Let’s now turn our attention to the Hebrew word translated “giants” in verse four. It is the word NEPHIL (nef-eel), NEPHILIM (plural). The root of this word is NEPHEL, “Something fallen, i.e. an abortion,” and NAPHAL (naw-fall), “To fall, cast down, a fugitive.” This is a rare use of nephilim to be translated as “giants,” the only other time in the Old Testament being in Numbers 13:33. The KJV uses “giant(s)” twenty-one times, but just these two places translated nephilim. Two other Hebrew words gibbowr and rapha are also used. Rapha is used seventeen times and should be considered the normal word for “giants.”
For nephilim to be used just twice, and in the context initially with the “sons of God,” gives the word a different and a deeper meaning than just “giants.” Perhaps a better translation would be “the fallen ones” or “the cast down ones.” The “giants” themselves are not the “cast out” angels of God, for those angels are known in the context as the “sons of God.” What nephilim, as translated “giants,” does do is relate the “giants” to the “sons of God,” establishing the concept of angel-human mutation.
James R. Spillman, in his masterful book, A Conspiracy of Angelsii, presents the persuasive possibility that the scapegoat is not actually a type of Christ. In English the goat is called scapegoat and in Hebrew he is called Azazel. Spillman describes this event and its meaning perfectly.