12 And God H430 looked H7200 upon the earth, H776 and, behold, it was corrupt; H7843 for all flesh H1320 had corrupted H7843 his way H1870 upon the earth. H776
Hast thou marked H8104 the old H5769 way H734 which wicked H205 men H4962 have trodden? H1869 Which were cut down H7059 out of time, H6256 whose foundation H3247 was overflown H3332 with a flood: H5104 Which said H559 unto God, H410 Depart H5493 from us: and what can the Almighty H7706 do H6466 for them?
He looketh H7789 upon men, H582 and if any say, H559 I have sinned, H2398 and perverted H5753 that which was right, H3477 and it profited H7737 me not;
God H430 looked down H8259 from heaven H8064 upon the children H1121 of men, H120 to see H7200 if there were H3426 any that did understand, H7919 that did seek H1875 God. H430 Every one of them is gone back: H5472 they are altogether H3162 become filthy; H444 there is none that doeth H6213 good, H2896 no, not one. H259
There were giants H5303 in the earth H776 in those days; H3117 and also after H310 that, H3651 when H834 the sons H1121 of God H430 came in H935 unto the daughters H1323 of men, H120 and they bare H3205 children to them, the same H1992 became mighty men H1368 which were of old, H5769 men H582 of renown. H8034 And GOD H3068 saw H7200 that the wickedness H7451 of man H120 was great H7227 in the earth, H776 and that every imagination H3336 of the thoughts H4284 of his heart H3820 was only H7535 evil H7451 continually. H3117
And all flesh H1320 died H1478 that moved H7430 upon the earth, H776 both of fowl, H5775 and of cattle, H929 and of beast, H2416 and of every creeping thing H8318 that creepeth H8317 upon the earth, H776 and every man: H120
And God H430 said, H559 This is the token H226 of the covenant H1285 which I H589 make H5414 between me and you and every living H2416 creature H5315 that is with you, for perpetual H5769 generations: H1755
And the bow H7198 shall be in the cloud; H6051 and I will look upon it, H7200 that I may remember H2142 the everlasting H5769 covenant H1285 between H996 God H430 and H996 every living H2416 creature H5315 of all flesh H1320 that is upon the earth. H776 And God H430 said H559 unto Noah, H5146 This is the token H226 of the covenant, H1285 which I have established H6965 between me and all flesh H1320 that is upon the earth. H776
I will go down H3381 now, and see H7200 whether they have done H6213 altogether H3617 according to the cry H6818 of it, which is come H935 unto me; and if not, I will know. H3045
[[To the chief Musician, H5329 A Psalm of David.]] H1732 The fool H5036 hath said H559 in his heart, H3820 There is no God. H430 They are corrupt, H7843 they have done abominable H8581 works, H5949 there is none that doeth H6213 good. H2896 The LORD H3068 looked down H8259 from heaven H8064 upon the children H1121 of men, H120 to see H7200 if there H3426 were any that did understand, H7919 and seek H1875 God. H430 They are all gone aside, H5493 they are all together H3162 become filthy: H444 there is none that doeth H6213 good, H2896 no, not one. H259
The eyes H5869 of the LORD H3068 are in every place, H4725 beholding H6822 the evil H7451 and the good. H2896
By G1722 which G3739 also G2532 he went G4198 and preached G2784 unto the spirits G4151 in G1722 prison; G5438 Which sometime G4218 were disobedient, G544 when G3753 once G530 the longsuffering G3115 of God G2316 waited G1551 in G1722 the days G2250 of Noah, G3575 while the ark G2787 was a preparing, G2680 wherein G1519 G3739 few, G3641 that is, G5123 eight G3638 souls G5590 were saved G1295 by G1223 water. G5204
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Genesis 6
Commentary on Genesis 6 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 6
Ge 6:1-22. Wickedness of the World.
2. the sons of God saw the daughters of men—By the former is meant the family of Seth, who were professedly religious; by the latter, the descendants of apostate Cain. Mixed marriages between parties of opposite principles and practice were necessarily sources of extensive corruption. The women, religious themselves, would as wives and mothers exert an influence fatal to the existence of religion in their household, and consequently the people of that later age sank to the lowest depravity.
3. flesh—utterly, hopelessly debased.
And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive—Christ, as God, had by His Spirit inspiring Enoch, Noah, and perhaps other prophets (1Pe 3:20; 2Pe 2:5; Jude 14), preached repentance to the antediluvians; but they were incorrigible.
yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years—It is probable that the corruption of the world, which had now reached its height, had been long and gradually increasing, and this idea receives support from the long respite granted.
4. giants—The term in Hebrew implies not so much the idea of great stature as of reckless ferocity, impious and daring characters, who spread devastation and carnage far and wide.
5, 6. God saw it … repented … grieved—God cannot change (Mal 3:6; Jas 1:17); but, by language suited to our nature and experience, He is described as about to alter His visible procedure towards mankind—from being merciful and long-suffering, He was about to show Himself a God of judgment; and, as that impious race had filled up the measure of their iniquities, He was about to introduce a terrible display of His justice (Ec 8:11).
8. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord—favor. What an awful state of things when only one man or one family of piety and virtue was now existing among the professed sons of God!
9. Noah … just … and perfect—not absolutely; for since the fall of Adam no man has been free from sin except Jesus Christ. But as living by faith he was just (Ga 3:2; Heb 11:7) and perfect—that is, sincere in his desire to do God's will.
11. the earth was filled with violence—In the absence of any well-regulated government it is easy to imagine what evils would arise. Men did what was right in their own eyes, and, having no fear of God, destruction and misery were in their ways.
13. And God said unto Noah—How startling must have been the announcement of the threatened destruction! There was no outward indication of it. The course of nature and experience seemed against the probability of its occurrence. The public opinion of mankind would ridicule it. The whole world would be ranged against him. Yet, persuaded the communication was from God, through faith (Heb 11:7), he set about preparing the means for preserving himself and family from the impending calamity.
14. Make thee an ark—ark, a hollow chest (Ex 2:3).
gopher wood—probably cypress, remarkable for its durability and abounding on the Armenian mountains.
rooms—cabins or small cells.
pitch it within and without—mineral pitch, asphalt, naphtha, or some bituminous substance, which, when smeared over and become hardened, would make it perfectly watertight.
15. And this is the fashion—According to the description, the ark was not a ship, but an immense house in form and structure like the houses in the East, designed not to sail, but only to float. Assuming the cubit to be 21.888 inches, the ark would be five hundred forty-seven feet long, ninety-one feet two inches wide, and forty-seven feet two inches high.
16. A window—probably a skylight, formed of some transparent substance unknown.
in a cubit shalt thou finish it above—a direction to raise the roof in the middle, seemingly to form a gentle slope for letting the water run off.
17-22. And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood—The repetition of the announcement was to establish its certainty (Ge 41:32). Whatever opinion may be entertained as to the operation of natural laws and agencies in the deluge, it was brought on the world by God as a punishment for the enormous wickedness of its inhabitants.
18. But with thee will I establish my covenant—a special promise of deliverance, called a covenant, to convince him of the confidence to be reposed in it. The substance and terms of this covenant are related at Ge 6:19-21.
22. Thus did Noah—He began without delay to prepare the colossal fabric, and in every step of his progress faithfully followed the divine directions he had received.