Noah and the Flood

(Genesis 6:1) And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, (2) that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose.

Recall in Genesis Chapter 4 when Seth was born, it was noted that men began to call on the name of the Lord again, indicating that up to then they weren't. This scripture says that the godly men began to marry the daughters of the men who did not follow God.

(3) And the LORD said, "My Spirit shall not always strive with man, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years."

Funny, as a child, I always thought this scripture to indicate the time when God changed the lifespan of man from the 900+ years of Adam and his children and grandchildren, to only 120 years. I now see that God was giving men just 120 years to get their acts together. After all, Noah lived a great many more than 120 years. God had just about had it with men, but He was giving them 120 years to repent before He brought the flood.

(4) There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.

How interesting to note that the word "giants" here actually has a much expanded definition: Properly, a feller, that is, a bully or tyrant: giant. Although they may have been giants in stature, I believe the word is more properly defined as "bullies" or "tyrants", as that best continues the theme of a line of godly men versus a line of ungodly men, who are now intermarrying.

(5) And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. (6) And it sorrowed the LORD that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him at his heart. (7) And the LORD said, "I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, and the creeping thing, and the birds of the air, for it sorrows Me that I have made them." (8) But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. (9) These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. (10) And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (11) The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. (12) And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth. (13) And God said to Noah, "The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth. (14) Make yourself an ark of gopher wood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch. (15) And this is how you shall make it: the length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits.

A cubit was the length of a man's forearm, about 18 to 20 inches. Therefore the length of the ark was to be 450 to 500 feet long, the width 75 to 83 feet wide, and the height 45 to 50 feet high.

(16) You shall make a window for the ark, and in a cubit you shall finish it above; and the door of the ark you shall set in its side; you shall make it with lower, second, and third stories. (17) And behold, I Myself am bringing a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh from under heaven, in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die. (18) But with you will I establish my covenant; and you shall go into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives with you. (19) And of every living thing of all flesh you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. (20) Of the birds after their kind, of cattle after their kind, and of every creeping thing of the earth after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive. (21) And you take for yourself of all food that is eaten, and you shall gather it to yourself; and it shall be food for you and for them." (22) Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did.

God makes His plan to destroy men on earth, but He had found favor with one godly man, Noah. God tells Noah of His plan to save a remnant of all living things in an ark that Noah will build.

(Genesis 7:1) And the LORD said to Noah, "Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen you are righteous before Me in this generation. (2) Of every clean beast you shall take to you by sevens, a male and his female; and of beasts that are not clean by two, a male and his female; (3) Also of fowls of the air by sevens, male and female, to keep species alive on the face of all the earth.

Growing up, weren't we always taught that Noah took two of every species of animal? Here it clearly states there were more of the clean animals. But does it say seven or seven pairs of clean animals? I still do not know. The old commentaries state that there were seven animals, three pairs of male and female, and a seventh for sacrifice; and they point to a later scripture where Noah does indeed sacrifice "of every clean beast". However, I find it interesting that in both instances of the word translated as "sevens" above, the original word "sheba" is written twice, if I am understanding my Strong's correctly. I suppose "sheba sheba" is translated "by sevens" or is it "seven and seven"? This is not an important doctrinal issue, by any means, but I found it interesting to ponder.

(4) For in seven days I will cause it to rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and I will destroy from the face of the earth all living things that I have made." (5) And Noah did according to all that the LORD commanded him. (6) And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood waters were on the earth. (7) And Noah, with his sons, his wife, and his sons' wives, went into the ark because of the waters of the flood. (8) Of clean beasts, of beasts that are not clean, of birds, and of everything that creeps on the earth, (9) Two by two they went into the ark to Noah, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.

Two by two, the male and the female, seems to indicate an even number of each species, so at this point, I believe there were seven pairs of clean animals, rather than only seven animals.

(10) And it came to pass after seven days that the waters of the flood were on the earth. (11) In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.

Not only did it rain from heaven, but the "fountains of the deep were broken up", indicating perhaps that land or hills, etc. that held the water in the seas broke away, allowing the oceans to rush over the land.

(12) And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights. (13) On the very same day Noah and Noah's sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and Noah's wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered the ark; (14) They and every beast after its kind, all cattle after their kind, every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, every bird of every sort. (15) And they went in to Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, in which is the breath of life. (16) And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him; and the LORD shut him in. (17) And the flood was on the earth forty days. The waters increased and bore up the ark, and it was lifted up above the earth. (18) And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth, and the ark went upon the face of the waters. (19) And the waters prevailed exceedingly on the earth, and all the high hills under the whole heaven were covered. (20) The waters prevailed fifteen cubits upward, and the mountains were covered.

Again, a cubit is the length of a forearm, about 18 to 20 inches, so 15 cubits is 22 to 25 feet. The hills were covered and then the waters went upward another 25 feet and covered the mountains.

(21) And all flesh died that moved on the earth, birds and cattle and beasts and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, and every man. (22) All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died. (23) And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man and cattle, and the creeping things, and the birds of the air; and they were destroyed from the earth; and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark. (24) And the waters prevailed on the earth one hundred and fifty days.

(Genesis 8:1) And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark; and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided; (2) The fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven were also stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained. (3) And the waters receded continually from the earth; and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated. (4) And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat. (5) And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month. In the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen. (6) And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made. (7) And he sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth. (8) He also sent out from himself a dove, to see if the waters had receded from the face of the ground. (9) But the dove found no resting place for the sole of her foot, and she returned into the ark to him, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth. Then he put out his hand and took her, and pulled her into the ark to himself. (10) And he waited yet another seven days, and again he sent the dove out from the ark. (11) And the dove came in to him in the evening, and behold, a freshly plucked olive leaf was in her mouth; so Noah knew that the waters had receded from the earth. (12) And he waited yet another seven days and sent out the dove, which did not return again to him anymore. (13) And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, that the waters were dried up from the earth; and Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked, and indeed the surface of the ground was dry.

It was the 601st year of Noah's life, on the first day of the first month of the new year, appropriately so, for a new beginning.

(14) And in the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dried. (15) And God spoke to Noah, saying, (16) "Go out of the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons' wives with you. (17) Bring out with you every living thing of all flesh that is with you, of birds and of cattle and of every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply on the earth. (18) And Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives with him. (19) Every beast, every creeping thing, and every bird, and whatever creeps on the earth, according to their kinds, went out of the ark. (20) And Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean beast, and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. (21) And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, "I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake, for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again destroy any more every living thing as I have done. (22) While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease."