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
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Genesis 6
Commentary on Genesis 6 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 6
The most remarkable thing we have upon record concerning the old world is the destruction of it by the universal deluge, the account of which commences in this chapter, wherein we have,
Gen 6:1-2
For the glory of God's justice, and for warning to a wicked world, before the history of the ruin of the old world, we have a full account of its degeneracy, its apostasy from God and rebellion against him. The destroying of it was an act, not of an absolute sovereignty, but of necessary justice, for the maintaining of the honour of God's government. Now here we have an account of two things which occasioned the wickedness of the old world:-
Gen 6:3
This comes in here as a token of God's displeasure at those who married strange wives; he threatens to withdraw from them his Spirit, whom they had grieved by such marriages, contrary to their convictions: fleshly lusts are often punished with spiritual judgments, the sorest of all judgments. Or as another occasion of the great wickedness of the old world; the Spirit of the Lord, being provoked by their resistance of his motions, ceased to strive with them, and then all religion was soon lost among them. This he warns them of before, that they might not further vex his Holy Spirit, but by their prayers might stay him with them. Observe in this verse,
Gen 6:4-5
We have here a further account of the corruption of the old world. When the sons of God had matched with the daughters of men, though it was very displeasing to God, yet he did not immediately cut them off, but waited to see what would be the issue of these marriages, and which side the children would take after; and it proved (as usually it does), that they took after the worst side. Here is,
Gen 6:6-7
Here is,
Gen 6:8-10
We have here Noah distinguished from the rest of the world, and a peculiar mark of honour put upon him.
Gen 6:11-12
The wickedness of that generation is here again spoken of, either as a foil to Noah's piety-he was just and perfect, when all the earth was corrupt; or as a further justification of God's resolution to destroy the world, which he was now about to communicate to his servant Noah.
Gen 6:13-21
Here it appears indeed that Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. God's favour to him was plainly intimated in what he said of him, v. 8-10, where his name is mentioned five times in five lines, when once might have served to make the sense clear, as if the Holy Ghost took a pleasure in perpetuating his memory; but it appears much more in what he says to him in these verses-the informations and instructions here given him.
Gen 6:22
Noah's care and diligence in building the ark may be considered,