’ah), “good” (⁨טוב⁩, tov), and “took” (⁨לקח⁩, laqach). Their recurrence makes Genesis 6’s sequence part of a pattern already visible in the first human act of taking.

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