עִיר ‘iyr (H5894) is an Aramaic word that means “to watch” in the sense of seeing. In the Bible, the term “watcher” is used to refer to heavenly beings and is only used in the book of Daniel (Daniel 4:13; Daniel 4:17; Daniel 4:23). עִיר ‘iyr is equivalent to the Hebrew word עוּר ‘ur (H5782) which literally means “to see a man naked” in the sense of a watcher being able to expose or lay bare mankind or a situation in order to intercede or judge righteously. In ancient times, when an enemy was captured the men, and sometimes women, were stripped of their clothes to the skin and carefully examined or watched (עֶרְיָה ‘erya H6181 cf. Ezekiel 16:39; Ezekiel 23:29).
In Genesis 6:1, a group of watchers (“the Watchers”) are called פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה benei haelohim in Hebrew (i.e. sons of the Elohim) and ἄγγελος angelos (G32) in the Greek Septuagint (i.e. angels). These particular Watchers were 200 were heavenly beings who descended in the days of Jared (cf. Enoch 6:5) to “intercede for mankind” (Enoch 15:2) and judge for the helpless and the fatherless, do righteousness to the afflicted and dispossessed, rescue the helpless and needy, and deliver them out of the hand of the wicked (cf. Psalms 82:3). Instead, these Watchers corrupted their way and judged unjustly and showed partiality to the wicked (cf. Psalms 82:2). They bore children who became violent giants after the Watchers, “went a whoring after the daughters of men, and took themselves wives of all which they chose: and they made the beginning of uncleanness.” (Jubilees 7:21; cf. Genesis 6:1-4). As referenced in Jubilees 10:1-11, these Watchers became the fathers of the evil spirits (demons, unclean spirits, etc.) after their giant sons died and their spirits were prohibited from returning to God who gave them their spirits (cf. Ecclesiastes 12:7).
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