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Genesis 6

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The Corruption of Mankind 1–4

1
And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,
2
That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. ​
3
And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. ​
4
There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. ​

God’s Grief and Judgment Declared 5–8

5
And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. ​
6
And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. ​
7
And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.
8
But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. ​

The Generations of Noah 9–12

9
These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. ​
10
And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
11
The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. ​
12
And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.

God Commands the Building of the Ark 13–22

13
And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. ​
14
Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch. ​
15
And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. ​
16
A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it.
17
And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.
18
But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee. ​
19
And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female.
20
Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive.
21
And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them.
22
Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he. ​

Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain

Study Notes for Genesis 6

Verse 2

the sons of God — Bene elohim, the phrase of Job 1:6, 'the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD'. It is read either of heavenly beings or of the godly line contrasted with the 'daughters of men'. The sin is choosing by sight: they 'saw', they 'took', 'of all which they chose'.

Verse 3

My spirit shall not always strive — Din means to judge or contend; the Spirit's pleading with man has a limit, 'for that he also is flesh'. The 'hundred and twenty years' are a respite before the Flood: 'the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing' (1 Pet 3:20).

Verse 4

giants — Nephilim, from naphal, to fall: a 'feller', bully or tyrant. The word occurs only here and in Num 13:33, 'the giants, the sons of Anak'. They are 'mighty men' (gibbor) and 'men of renown', literally men of shem, a name, famous for strength rather than godliness.

Verse 5

every imagination of the thoughts of his heart — Yetser is what is formed or purposed, machashabah the plans devised: the evil lay in the heart's shaping of intentions, 'only evil continually'. Christ traces the same source: 'out of the heart proceed evil thoughts' (Matt 15:19); compare Gen 8:21.

Verse 6

it repented the LORD — Nacham, to be sorry or grieve, the verb repeated in v.7. It is said of God as of a wronged person; yet he is not 'the son of man, that he should repent' (Num 23:19), so his purpose does not waver. 'It grieved him at his heart' (atsab) is real sorrow over sin.

Verse 8

found grace — Chen, favour freely given. It is stated before any description of Noah's character in v.9, so his righteousness is told after the favour. Hebrews names the root: Noah 'became heir of the righteousness which is by faith' (Heb 11:7). Lot uses the same words in Gen 19:19.

Verse 9

just man and perfect — Tsaddiq, righteous, and tamiym, whole or blameless. 'Noah walked with God' repeats what Gen 5:24 says of Enoch. Peter calls him 'a preacher of righteousness' (2 Pet 2:5). 'These are the generations of Noah' opens a new section of Genesis, the history of Noah's line.

Verse 11

corrupt… violence — Shachath, to ruin or spoil, is used in vv.11, 12 (twice) and 13, where God says he will 'destroy' them. Chamas, violence, is the sin named in vv.11 and 13. The earth is 'corrupt before God' and 'filled with' injustice and bloodshed towards men.

Verse 13

The end of all flesh — Qets, the final limit. God shares the decision with Noah, as with Abraham later (Gen 18:17). The verb 'destroy' is shachath, the same as 'corrupt' in vv.11–12: those who 'had corrupted his way' are destroyed 'with the earth'. Peter confirms the event (2 Pet 2:5).

Verse 14

gopher wood — Gopher occurs only here in Scripture, a wood of uncertain identity. 'Ark' is tebah, a chest or box, the word also used of the basket of bulrushes in Ex 2:3. 'Pitch' (kopher) is joined to the verb kaphar, to cover, the root later used for atonement.

Verse 15

three hundred cubits — The ammah, cubit, was the length of the forearm; the ark measured 300, 50 and 30 cubits. Its 30 cubits of height held the 'lower, second, and third stories' of v.16. Later the waters prevailed 'fifteen cubits upward' above the mountains (Gen 7:20).

Verse 18

my covenant — Berit, first used in Scripture here. God 'establishes' (quwm) it with Noah before the Flood, and it is given its terms after it (Gen 9:9–17). Those inside the ark are named: Noah, his sons, his wife, and his sons' wives, eight persons (1 Pet 3:20).

Verse 22

Thus did Noah — The same formula is used of Moses setting up the tabernacle (Ex 40:16), and Gen 7:5 repeats it of Noah. Hebrews gives the motive: 'being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark' (Heb 11:7).