And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.
Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female.
Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth.
For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.
And Noah did according unto all that the Lord commanded him.
And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.
And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.
Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth,
There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.
And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.
In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah’s wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark;
They, and every beast after his kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind, and every fowl after his kind, every bird of every sort.
And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life.
And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the Lord shut him in.
And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth.
And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters.
And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered.
Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered.
And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man:
All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died.
And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark.
And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days.
Genesis 7 is a pivotal chapter, dramatically depicting the fulfillment of God's judgment upon a world saturated in wickedness, as foreshadowed in Genesis 6. Yet, within this narrative of destruction, we also witness the preservation of Noah and his family, offering a beacon of hope amidst the deluge. This chapter serves as a stark reminder of God's justice and mercy, prompting us to reflect on our own standing before Him.
Context: From Divine Decree to Deluge
Building on the previous chapter, Genesis 7 details the execution of God's plan to cleanse the earth. In Genesis 6, God observed the pervasive wickedness and violence of humanity, leading Him to decree a cataclysmic flood. He then revealed His plan to Noah, commissioning him to construct the ark. Chapter 7 opens with the ark completed, the animals gathered, and the door sealed, marking the commencement of a global catastrophe. The narrative unfolds with torrential rain and subterranean waters engulfing the earth for forty days, followed by another 110 days of inundation. The chapter sets the stage for Genesis 8, where the ark will eventually find rest, and the earth will gradually resurface.
Entering the Ark: A Refuge of Righteousness (Genesis 7:1-5)
God instructs Noah, deemed righteous amidst a corrupt generation, to enter the ark (Genesis 6:9, Genesis 7:1). He is not alone; his wife, sons, and daughters-in-law accompany him, forming the nucleus of a new beginning. Furthermore, Noah is commanded to bring pairs of all living creatures into the ark to preserve their kinds (Genesis 6:19).
A distinction is made between "clean" and "unclean" animals, with Noah instructed to take seven pairs of the former (Genesis 7:2-3). This is the first mention of this distinction in Genesis. While the full implications of this distinction are revealed later in the Pentateuch, it seems apparent that the additional clean animals were intended both for sustenance during their time in the ark and, significantly, for sacrificial offerings to God after the flood subsides. Noah's obedience to God's specific instructions underscores the importance of heeding God's word, even in the face of seemingly impossible tasks. As Genesis 7:5 states, “Noah did everything that the LORD commanded him.” This obedience, amidst overwhelming evil, should be the defining characteristic of God’s people.
The Flood Unleashed: Judgment and Remembrance (Genesis 7:6-22)
After a period of 120 years of God's patience waiting for repentance, the flood commences (Genesis 6:3, Genesis 7:6). The waters originate from both above and below, with torrential rain falling from the sky and subterranean waters bursting forth (Genesis 7:11-12). The result is a cataclysmic flood that engulfs the entire earth for forty days and forty nights. This event is not merely heavy rainfall; it’s a cosmic upheaval, a reversal of creation itself. God had separated the waters to create dry land (Genesis 1:9-10); now, He allows the waters to reclaim the earth, enacting judgment on sin.
The floodwaters rise, lifting the ark above the earth and highlighting God's protection over those within. The waters "prevailed" (Genesis 7:18-20), covering even the highest mountains, resulting in the death of every land-dwelling, air-breathing creature outside the ark (Genesis 7:21-22). The extent of the flood—whether global or regional—is a subject of ongoing discussion. Regardless of the geographical scope, the Bible's message is clear: the flood was a devastating judgment that wiped out all unrighteous life.
Noah's Preservation: Mercy Amidst Judgment (Genesis 7:23-24)
The chapter concludes with the stark reality: only Noah and those with him in the ark survived (Genesis 7:23). The floodwaters remained upon the earth for 150 days (Genesis 7:24), a period of isolation and waiting. This extended period served as a constant reminder to Noah and his family of both the severity of God's judgment and the magnitude of His grace in preserving them.
Noah's family, safe in the ark, becomes a living symbol that God, who fiercely judges sin, is also the same God who mercifully delivers us through faith. The image of the ark riding the waves of judgment offers a powerful metaphor for salvation. Just as the ark provided refuge from the flood, faith in God offers refuge from the judgment to come.
Genesis 7 is more than just a historical account; it is a profound theological statement. It reveals God's holiness, justice, and mercy, reminding us of the consequences of sin and the hope of salvation. The question it poses is timeless: In the face of divine judgment, where do we find our ark of safety? The answer, echoed throughout the rest of the Bible, is in a relationship with God through faith.
And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.
Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female.
Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth.
For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.
And Noah did according unto all that the Lord commanded him.
And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.
And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.
Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth,
There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.
And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.
In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah’s wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark;
They, and every beast after his kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind, and every fowl after his kind, every bird of every sort.
And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life.
And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the Lord shut him in.
And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth.
And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters.
And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered.
Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered.
And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man:
All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died.
And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark.
And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days.
Genesis 7 is a pivotal chapter, dramatically depicting the fulfillment of God's judgment upon a world saturated in wickedness, as foreshadowed in Genesis 6. Yet, within this narrative of destruction, we also witness the preservation of Noah and his family, offering a beacon of hope amidst the deluge. This chapter serves as a stark reminder of God's justice and mercy, prompting us to reflect on our own standing before Him.
Context: From Divine Decree to Deluge
Building on the previous chapter, Genesis 7 details the execution of God's plan to cleanse the earth. In Genesis 6, God observed the pervasive wickedness and violence of humanity, leading Him to decree a cataclysmic flood. He then revealed His plan to Noah, commissioning him to construct the ark. Chapter 7 opens with the ark completed, the animals gathered, and the door sealed, marking the commencement of a global catastrophe. The narrative unfolds with torrential rain and subterranean waters engulfing the earth for forty days, followed by another 110 days of inundation. The chapter sets the stage for Genesis 8, where the ark will eventually find rest, and the earth will gradually resurface.
Entering the Ark: A Refuge of Righteousness (Genesis 7:1-5)
God instructs Noah, deemed righteous amidst a corrupt generation, to enter the ark (Genesis 6:9, Genesis 7:1). He is not alone; his wife, sons, and daughters-in-law accompany him, forming the nucleus of a new beginning. Furthermore, Noah is commanded to bring pairs of all living creatures into the ark to preserve their kinds (Genesis 6:19).
A distinction is made between "clean" and "unclean" animals, with Noah instructed to take seven pairs of the former (Genesis 7:2-3). This is the first mention of this distinction in Genesis. While the full implications of this distinction are revealed later in the Pentateuch, it seems apparent that the additional clean animals were intended both for sustenance during their time in the ark and, significantly, for sacrificial offerings to God after the flood subsides. Noah's obedience to God's specific instructions underscores the importance of heeding God's word, even in the face of seemingly impossible tasks. As Genesis 7:5 states, “Noah did everything that the LORD commanded him.” This obedience, amidst overwhelming evil, should be the defining characteristic of God’s people.
The Flood Unleashed: Judgment and Remembrance (Genesis 7:6-22)
After a period of 120 years of God's patience waiting for repentance, the flood commences (Genesis 6:3, Genesis 7:6). The waters originate from both above and below, with torrential rain falling from the sky and subterranean waters bursting forth (Genesis 7:11-12). The result is a cataclysmic flood that engulfs the entire earth for forty days and forty nights. This event is not merely heavy rainfall; it’s a cosmic upheaval, a reversal of creation itself. God had separated the waters to create dry land (Genesis 1:9-10); now, He allows the waters to reclaim the earth, enacting judgment on sin.
The floodwaters rise, lifting the ark above the earth and highlighting God's protection over those within. The waters "prevailed" (Genesis 7:18-20), covering even the highest mountains, resulting in the death of every land-dwelling, air-breathing creature outside the ark (Genesis 7:21-22). The extent of the flood—whether global or regional—is a subject of ongoing discussion. Regardless of the geographical scope, the Bible's message is clear: the flood was a devastating judgment that wiped out all unrighteous life.
Noah's Preservation: Mercy Amidst Judgment (Genesis 7:23-24)
The chapter concludes with the stark reality: only Noah and those with him in the ark survived (Genesis 7:23). The floodwaters remained upon the earth for 150 days (Genesis 7:24), a period of isolation and waiting. This extended period served as a constant reminder to Noah and his family of both the severity of God's judgment and the magnitude of His grace in preserving them.
Noah's family, safe in the ark, becomes a living symbol that God, who fiercely judges sin, is also the same God who mercifully delivers us through faith. The image of the ark riding the waves of judgment offers a powerful metaphor for salvation. Just as the ark provided refuge from the flood, faith in God offers refuge from the judgment to come.
Genesis 7 is more than just a historical account; it is a profound theological statement. It reveals God's holiness, justice, and mercy, reminding us of the consequences of sin and the hope of salvation. The question it poses is timeless: In the face of divine judgment, where do we find our ark of safety? The answer, echoed throughout the rest of the Bible, is in a relationship with God through faith.