Gen 8:7-9 | NETfull | STEP | and sent out a raven; it kept flying back and forth until the waters had dried up on the earth.

Genesis 8:7-9

7 and sent out a raven; it kept flying ^{▼▼ Heb “and it went out, going out and returning.” The Hebrew verb יָצָא (yatsa’), translated here “flying,” is modified by two infinitives absolute indicating that the raven went back and forth.} back and forth until the waters had dried up on the earth.

8 Then Noah ^{▼▼ Heb “he”; the referent (Noah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.} sent out a dove ^{▼▼ The Hebrew text adds “from him.” This has not been translated for stylistic reasons, because it is redundant in English.} to see if the waters had receded ^{▼▼ The Hebrew verb קָלָל (qalal) normally means “to be light, to be slight”; it refers here to the waters receding.} from the surface of the ground. 9 The dove could not find a resting place for its feet because water still covered ^{▼▼ The words “still covered” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.} the surface of the entire earth, and so it returned to Noah ^{▼▼ Heb “him”; the referent (Noah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.} in the ark. He stretched out his hand, took the dove, ^{▼▼ Heb “it”; the referent (the dove) has been specified in the translation for clarity.} and brought it back into the ark. ^{▼▼ Heb “and he brought it to himself to the ark.”}