Genesis 6
6
Wickedness in the World
1When human beings began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, 2the sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. 3Then the Lord said, “My Spirit will not contend with#6:3 Or My spirit will not remain in humans forever, for they are mortal#6:3 Or corrupt; their days will be a hundred and twenty years.”
4The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.
5The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. 6The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. 7So the Lord said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.” 8But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.
Noah and the Flood
9This is the account of Noah and his family.
Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God. 10Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth.
11Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence. 12God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. 13So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. 14So make yourself an ark of cypress#6:14 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain. wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out. 15This is how you are to build it: The ark is to be three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide and thirty cubits high.#6:15 That is, about 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high or about 135 meters long, 23 meters wide and 14 meters high 16Make a roof for it, leaving below the roof an opening one cubit#6:16 That is, about 18 inches or about 45 centimeters high all around.#6:16 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain. Put a door in the side of the ark and make lower, middle and upper decks. 17I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish. 18But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you. 19You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. 20Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive. 21You are to take every kind of food that is to be eaten and store it away as food for you and for them.”
22Noah did everything just as God commanded him.
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Genesis 6
6
1People started to increase in number and spread out across the earth. Daughters were born to them, 2and the sons of God#6:2. “Sons of God”: some have seen this as a reference to angels, but Jesus clearly stated that angels do not marry (Matthew 22:30), and in the very next verse punishment falls on all as human beings. The sons of God can be identified as those in the lineage of Seth, distinguished from these women who are descended from Cain. The genealogies of both groups have just been presented (chapters 4 and 5). saw that these women were beautiful, and they took whichever ones they wanted.
3Then the Lord said, “My life-giving Spirit will not remain in these people forever, because they are only mortal. The time they have left will be 120 years.”#6:3. That this refers to a new maximum lifespan seems unlikely since many after this time lived much longer than 120 years. The Hebrew says literally, “His days shall be 120 years.” Here “days” can be taken simply as time, or even time remaining, until the Flood would come.
4There were giants#6:4. “Giants”: literally, “Nephelim.” This word is translated “giants” in the Septuagint. However, some take the word to be based on the Hebrew word “fallen.” These “giants” are also referenced later (see Numbers 13:33). In Symmachus' Greek translation he renders “Nephelim” as “the violent ones.” on earth in those days, and also later on. They were born after the sons of God slept with the daughters of these people. Their sons became the great warriors and famous men of ancient times.
5The Lord saw how terribly evil people on earth had become—every single thought in their minds was evil all the time! 6The Lord was sorry he'd made human beings to live on the earth; it made him very sad to think about it. 7So the Lord said, “I'm going to wipe out these people I created from the earth, and not only them but also the animals, the creatures that run along the ground, and the birds, because I'm sorry I made them.”
8But the Lord was pleased with Noah.
9This is the story of Noah and his family. Noah was a man of integrity, living a moral life among the people of his time. He had a close relationship with God. 10Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
11God saw how corrupt the whole world had become, full of violent and lawless people. 12God recognized that the corruption in the world was due to everyone on earth living corrupt lives. 13So God told Noah, “I have decided to put an end to all people on earth because they are all violent and lawless. I myself am going to destroy all of them, along with the earth.
14Build an ark#6:14. The word used here for “ark” is different from that used later to describe the Ark of the Lord's Agreement. out of cypress wood. Make rooms inside the ark, and coat it with tar, both inside and out. 15This is how to build it: the ark is to measure 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high. 16Make a roof for the ark, leaving a cubit-wide opening between the roof and the top of the sides.#6:16. The Hebrew of this last phrase is unclear. Put a door in the side of the ark, and construct three decks inside.
17I myself am going to flood the earth with water that will destroy everything that breathes. Every living thing everywhere on earth will die. 18But I will keep my agreement with you. You are to go into the ark, taking with you your wife and your sons and their wives. 19Take a pair, male and female, of every kind of animal into the ark and make sure you keep them alive. 20The same applies to every kind of bird, livestock, and the creatures that run along the ground—a pair of every kind will come to you so they can be kept alive. 21Take all kinds of food with you too. Store it so you and the animals will have enough to eat.”
22Noah did exactly what God ordered him to do.
Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com