Immanuel Velikovsky’s article is actually titled Nefilim (see my previous post on him, The L. Ron Hubbard & Immanuel Velikovsky connection – Scientology/Dianetics & Worlds in Collision).
He refers to “certain description that sounded like a visit from space” within Genesis. He notes that he worked on his book Worlds in Collision in the early 1940’s AD and that “Because the story seemed so fantastic, I made up my mind at that time not to publish anything on the subject when discussing the Deluge and still earlier events…In the 1950’s many people reported sighting UFO’s, which were claimed to be vehicles of visitors from other planets (a view which does not find any credence with me)….by the late 1960’s, when the proposal that there were ancient visitors to Earth from other star systems found its way into print, the idea provoked little ridicule.”
He then specifically refers to Genesis 6 and states that “The story…about the sons of God (bnei Elim) coming to the daughters of men is usually explained as referring to an advanced priesthood that mingled with backward tribesmen.” A footnote cites, S. R. Driver, The Book of Genesis, 6th ed. (New York, 1907 AD), p. 82f. Yet, the article’s editor notes that J. Morgenstern “considered them to be heavenly beings” and cites, “The Mythological Background of Psalm 82,” Hebrew Union College Annual, XIV, 1939 AD, p. 95. In fact, the most ancient and traditional view amongst both Jews and Christians is that they were angels—see Early commentaries on Genesis 6: Angels or not? – interactive chart.
Velikovsky speculate as to whether “in prediluvial times, when some invaders from a remote part of the world came and were regarded as ‘sons of God.’” Yet, he ultimately concludes, “this passage from the book of Genesis is a literary relic dealing with a visit of intelligent beings from another planet.” He thinks that aliens may have escape some catastrophe which he speculates may have been the result of Jupiter and Saturn approaching each and “The mission could have been undertaken to ascertain the conditions on Earth.”
He references “the dethronement and emasculation of Uranus by Kronos” with reference to “the ancient legends of a battle between the gods and titans” which along with “the mythologies of other civilizations” may have some “historical value.” Indeed, the most ancient myths and legends of the most ancient cultures, which supposedly had not ancient contact with each other, tell similar tales. It appears that after the dispersion of humanity into tribes/clans/nations after the Tower of Babel event they would have carried commonly known history with them which, with the passage of time, changed in this or that point but maintain the basic history which came to be called myth and legend.
Immanuel Velikovsky specifies that “They descended on Mount Hermon or Anti-Lebanon” which he gets from the Book of Enoch, of which there are various, so specifically he is referring to 1 Enoch aka Ethiopic Enoch (about which you can learn here) and to which he also appeals in stating, “that the group was composed of males only, two hundred in number, under the leadership of one by the name of Shemhazai” (see Semjase in the Billy Meier [UFO/alien] case & the Book of Enoch).
For some reason he asserts that the aliens “were probably of gigantic stature—their progeny with women of the earth were giants” and one may think that this is due to him reading, not at all helpful, translations which have “Nephilim” as “giants” yet, he quotes the text thusly, “The Nephilim were on earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men that were of old, the men of renown.”
Immanuel Velikovsky notes that “several correspondents engaged me on the subject; one correctly observed that in order to procreate the visitors must have been of the same species as man.” So this would mean that they were either not alien or that aliens moved from Earth to another planet and back again or that humans and aliens are of the same species. Based on the view that they were angels then they could procreate since biblically angels look like human males (no wings, no halos).
Velikovsky states that he would not know to determine the planet from which they came but that “El would refer to Saturn” about which a footnote reads, “Eusebius, Praeparatio Evangelica IV. xvi; bnei Elim would more correctly be rendered as ‘Sons of the Gods.’” Well, I am not aware of Eusebius stating as much in IV but some time ago I did post Eusebius on the Nephilim. The Hebrew is actually ben or benei Elohim yet, the point is that “Gods” is asserted due to the masculine plural ending “im.” Yet, in any case, even the plural term Elohim is singular if the context calls for it.
Now, the reason for appealing to the “Sons of the Gods” reading is so as to assert a typical astrotheology (typically incoherent as astrotheology always is) style conclusion which is that since “El would refer to Saturn” then “Sons of the Gods…may possibly be taken in the sense of ‘Sons of the Planets,’ or ‘Those who Came from the Planets.’”
Well, since this was all wild speculation anyhow, he basically just ends with a typical yatta, yatta,yatta “If such progress is made in a time as short as this” referring to going from “a rude stone age; today he contemplates to visit other planets” then “who knows what secrets are concealed in the past or in the future?”
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