1 And it came to pass, when men H120 began H2490 to multiply H7231 on H5921 the face H6440 of the earth, H127 and daughters H1323 were born H3205 unto them,
2 That the sons H1121 of God H430 saw H7200 the daughters H1323 of men H120 that they H2007 were fair; H2896 and they took H3947 them wives H802 of all which they chose. H977
3 And the LORD H3068 said, H559 My spirit H7307 shall not always H5769 strive H1777 with man, H120 for that he also H1571 is flesh: H1320 H7683 yet his days H3117 shall be an hundred H3967 and twenty H6242 years. H8141
4 There were giants H5303 in the earth H776 in those days; H3117 and also after H310 that, H3651 when H834 the sons H1121 of God H430 came in H935 unto the daughters H1323 of men, H120 and they bare H3205 children to them, the same H1992 became mighty men H1368 which were of old, H5769 men H582 of renown. H8034
5 And GOD H3068 saw H7200 that the wickedness H7451 of man H120 was great H7227 in the earth, H776 and that every imagination H3336 of the thoughts H4284 of his heart H3820 was only H7535 evil H7451 continually. H3117
6 And it repented H5162 the LORD H3068 that he had made H6213 man H120 on the earth, H776 and it grieved H6087 him at H413 his heart. H3820
7 And the LORD H3068 said, H559 I will destroy H4229 man H120 whom I have created H1254 from the face H6440 of the earth; H127 both man, H120 and H5704 beast, H929 and the creeping thing, H7431 and the fowls H5775 of the air; H8064 for it repenteth H5162 me that I have made H6213 them.
8 But Noah H5146 found H4672 grace H2580 in the eyes H5869 of the LORD. H3068
9 These are the generations H8435 of Noah: H5146 Noah H5146 was a just H6662 man H376 and perfect H8549 in his generations, H1755 and Noah H5146 walked H1980 with God. H430
10 And Noah H5146 begat H3205 three H7969 sons, H1121 Shem, H8035 Ham, H2526 and Japheth. H3315
11 The earth H776 also was corrupt H7843 before H6440 God, H430 and the earth H776 was filled H4390 with violence. H2555
12 And God H430 looked H7200 upon the earth, H776 and, behold, it was corrupt; H7843 for all flesh H1320 had corrupted H7843 his way H1870 upon the earth. H776
13 And God H430 said H559 unto Noah, H5146 The end H7093 of all flesh H1320 is come H935 before me; H6440 for the earth H776 is filled with H4390 violence H2555 through them; H6440 and, behold, I will destroy H7843 them with H854 the earth. H776
14 Make H6213 thee an ark H8392 of gopher H1613 wood; H6086 rooms H7064 shalt thou make H6213 in H854 the ark, H8392 and shalt pitch H3722 it within H1004 and without H2351 with pitch. H3724
15 And this is the fashion which thou shalt make H6213 it of: The length H753 of the ark H8392 shall be three H7969 hundred H3967 cubits, H520 the breadth H7341 of it fifty H2572 cubits, H520 and the height H6967 of it thirty H7970 cubits. H520
16 A window H6672 shalt thou make H6213 to the ark, H8392 and in a cubit H520 shalt thou finish H3615 it above; H4605 and the door H6607 of the ark H8392 shalt thou set H7760 in the side thereof; H6654 with lower, H8482 second, H8145 and third H7992 stories shalt thou make H6213 it.
17 And, behold, H2009 I, H589 even I, do bring H935 a flood H3999 of waters H4325 upon the earth, H776 to destroy H7843 all flesh, H1320 wherein is the breath H7307 of life, H2416 from under H8478 heaven; H8064 and every thing H3605 that is in the earth H776 shall die. H1478
18 But with thee will I establish H6965 my covenant; H1285 and thou shalt come H935 into H413 the ark, H8392 thou, H859 and thy sons, H1121 and thy wife, H802 and thy sons' H1121 wives H802 with thee.
19 And of every living thing H2416 of all flesh, H1320 two H8147 of every sort shalt thou bring H935 into the ark, H8392 to keep them alive H2421 with thee; they shall be male H2145 and female. H5347
20 Of fowls H5775 after their kind, H4327 and of cattle H929 after their kind, H4327 of every creeping thing H7431 of the earth H127 after his kind, H4327 two H8147 of every sort shall come H935 unto thee, to keep them alive. H2421
21 And take H3947 thou unto thee of all food H3978 that is eaten, H398 and thou shalt gather H622 it to thee; and it shall be for food H402 for thee, and for them.
22 Thus did H6213 Noah; H5146 according to all that God H430 commanded H6680 him, so did H6213 he.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Genesis 6
Commentary on Genesis 6 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 6
Ge 6:1-22. Wickedness of the World.
2. the sons of God saw the daughters of men—By the former is meant the family of Seth, who were professedly religious; by the latter, the descendants of apostate Cain. Mixed marriages between parties of opposite principles and practice were necessarily sources of extensive corruption. The women, religious themselves, would as wives and mothers exert an influence fatal to the existence of religion in their household, and consequently the people of that later age sank to the lowest depravity.
3. flesh—utterly, hopelessly debased.
And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive—Christ, as God, had by His Spirit inspiring Enoch, Noah, and perhaps other prophets (1Pe 3:20; 2Pe 2:5; Jude 14), preached repentance to the antediluvians; but they were incorrigible.
yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years—It is probable that the corruption of the world, which had now reached its height, had been long and gradually increasing, and this idea receives support from the long respite granted.
4. giants—The term in Hebrew implies not so much the idea of great stature as of reckless ferocity, impious and daring characters, who spread devastation and carnage far and wide.
5, 6. God saw it … repented … grieved—God cannot change (Mal 3:6; Jas 1:17); but, by language suited to our nature and experience, He is described as about to alter His visible procedure towards mankind—from being merciful and long-suffering, He was about to show Himself a God of judgment; and, as that impious race had filled up the measure of their iniquities, He was about to introduce a terrible display of His justice (Ec 8:11).
8. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord—favor. What an awful state of things when only one man or one family of piety and virtue was now existing among the professed sons of God!
9. Noah … just … and perfect—not absolutely; for since the fall of Adam no man has been free from sin except Jesus Christ. But as living by faith he was just (Ga 3:2; Heb 11:7) and perfect—that is, sincere in his desire to do God's will.
11. the earth was filled with violence—In the absence of any well-regulated government it is easy to imagine what evils would arise. Men did what was right in their own eyes, and, having no fear of God, destruction and misery were in their ways.
13. And God said unto Noah—How startling must have been the announcement of the threatened destruction! There was no outward indication of it. The course of nature and experience seemed against the probability of its occurrence. The public opinion of mankind would ridicule it. The whole world would be ranged against him. Yet, persuaded the communication was from God, through faith (Heb 11:7), he set about preparing the means for preserving himself and family from the impending calamity.
14. Make thee an ark—ark, a hollow chest (Ex 2:3).
gopher wood—probably cypress, remarkable for its durability and abounding on the Armenian mountains.
rooms—cabins or small cells.
pitch it within and without—mineral pitch, asphalt, naphtha, or some bituminous substance, which, when smeared over and become hardened, would make it perfectly watertight.
15. And this is the fashion—According to the description, the ark was not a ship, but an immense house in form and structure like the houses in the East, designed not to sail, but only to float. Assuming the cubit to be 21.888 inches, the ark would be five hundred forty-seven feet long, ninety-one feet two inches wide, and forty-seven feet two inches high.
16. A window—probably a skylight, formed of some transparent substance unknown.
in a cubit shalt thou finish it above—a direction to raise the roof in the middle, seemingly to form a gentle slope for letting the water run off.
17-22. And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood—The repetition of the announcement was to establish its certainty (Ge 41:32). Whatever opinion may be entertained as to the operation of natural laws and agencies in the deluge, it was brought on the world by God as a punishment for the enormous wickedness of its inhabitants.
18. But with thee will I establish my covenant—a special promise of deliverance, called a covenant, to convince him of the confidence to be reposed in it. The substance and terms of this covenant are related at Ge 6:19-21.
22. Thus did Noah—He began without delay to prepare the colossal fabric, and in every step of his progress faithfully followed the divine directions he had received.