Genesis 7

ENGWEBEnglish24 verses

1Yahweh said to Noah, “Come with all of your household into the ship, for I have seen your righteousness before me in this generation.

2You shall take seven pairs of every clean animal with you, the male and his female. Of the animals that are not clean, take two, the male and his female.

3Also of the birds of the sky, seven and seven, male and female, to keep seed alive on the surface of all the earth.

4In seven days, I will cause it to rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights. Every living thing that I have made, I will destroy from the surface of the ground.”

5Noah did everything that Yahweh commanded him.

6Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters came on the earth.

7Noah went into the ship with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives, because of the floodwaters.

8Clean animals, unclean animals, birds, and everything that creeps on the ground

9went by pairs to Noah into the ship, male and female, as God commanded Noah.

10After the seven days, the floodwaters came on the earth.

11In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the same day all the fountains of the great deep were burst open, and the sky’s windows were opened.

12It rained on the earth forty days and forty nights.

13In the same day Noah, and Shem, Ham, and Japheth—the sons of Noah—and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered into the ship—

14they, and every animal after its kind, all the livestock 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.

15Pairs from all flesh with the breath of life in them went to Noah into the ship.

16Those who went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God commanded him; then Yahweh shut him in.

17The flood was forty days on the earth. The waters increased, and lifted up the ship, and it was lifted up above the earth.

18The waters rose, and increased greatly on the earth; and the ship floated on the surface of the waters.

19The waters rose very high on the earth. All the high mountains that were under the whole sky were covered.

20The waters rose fifteen cubits higher, and the mountains were covered.

21All flesh died that moved on the earth, including birds, livestock, animals, every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, and every man.

22All on the dry land, in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, died.

23Every living thing was destroyed that was on the surface of the ground, including man, livestock, creeping things, and birds of the sky. They were destroyed from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ship.

24The waters flooded the earth one hundred fifty days.

Commentary

Chapter 7 In this chapter we have the performance of what was foretold in the foregoing chapter, both concerning the destruction of the old world and the salvation of Noah; for we may be sure that no word of God shall fall to the ground. There we left Noah busy about his ark, and full of care to get it finished in time, while the rest of his neighbours were laughing at him for his pains. Now here we see what was the end thereof, the end of his care and of their carelessness. And this famous period of the old world gives us some idea of the state of things when the world that now is shall be destroyed by fire, as that was by water. (See 2 Pt. 3:6, 7.) We have, in this chapter, I. God’s gracious call to Noah to come into the ark (v. 1), and to bring the creatures that were to be preserved alive along with him (v. 2, 3), in consideration of the deluge at hand (v. 4). II. Noah’s obedience to this heavenly vision (v. 5). When he was six hundred years old, he came with his family into the ark (v. 6, 7), and brought the creatures along with him (v. 8, 9), an account of which is repeated (v. 13–16), to which is added God’s tender care to shut him in. III. The coming of the threatened deluge (v. 10); the causes of it (v. 11, 12); the prevalency of it (v. 17–20). IV. The dreadful desolations that were made by it in the death of every living creature upon earth, except those that were in the ark (v. 21–23). V. The continuance of it in full sea, before it began to ebb, one hundred and fifty days (v. 24).Verses 1-4 Here is, I. A gracious invitation of Noah and his family into a place of safety, now that the flood of waters was coming, v. 1.1. The call itself is very kind, like that of a tender father to his children, to come in doors, when he sees night or a storm coming: Come thou, and all thy house, that small family that thou hast, into the ark. Observe, (1.) Noah did not go into the ark till God bade him; though he knew it was designed for his place of refuge, yet he waited for a renewed command, and had it. It is very comfortable to follow the calls of Providence, and to see God going before us in every step we take. (2.) God does not bid him go into the ark, but come into it, implying that God would go with him, would lead him into it, accompany him in it, and in due time bring him safely out of it. Note, Wherever we are, it is very desirable to have the presence of God with us, for this is all in all to the comfort of every condition. It was this that made Noah’s ark, which was a prison, to be to him not only a refuge, but a palace. (3.) Noah had taken a great deal of pains to build the ark, and now he was himself preserved alive in it. Note, What we do in obedience to the command of God, and in faith, we ourselves shall certainly have the comfort of, first or last. (4.) Not he only, but his house also, his wife and children, are called with him into the ark. Note, It is good to belong to the family of a godly man; it is safe and comfortable to dwell under such a shadow. One of Noah’s sons was Ham, who proved afterwards a bad man, yet he was saved in the ark, which intimates, [1.] That wicked children often fare the better for the sake of their godly parents. [2.] That there is a mixture of bad with good in the best societies in earth, and we are not to think it strange. In Noah’s family there was a Ham, and in Christ’s family there was a Judas. There is no perfect purity on this side heaven. (5.) This call to Noah was a type of the call which the gospel gives to poor sinners. Christ is an ark already prepared, in whom alone we can be safe when death and judgment come. Now the burden of the song is, "Come, come;" the word says, "Come;" ministers say, "Come;" the Spirit says, "Come, come into the ark."2. The reason for this invitation is a very honourable testimony to Noah’s integrity: For thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. Observe, (1.) Those are righteous indeed that are righteous before God, that have not only the form of godliness by which they appear righteous before men, who may easily be imposed upon, but the power of it by which they approve themselves to God, who searches the heart, and cannot be deceived in men’s characters. (2.) God takes notice of and is pleased with those that are righteous before him: Thee have I seen. In a world of wicked people God could see one righteous Noah; that single grain of wheat could not be lost, no, not in so great a heap of chaff. The Lord knows those that are his. (3.) God, that is a witness to, will shortly be a witness for, his people’s integrity; he that sees it will proclaim it before angels and men, to their immortal honour. Those that obtain mercy to be righteous shall obtain witness that they are righteous. (4.) God is, in a special manner, pleased with those that are good in bad times and places. Noah was therefore illustriously righteous, because he was so in that wicked and adulterous generation. (5.) Those that keep themselves pure in times of common iniquity God will keep safe in times of common calamity; those that partake not with others in their sins shall not partake with them in their plagues; those that are better than others are, even in this life, safer than others, and it is better with them.II. Here are necessary orders given concerning the brute-creatures that were to be preserved alive with Noah in the ark, v. 2, 3. They were not capable of receiving the warning and directions themselves, as man was, who herein is taught more than the beasts of the earth, and made wiser than the fowls of heaven—that he is endued with the power of foresight; therefore man is charged with the care of them: being under his dominion, they must be under his protection; and, though he could not secure every individual, yet he must carefully preserve every species, that no tribe, no, not the least considerable, might entirely perish out of the creation. Observe in this, 1. God’s care for man, for his comfort and benefit.

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Translations8 · 5

AMHEVG እግዚአብሔርም ኖኅን አለው፦ “አንተ ቤተሰቦችህን ሁሉ ይዘህ ወደ መርከብ ግባ፤ በዚህ ትውልድ በፊቴ ጻድቅ ሆነህ አይቼሃለሁና። አማርኛ ENGNIV The Lord then said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this gen… English BCV እግዚኣብሄር ንኖህ “ኣብዛ ትውልዲ እዚኣ፥ ኣብ ቅድመይ ፃድቕ ኴንካ ረኺበካ እየ እሞ፥ ምስ ኵሉ ቤተ ሰብካ ናብ መርከብ እቶ። ትግርኛ GAZBIB Waaqayyo yommus Nohiin,“Dhaloota kana keessaa, ati na duratti qajeelaa akka taate waanan argeef, ati warra mana kee hun… Afaan Oromoo BCV GIZ ወይቤሎ እግዚአብሔር ለኖኅ፦ ባእ አንተ ወኵሉ ቤትከ ውስተ ታቦት እስመ ኪያከ ረከብኩ ጻድቀ በቅድሜየ በዛቲ ትውልድ። giz GAZGAZ Waaqayyo yommus Nohiin,“Dhaloota kana keessaa, ati na duratti qajeelaa akka taate waanan argeef, ati warra mana kee hun… Afaan Oromoo BCV aksum እግዚኣብሄር ንኖህ “ኣብዛ ትውልዲ እዚኣ፥ ኣብ ቅድመይ ፃድቕ ኴንካ ረኺበካ እየ እሞ፥ ምስ ኵሉ ቤተ ሰብካ ናብ መርከብ እቶ። ትግርኛ AMHNIV እግዚአብሔር (ያህዌ) ኖኅን እንዲህ አለው፤ “በዚህ ትውልድ መካከል አንተን ጻድቅ ሆነህ አግኝቼሃለሁና ቤተ ሰብህን በሙሉ ይዘህ ወደ መርከቧ ግባ። አማርኛ