Ben Elohim (בֶּן־אֱלֹהִים) is Hebrew for “son of God”; the plural, bene elohim (בְּנֵי אֱלֹהִים), means “sons of God.” The phrase is built from ben, “son,” and Elohim, the general Hebrew word for God (or, in some contexts, gods). It appears in a handful of Old Testament passages, and the meaning shifts with the context. In Job it clearly refers to angelic beings. In Genesis 6 it is disputed. In Hosea it describes Israel as God’s adopted people. In the New Testament the same idea, expressed in Greek, is applied to believers in Christ. So there is no single, flat meaning; the phrase is a family word, and the family is defined by relationship to God.
What does ben Elohim literally mean?
Ben is the ordinary Hebrew word for a son, and it also carries the sense of a member of a class or guild, as when the Old Testament speaks of the sons of the prophets. Elohim is a plural form used with singular meaning when it refers to the one true God. Put together, ben Elohim is “son of God,” and bene elohim is “sons of God.”
The expression is not a title reserved for one person in the Old Testament. It is used of angels, of Israel, and of human rulers, and each use assumes a relationship. The word “son” in Hebrew is about belonging and likeness before it is about biology.
Where does the phrase appear in the Old Testament?
The clearest angelic use is in Job. When the heavenly court assembles, the bene elohim present themselves before the LORD:
One day the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them. — Job 1:6 (BSB)
Job 38:7 uses the same phrase of the morning stars and the sons of God shouting for joy at creation. Here the bene elohim are heavenly beings who witness God’s work.
Genesis 6:2 and 6:4 speak of the “sons of God” taking wives from the daughters of men. This is one of the most debated verses in the Old Testament. Three main readings have been offered. The first, held by many early Jewish and Christian interpreters, takes the sons of God as angels. The second, common in older Protestant commentary, takes them as the godly line of Seth intermarrying with the ungodly line of Cain. The third takes them as ancient kings or rulers behaving arrogantly. The text itself does not settle the question, and faithful readers differ.
Hosea uses the phrase of Israel’s future restoration:
Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass that, in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God. — Hosea 1:10 (ASV)
Psalm 82:6 addresses human rulers as “gods” and “sons of the Most High,” and Jesus quotes that verse in John 10:34. So the Old Testament uses the language of divine sonship for angels, for Israel, and for judges or kings.
What does ‘sons of God’ mean in the New Testament?
In the New Testament the phrase is usually Greek: huioi theou. It is applied to Adam (Luke 3:38), to peacemakers (Matthew 5:9), and above all to believers in Christ. Paul writes:
For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. — Romans 8:14 (BSB)
And in the same chapter he speaks of creation waiting for the revealing of the sons of God (Romans 8:19). The New Testament sense is adoption: those who are in Christ are given the right to be called children of God. This is not the same as the angelic bene elohim of Job, but it shares the same logic — sonship is a relationship God gives, not a status we achieve.
How does ben Elohim relate to the divine name?
The word Elohim is the general Hebrew term for God, used in Genesis 1:1 and throughout the Old Testament. It is not the same as the Tetragrammaton, the four-letter name YHWH, which English Bibles often render “the LORD” and which the American Standard Version renders “Jehovah” in many places. Ben Elohim is built on the generic word for deity, not on the covenant name.
That distinction matters. When the Old Testament wants to speak of God in covenant relationship with Israel, it uses YHWH. When it speaks of God as the powerful Creator over all, it uses Elohim. Ben Elohim belongs to the second category: it describes those who stand in relation to the Mighty God, not those who bear the covenant name.
Why does the meaning of ben Elohim matter?
It matters because it shows how the Bible talks about relationship with God. Sonship in Scripture is not a claim we make about ourselves; it is a status God gives. Angels are called sons of God because they are directly created by Him and serve Him. Israel is called God’s son because He chose them and redeemed them. Believers in Christ are called sons of God because they are adopted through faith in Him.
The phrase also guards against two errors. One is to flatten every use of “son of God” into the same meaning, as if Job’s angels and Paul’s believers were identical. The other is to separate them entirely, as if the Old Testament had nothing to say about the New Testament’s family language. The Bible uses one vocabulary of sonship across both Testaments, and the meaning is filled in by the covenant context.
How should a reader study this phrase today?
Start with a concordance and look up every occurrence of “son of God” and “sons of God” in a literal translation. Read the surrounding paragraph, not just the verse. Note who is speaking and who is being described. Then compare the Old Testament uses with the New Testament uses, especially Romans 8 and Matthew 5.
If you are working through Genesis 6 or Job 1, read a good study Bible or commentary that presents the main views fairly. Do not be alarmed if you find that faithful Christians have read these passages differently for centuries. The core is not in dispute: God has a Son, and He gives sonship to those who trust Him. That is the heart of the phrase.
Finally, bring your study to God in prayer and to your local church. A pastor or trusted believer can help you weigh the options and see how the passage fits the whole counsel of God. Scripture is meant to be read in the company of God’s people, not in isolation.
Questions readers ask
What does ben Elohim mean in Hebrew?
Ben Elohim literally means “son of God” in Hebrew. The plural, bene elohim, means “sons of God.” The phrase uses Elohim, the general Hebrew word for God, not the covenant name YHWH.
Who are the ‘sons of God’ in Genesis 6?
Christians have read this in three main ways: as angels, as the godly line of Seth, or as ancient rulers. The text does not settle the question, and faithful interpreters differ. The rest of Scripture does not depend on which view you take.
Are believers in Christ called sons of God?
Yes. Romans 8:14 says that all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God, and Matthew 5:9 calls peacemakers sons of God. This sonship is given through faith in Christ, not earned by human effort.
Is ‘sons of God’ the same as the divine name Jehovah?
No. Ben Elohim uses Elohim, the general word for God, while Jehovah (YHWH) is the covenant name revealed to Moses. The two are related but not identical, and the distinction helps clarify what kind of relationship the phrase describes.
Lexicon answers from the Bible and public-domain reference works. It is a study aid and is not affiliated with any organisation.