The entities that Nebuchadnezzar refers to in the book of Daniel are the same kind credited with the origins of human civilization according to Babylonian tradition. They were the territorial spirits that watched over kingdoms or city-states. In fact, if we consider the Aramaic-speaking background for the composition of the Genesis 1-11 narrative, it is entirely plausible that there is an intentional play on the verbal connection between “cities” and “watchers” that highlights the connection between the line of Cain and the fallen “sons of God.” This would indicate all the more strongly that
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