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Commentary on Genesis 8 verses 20–22
Here is, I. Noah's thankful acknowledgment of God's favour to him, in completing the mercy of his deliverance, Gen 8:20. 1. He built an altar. Hitherto he had done nothing without particular instructions and commands from God. He had a particular call into the ark, and another out of it; but, altars and sacrifices being already of divine institution for religious worship, he did not stay for a particular command thus to express his thankfulness. Those that have received mercy from God should be forward in returning thanks, and do it not of constraint, but willingly. God is pleased with free-will offerings, and praises that wait for him. Noah was now turned out into a cold and desolate world, where, one would have thought, his first care would have been to build a house for himself; but, behold, he begins with an altar for God: God, that is the first, must be first served; and he begins well that begins with God. 2. He offered a sacrifice upon his altar, of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl - one, the odd seventh that we read of, Gen 7:2, Gen 7:3. Here observe, (1.) He offered only those that were clean; for it is not enough that we sacrifice, but we must sacrifice that which God appoints, according to the law of sacrifice, and not a corrupt thing. (2.) Though his stock of cattle was so small, and that rescued from ruin at so great an expense of care and pains, yet he did not grudge to give God his dues out of it. He might have said, "Have I but seven sheep to begin the world with, and must one of these seven be killed and burnt for sacrifice? Were it not better to defer it till we have greater plenty?" No, to prove the sincerity of his love and gratitude, he cheerfully gives the seventh to his God, as an acknowledgment that all was his, and owing to him. Serving God with our little is the way to make it more; and we must never think that wasted with which God is honoured. (3.) See here the antiquity of religion: the first thing we find done in the new world was an act of worship, Jer 6:16. We are now to express our thankfulness, not by burnt-offerings, but by the sacrifices of praise and the sacrifices of righteousness, by pious devotions and a pious conversation.
II. God's gracious acceptance of Noah's thankfulness. It was a settled rule in the patriarchal age: If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? Noah was so. For,
1.God was well pleased with the performance, Gen 8:21. He smelt a sweet savour, or, as it is in the Hebrew, a savour of rest, from it. As, when he had made the world at first on the seventh day, he rested and was refreshed, so, now that he had new-made it, in the sacrifice of the seventh he rested. He was well pleased with Noah's pious zeal, and these hopeful beginnings of the new world, as men are with fragrant and agreeable smells; though his offering was small it was according to his ability, and God accepted it. Having caused his anger to rest upon the world of sinners, he here caused his love to rest upon this little remnant of believers.
2.Hereupon, he took up a resolution never to drown the world again. Herein he had an eye, not so much to Noah's sacrifice as to Christ's sacrifice of himself, which was typified and represented by it, and which was indeed an offering of a sweet-smelling savour, Eph 5:2. Good security is here given, and that which may be relied upon,
(1.)That this judgment should never be repeated. Noah might think, "To what purpose should the world be repaired, when, in all probability, for the wickedness of it, it will quickly be in like manner ruined again?" "No," says God, "it never shall." It was said (Gen 6:6), It repented the Lord that he had made man; now here he speaks as if it repented him that he had destroyed man: neither means a change of his mind, but both a change of his way. It repented him concerning his servants, Deu 32:36. Two ways this resolve is expressed: - [1.] I will not again curse the ground, Heb. I will not add to curse the ground any more. God had cursed the ground upon the first entrance of sin (Gen 3:17), when he drowned it he added to that curse; but now he determines not to add to it any more. [2.] Neither will I again smite any more every living thing; that is, it was determined that whatever ruin God might bring upon particular persons, or families, or countries, he would never again destroy the whole world till the day shall come when time shall be no more. But the reason of this resolve is very surprising, for it seems the same in effect with the reason given for the destruction of the world: Because the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth, Gen 6:5. But there is this difference - there it is said, The imagination of man's heart is evil continually, that is, "his actual transgressions continually cry against him;" here it is said, It is evil from his youth or childhood. It is bred in the bone; he brought it into the world with him; he was shapen and conceived in it. Now, one would think it should follow, "Therefore that guilty race shall be wholly extinguished, and I will make a full end." No, "Therefore I will no more take this severe method; for," First, "He is rather to be pitied, for it is all the effect of sin dwelling in him; and it is but what might be expected from such a degenerate race: he is called a transgressor from the womb, and therefore it is not strange that he deals so very treacherously," Isa 48:8. Thus God remembers that he is flesh, corrupt and sinful, Psa 78:39. Secondly, "He will be utterly ruined; for, if he be dealt with according to his deserts, one flood must succeed another till all be destroyed." See here, 1. That outward judgments, though they may terrify and restrain men, yet cannot of themselves sanctify and renew them; the grace of God must work with those judgments. Man's nature was as sinful after the deluge as it had been before. 2. That God's goodness takes occasion from man's sinfulness to magnify itself the more; his reasons of mercy are all drawn from himself, not from any thing in us.
(2.)That the course of nature should never be discontinued (Gen 8:22): "While the earth remaineth, and man upon it, there shall be summer and winter (not all winter as had been this last year), day and night," not all night, as probably it was while the rain was descending. Here, [1.] It is plainly intimated that this earth is not to remain always; it, and all the works in it, must shortly be burnt up; and we look for new heavens and a new earth, when all these things must be dissolved. But, [2.] As long as it does remain God's providence will carefully preserve the regular succession of times and seasons, and cause each to know its place. To this we owe it that the world stands, and the wheel of nature keeps it track. See here how changeable the times are and yet how unchangeable. First, The course of nature always changing. As it is with the times, so it is with the events of time, they are subject to vicissitudes - day and night, summer and winter, counterchanged. In heaven and hell it is not so, but on earth God hath set the one over against the other. Secondly, Yet never changed. It is constant in this inconstancy. These seasons have never ceased, nor shall cease, while the sun continued such a steady measurer of time and the moon such a faithful witness in heaven. This is God's covenant of the day and of the night, the stability of which is mentioned for the confirming of our faith in the covenant of grace, which is no less inviolable, Jer 33:20, Jer 33:21. We see God's promises to the creatures made good, and thence may infer that his promises to all believers shall be so.
[The clean and the unclean] were together in the ark, but they were not equally pleasing to the Lord as a savor of sacrifice, for after the deluge Noah offered sacrifice to God of the clean, not of the unclean.
Noah built an altar to the Lord, and taking from all the clean animals and birds, he offered burnt offerings on the altar. Because he was a just man and truly perfect in his generations, after surviving such a great calamity, he immediately, upon building the altar, gave thanks to the Creator, simultaneously petitioning that the world no longer deserve to be struck by such a plague. And because he prays devoutly and piously, he is soon deemed worthy of being heard. For it follows:
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SUMMARY
Upon disembarking from the ark onto a renewed earth, Noah's immediate and profound act was to construct an altar and offer burnt offerings from every clean beast and fowl to the LORD. This spontaneous expression of worship served as a deeply significant response of gratitude for divine preservation, established a foundational pattern for humanity's acknowledgment of God's sovereignty, and prophetically foreshadowed the future sacrificial system, illustrating humanity's proper posture of devotion and dependence in the wake of God's grace.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Genesis 8:20 employs several significant literary devices. Symbolism is prominent, with the altar symbolizing a designated place of divine encounter, reconciliation, and worship. The burnt offerings themselves are highly symbolic, representing complete surrender, total devotion, and the appeasement of divine wrath. The act of offering "clean" animals symbolizes the principle of purity and acceptability required for approaching a holy God. Furthermore, the entire scene functions as foreshadowing. Noah's uncommanded sacrifice anticipates the divinely instituted sacrificial system of the Mosaic Law, particularly the olah offering (e.g., Leviticus 1), establishing a continuity of divine-human interaction through sacrifice. This act also subtly contrasts Noah's immediate and grateful obedience with the pervasive wickedness of the pre-Flood generation, highlighting the renewed spiritual trajectory for humanity.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Noah's spontaneous act of building an altar and offering burnt sacrifices upon disembarking from the ark establishes a profound theological precedent for humanity's relationship with God. It underscores that genuine gratitude and worship are the primary and most fitting responses to divine deliverance and new beginnings. This uncommanded act of devotion, born out of faith and thanksgiving, precedes God's formal covenant with Noah, suggesting that human initiative in worship often invites and precedes further divine blessings and promises. The meticulous selection of "clean" animals and the nature of the "burnt offering" (olah) highlight a pre-existing understanding of holiness and the need for complete dedication in approaching a holy God, laying the groundwork for the elaborate sacrificial system that would later be codified in the Mosaic Law. This moment signifies a re-establishment of a right relationship between God and humanity after the judgment of the flood, marking a turning point towards divine-human communion.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Noah's profound act of worship in Genesis 8:20 serves as a timeless and powerful example for believers today. In the wake of God's deliverance, provision, or new beginnings in our lives, our primary and most natural response should be one of heartfelt gratitude and worship. Just as Noah offered the "clean" and the "best" of what he had, we are called to offer our lives as a "living sacrifice" to God, dedicating our time, talents, resources, and very selves to His service (as exhorted in Romans 12:1). This act of worship is not merely a duty but a privilege, a spontaneous outpouring of love and thanks for God's unfailing grace. Noah's initiative also reminds us that our worship does not always need to be commanded; it can and should be a voluntary, Spirit-prompted response that precedes and often unlocks further blessings and deeper intimacy with God, much like God's covenant followed Noah's act of devotion (Genesis 9:8-17).
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why did Noah offer sacrifices immediately after the flood?
Answer: Noah's immediate offering was a spontaneous and profound act of gratitude and thanksgiving to the LORD. Having been miraculously preserved through the devastating global flood, he recognized God's sovereign power, faithfulness, and mercy. It was a heartfelt response to divine deliverance and a foundational act of worship for a new beginning for humanity on a renewed earth.
What is the significance of "clean" animals in Noah's sacrifice?
Answer: The explicit mention of "clean" animals, a distinction introduced by God earlier (Genesis 7:2), indicates a pre-existing understanding of ritual purity and what was acceptable for worship. By offering clean animals, Noah presented what was deemed suitable, unblemished, and pure for communion with God. This signified offering the best of what he had and acknowledged a divine standard of holiness required for approaching the Almighty.
What was a "burnt offering" (olah) and what did it symbolize?
Answer: The olah (Hebrew for "that which ascends") was a unique type of sacrifice where the entire animal, except for its hide, was consumed by fire on the altar. It symbolized complete dedication, total surrender, and a desire for reconciliation or communion with God. Unlike other sacrifices which might include a shared meal, the olah was wholly given to God, representing a full devotion, atonement, and the appeasement of divine wrath.
Was Noah's sacrifice commanded by God?
Answer: No, the biblical text does not state that God commanded Noah to build an altar or offer sacrifices at this specific point. Noah's act was a voluntary initiative, born out of his deep faith, profound gratitude, and personal devotion. It serves as a powerful example of a spontaneous human response of worship to divine grace, setting a precedent for future acts of worship that are not merely obligatory but flow from a thankful heart.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Noah's burnt offering, a complete dedication of clean animals ascending in smoke to God, serves as a profound and poignant foreshadowing of the ultimate and perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ. While Noah's act was a symbolic, temporary, and repeated means of approaching God, Christ's sacrifice on the cross is the once-for-all, perfect olah (as illuminated in Hebrews 10:10). Jesus is the truly "clean," spotless, and sinless Lamb of God (John 1:29), whose voluntary offering of Himself perfectly atones for the sins of humanity, definitively removes divine wrath, and provides eternal access and communion with God. Through His singular, complete sacrifice, Christ fulfills the symbolic significance of all Old Testament sacrifices, including Noah's, inaugurating a new covenant where perfect reconciliation and direct access to God are granted not through animal blood, but through the precious blood of His Son (Hebrews 9:11-14).