Genesis 6:9-22
6:9 a the account: See study note on 2:4• a righteous man, the only blameless person: The text does not claim that Noah was without sin (see Rom 5:12-14 b). Noah’s righteousness and blamelessness came about because he walked in close fellowship with God. See also Gen 7:1 c; 17:1 d; Heb 11:7 e.
Summary for Gen 6:11-13: 6:11-13 f See 6:5-7 g.
• violence (Hebrew khamas): Murder had especially corrupted the line of Cain (4:8 h, 23-24 i).
6:14 j The large boat (traditionally rendered ark) was a long rectangular barge designed for survival, not for navigation. The Hebrew word tebah is used again only of the basket in which the baby Moses was floated on the Nile (Exod 2:3 k, 5 l).
• cypress wood: It is not clear what kind of wood this was. It was possibly from a conifer, such as cypress.
6:15 m This floating barge displaced around 43,300 tons of water.
6:16 n An 18-inch opening below the roof encircled the boat, providing light and air.
• Noah was to build a door and God would close it (7:16 o). God was the captain of this peculiar boat with no sail or rudder. God also brought the animals to Noah (6:20 p).
6:17 q cover the earth with a flood: Some propose that the flood might only have covered the ancient Near East as it was known to Noah or Moses. However, the flood’s stated purpose—to destroy every living thing that breathes (see also 6:7 r, 11-13 s; 7:1 t, 4 u, 18-23 v; 8:21 w)—and its effect of undoing creation (see study notes on 1:9-10; 7:11-12) suggest that the flood covered the entire planet (see also 1 Pet 3:20 x; 2 Pet 2:5 y; 3:6 z).
6:18 aa This first explicit mention of a covenant in the Bible refers to the unilateral pact that God made with humankind and the world after the flood (see 9:9 ab, 11 ac, 14-17 ad).
Summary for Gen 6:19-20: 6:19-20 ae God’s instructions to Noah repeat the language of creation (every kind, cp. 1:24 af).
• a male and a female: These animals would procreate and repopulate the earth after the flood.
Copyright information for
TNotes