Introducing Noah and the Ark: New Commentary on the Whole Bible Old Testament Volume Based on the Classic Commentary of Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown General Editor Douglas, J.D.

 

Genesis Chapter 06

1–22 Wickedness of the World

2, 3 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 (Stigers). Mixed marriages between parties of opposite principles and practice led to moral corruption. Another view, with a long history of acceptance (Philo; Josephus; Justin), including more recent scholarship (Keil; Delitzsch; Cassuto; von Rad; Speiser), is that the “sons of God” were fallen angels. This expression finds support in Job 1:6 and Psalms 29:1; 89:7. This union, between good and evil forces, angered God. And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man—God’s response to this development is that he would not “abide” (RSV) or “remain” (LXX, NIV) with man. His grace would be replaced by his judgment. 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 (1 Pet. 3:20). During this period, Noah, in word and deed, was a “herald of righteousness” (2 Pet. 2:5).

4 giants—is not a translation of the Hebrew n epilîm, but the Septuagint has rendered it “giants,” probably because of the statement in Numbers 13:32, 33. The Hebrew word literally means “fall.” The sense remains obscure, thus most modern translators simply transliterate the Hebrew word as Nephilim. The Nephilim were the offspring of the union mentioned in 6:2. They are described as mighty men.

5, 6 God saw … repented … grieved—God’s character and nature cannot change (Mal. 3:6; James 1:17); but, by this anthropomorphic language, he is described as about to alter his visible procedure toward mankind—from being merciful and longsuffering, he was about to show himself as a God of judgment; and, since mankind had become wicked, he was about to introduce a terrible display of his justice (Eccles. 8:11).

8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord—i.e., favor. What an awful state of things when only one pious family now existed among the professed “sons of God”!

9 These are the generations of Noah … just … and perfect—This is the third of these genealogical headings or colophons. walked with God—By saying that Noah walked with God, it indicates that he lived a life of obedience and faithfulness to God and it explains the statements about his moral character. Since the fall of Adam no man has been free from sin except Jesus Christ. But in living by faith he was just (Gal. 3:2; Heb. 11:7) and perfect, or “blameless” (RSV, NASB, NEB, NIV)—i.e., 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 might arise. Men did what was right in their own eyes, and, having no fear of God, ignored his moral law.

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. Yet, persuaded that the message was from God, through faith (Heb. 11:7), he set about preparing the means for preserving himself and his family from the impending calamity.

14 Make thee an ark—Hebrew, tēḇāh, a hollow chest (Exod. 2:3). gopher wood—probably cypress, remarkable for its durability; this variety of tree abounds in Palestine and northern Mesopotamia. rooms—i.e., 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. A number of “flood stories” from ancient Sumer and Babylonia have survived that share remarkable similarities with Noah’s account. All these stories, complete with a righteous man and an ark filled with animals that survive a flood, appear to point back to one and the same event (Kitchen).

15 And this is the fashion—According to the description, the ark was not a ship but a rectangular chest or coffin (derived from an Egyptian word with these meanings), designed not to sail, but only to float. Assuming the cubit to be 21.888 inches, the ark would be 547 feet long, 91 feet 2 inches wide and 47 feet 2 inches high.

16 A window—probably a skylight. 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 (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—This is the first occurrence of the word covenant in Scripture and it will take on increasing significance with Abraham, Moses, David and the New Covenant (Jer. 31:31). The covenant promised here actually is enacted in 9:8–17. With this story, a pattern is established. God gives an order and makes a promise. Noah faithfully responds and then the covenant is established. The same pattern is discernible with Abraham (cf. Gen. 12:1–3; 15:17). A covenant is a legally binding agreement.

22 Thus did Noah—He began without delay to prepare the colossal project and in every step of his progress faithfully followed the divine directions he had received.

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