Genesis8

God remembered Noah and all living things in the ark, causing a wind to pass over the earth and the floodwaters to recede. The ark rested on the mountains of Ararat, and Noah sent out a raven and then doves to ascertain the earth's dryness, with the second dove returning with an olive leaf. Upon God's command, Noah, his family, and all the animals exited the ark onto the dry ground. Noah then built an altar and offered burnt offerings, prompting God to promise never again to curse the ground or destroy all living creatures by a flood, ensuring the continuation of seasons.

God Causes the Waters to Recede

1
God remembered Noach, every living thing and all the livestock with him in the ark; so God caused a wind to pass over the earth, and the water began to go down. ​
2
Also the fountains of the deep and the windows of the sky were stopped, the rain from the sky was restrained,
3
and the water came back from completely covering the earth. It was after 150 days that the water went down.
4
On the seventeenth day of the seventh month the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. ​
5
The water kept going down until the tenth month; on the first day of the tenth month the tops of the mountains were seen.

Noah Sends Out the Birds

6
After forty days Noach opened the window of the ark which he had built;
7
and he sent out a raven, which flew back and forth until the water had dried up from the earth. ​
8
Then he sent out a dove, to see if the water had gone from the surface of the ground.
9
But the dove found no place for her feet to rest, so she returned to him in the ark, because the water still covered the whole earth. He put out his hand, took her and brought her in to him in the ark.
10
He waited another seven days and again sent the dove out from the ark.
11
The dove came in to him in the evening, and there in her mouth was a freshly plucked olive leaf, so Noach knew that the water had cleared from the earth. ​
12
He waited yet another seven days and sent out the dove, and she didn’t return to him any more.

The Earth Dries Completely

13
By the first day of the first month of the 601st year the water had dried up from off the earth; so Noach removed the covering of the ark and looked; and, yes, the surface of the ground was dry. ​
14
It was on the twenty-seventh day of the second month that the earth was dry.

God Commands the Family to Exit

15
God said to Noach,
16
“Go out from the ark, you, your wife, your sons and your son’s wives with you.
17
Bring out with you every living thing you have with you — birds, livestock and every animal that creeps on the earth — so that they can swarm on the earth, be fruitful and multiply on the earth.” ​
18
So Noach went out with his sons, his wife and his sons’ wives;
19
every animal, every creeping thing and every bird, whatever moves on the earth, according to their families, went out of the ark.

Noah Sacrifices; God's Promise

20
Noach built an altar to Adonai. Then he took from every clean animal and every clean bird, and he offered burnt offerings on the altar. ​
21
Adonai smelled the sweet aroma, and Adonai said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of humankind, since the imaginings of a person’s heart are evil from his youth; nor will I ever again destroy all living things, as I have done. ​
22
So long as the earth exists, sowing time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night will not cease.” ​

Study Notes for Genesis 8

Verse 1

The phrase 'God remembered Noah' is a theological term meaning God actively turned his attention to act on behalf of his covenant partner. The wind is the primary mechanism God uses to dry the earth, reversing the deluge caused by the 'fountains of the deep' (v. 2).

Verse 4

The ark rested on the 'mountains of Ararat,' a range located in modern-day Eastern Turkey. This marks the end of the 150 days during which the waters prevailed over the earth.

Verse 7

The raven is an unclean bird that sustains itself on carrion; its failure to return merely confirms that some dry surfaces were exposed where it could find sustenance, but not that the earth was habitable.

Verse 11

The olive leaf is a powerful symbol of renewal, life, and the return of vegetation. It confirms to Noah that the judgment had passed and the possibility of a fruitful future had returned to the earth.

Verse 13

Noah waited for God’s explicit command to exit (v. 15), even though he could see the ground was dry. The full duration of their confinement, from the start of the Flood (7:11) to this date, was slightly over a year.

Verse 17

God’s command to multiply and be fruitful echoes the original creation mandate (Gen 1:28). This signals the fresh start for humanity and creation, tasked with repopulating the earth.

Verse 20

Noah’s first act upon leaving the ark is worship, establishing the crucial role of sacrifice and devotion in the post-Flood world. He uses 'clean' animals, suggesting this distinction existed prior to the Mosaic Law.

Verse 21

The recognition that human nature remains inherently corrupt ('evil from his youth') leads God not to destroy humanity again, but to establish a covenant of divine restraint. God accepts the sacrifice as a 'sweet savour,' indicating divine acceptance.

Verse 22

This verse establishes the divine guarantee of cosmic stability, assuring Noah that the reliable cycles of nature (seasons, day/night) will continue. This covenant promise ensures the conditions necessary for human life and agriculture.

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