2 of all the clean beasts thou dost take to thee seven pairs, a male and its female; and of the beasts which are not clean two, a male and its female;
And Noah buildeth an altar to Jehovah, and taketh of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and causeth burnt-offerings to ascend on the altar;
And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying unto them, `Speak unto the sons of Israel, saying, This `is' the beast which ye do eat out of all the beasts which `are' on the earth: any dividing a hoof, and cleaving the cleft of the hoofs, bringing up the cud, among the beasts, it ye do eat. `Only, this ye do not eat -- of those bringing up the cud, and of those dividing the hoof -- the camel, though it is bringing up the cud, yet the hoof not dividing -- it `is' unclean to you; and the rabbit, though it is bringing up the cud, yet the hoof it divideth not -- unclean it `is' to you; and the hare, though it is bringing up the cud, yet the hoof hath not divided -- unclean it `is' to you; and the sow, though it is dividing the hoof, and cleaving the cleft of the hoof, yet the cud it bringeth not up -- unclean it `is' to you. `Of their flesh ye do not eat, and against their carcase ye do not come -- unclean they `are' to you. `This ye do eat of all which `are' in the waters; any one that hath fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the brooks, them ye do eat; and any one that hath not fins and scales in the seas, and in the brooks, of any teeming creature of the waters, and of any creature which liveth, which `is' in the waters -- an abomination they `are' to you; yea, an abomination they are to you; of their flesh ye do not eat, and their carcase ye abominate. `Any one that hath not fins and scales in the waters -- an abomination it `is' to you. `And these ye do abominate of the fowl; they are not eaten, an abomination they `are': the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray, and the vulture, and the kite after its kind, every raven after its kind, and the owl, and the night-hawk, and the cuckoo, and the hawk after its kind, and the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl, and the swan, and the pelican, and the gier eagle, and the stork, the heron after its kind, and the lapwing, and the bat. `Every teeming creature which is flying, which is going on four -- an abomination it `is' to you. `Only -- this ye do eat of any teeming thing which is flying, which is going on four, which hath legs above its feet, to move with them on the earth; these of them ye do eat: the locust after its kind, and the bald locust after its kind, and the beetle after its kind, and the grasshopper after its kind; and every teeming thing which is flying, which hath four feet -- an abomination it `is' to you. `And by these ye are made unclean, any one who is coming against their carcase is unclean till the evening; and anyone who is lifting up `aught' of their carcase doth wash his garments, and hath been unclean till the evening: -- even every beast which is dividing the hoof, and is not cloven-footed, and the cud is not bringing up -- unclean they `are' to you; any one who is coming against them is unclean. `And any one going on its paws, among all the beasts which are going on four -- unclean they `are' to you; any one who is coming against their carcase is unclean until the evening; and he who is lifting up their carcase doth wash his garments, and hath been unclean until the evening -- unclean they `are' to you. `And this `is' to you the unclean among the teeming things which are teeming on the earth: the weasel, and the mouse, and the tortoise after its kind, and the ferret, and the chameleon, and the lizard, and the snail, and the mole; these `are' the unclean to you among all which are teeming; any one who is coming against them in their death is unclean till the evening. `And anything on which any one of them falleth, in their death, is unclean, of any vessel of wood or garment or skin or sack, any vessel in which work is done is brought into water, and hath been unclean till the evening, then it hath been clean; and any earthen vessel, into the midst of which `any' one of them falleth, all that `is' in its midst is unclean, and it ye do break. `Of all the food which is eaten, that on which cometh `such' water, is unclean, and all drink which is drunk in any `such' vessel is unclean; and anything on which `any' of their carcase falleth is unclean (oven or double pots), it is broken down, unclean they `are', yea, unclean they are to you. `Only -- a fountain or pit, a collection of water, is clean, but that which is coming against their carcase is unclean; and when `any' of their carcase falleth on any sown seed which is sown -- it `is' clean; and when water is put on the seed, and `any' of its carcase hath fallen on it -- unclean it `is' to you. `And when any of the beasts which are to you for food dieth, he who is coming against its carcase is unclean till the evening; and he who is eating of its carcase doth wash his garments, and hath been unclean till the evening; and he who is lifting up its carcase doth wash his garments, and hath been unclean till the evening. `And every teeming thing which is teeming on the earth is an abomination, it is not eaten; any thing going on the belly, and any going on four, unto every multiplier of feet, to every teeming thing which is teeming on the earth -- ye do not eat them, for they `are' an abomination; ye do not make yourselves abominable with any teeming thing which is teeming, nor do ye make yourselves unclean with them, so that ye have been unclean thereby. `For I `am' Jehovah your God, and ye have sanctified yourselves, and ye have been holy, for I `am' holy; and ye do not defile your persons with any teeming thing which is creeping on the earth; for I `am' Jehovah who am bringing you up out of the land of Egypt to become your God; and ye have been holy, for I `am' holy. `This `is' a law of the beasts, and of the fowl, and of every living creature which is moving in the waters, and of every creature which is teeming on the earth, to make separation between the unclean and the pure, and between the beast that is eaten, and the beast that is not eaten.'
so as to make a separation between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the pure;
and of all that liveth, of all flesh, two of every `sort' thou dost bring in unto the ark, to keep alive with thee; male and female are they. Of the fowl after its kind, and of the cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every `sort' they come in unto thee, to keep alive. `And thou, take to thyself of all food that is eaten; and thou hast gathered unto thyself, and it hath been to thee and to them for food.'
`Sons ye `are' to Jehovah your God; ye do not cut yourselves, nor make baldness between your eyes for the dead; for a holy people `art' thou to Jehovah thy God, and on thee hath Jehovah fixed to be to Him for a people, a peculiar treasure, out of all the peoples who `are' on the face of the ground. `Thou dost not eat any abominable thing; `this `is' the beast which ye do eat: ox, lamb of the sheep, or kid of the goats, hart, and roe, and fallow deer, and wild goat, and pygarg, and wild ox, and chamois; and every beast dividing the hoof, and cleaving the cleft into two hoofs, bringing up the cud, among the beasts -- it ye do eat. `Only, this ye do not eat, of those bringing up the cud, and of those dividing the cloven hoof: the camel, and the hare, and the rabbit, for they are bringing up the cud but the hoof have not divided; unclean they `are' to you; and the sow, for it is dividing the hoof, and not `bringing' up the cud, unclean it `is' to you; of their flesh ye do not eat, and against their carcase ye do not come. `This ye do eat of all that `are' in the waters; all that hath fins and scales ye do eat; and anything which hath not fins and scales ye do not eat; unclean it `is' to you. `Any clean bird ye do eat; and these `are' they of which ye do not eat: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray, and the glede, and the kite, and the vulture after its kind, and every raven after its kind; and the owl, and the night-hawk, and the cuckoo, and the hawk after its kind; the `little' owl, and the `great' owl, and the swan, and the pelican, and the gier-eagle, and the cormorant, and the stork, and the heron after its kind, and the lapwing, and the bat; and every teeming thing which is flying, unclean it `is' to you; they are not eaten; any clean fowl ye do eat. `Ye do not eat of any carcase; to the sojourner who `is' within thy gates thou dost give it, and he hath eaten it; or sell `it' to a stranger; for a holy people thou `art' to Jehovah thy God; thou dost not boil a kid in its mother's milk.
`And My people they direct between holy and common, and between unclean and clean they cause them to discern.
and he doth behold the heaven opened, and descending unto him a certain vessel, as a great sheet, bound at the four corners, and let down upon the earth, in which were all the four-footed beasts of the earth, and the wild beasts, and the creeping things, and the fowls of the heaven, and there came a voice unto him: `Having risen, Peter, slay and eat.' And Peter said, `Not so, Lord; because at no time did I eat anything common or unclean;' and `there is' a voice again a second time unto him: `What God did cleanse, thou, declare not thou common;'
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Genesis 7
Commentary on Genesis 7 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 7
Ge 7:1-24. Entrance into the Ark.
1. And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark—The ark was finished; and Noah now, in the spirit of implicit faith, which had influenced his whole conduct, waited for directions from God.
2, 3. Of every clean beast … fowls—Pairs of every species of animals, except the tenants of the deep, were to be taken for the preservation of their respective kinds. This was the general rule of admission, only with regard to those animals which are styled "clean," three pairs were to be taken, whether of beasts or birds; and the reason was that their rapid multiplication was a matter of the highest importance, when the earth should be renovated, for their utility either as articles of food or as employed in the service of man. But what was the use of the seventh? It was manifestly reserved for sacrifice; and so that both during Noah's residence in the ark, and after his return to dry land, provision was made for celebrating the rites of worship according to the religion of fallen man. He did not, like many, leave religion behind. He provided for it during his protracted voyage.
4. For yet seven days—A week for a world to repent! What a solemn pause! Did they laugh and ridicule his folly still? He whose eyes saw and whose heart felt the full amount of human iniquity and perverseness has told us of their reckless disregard (Lu 17:27).
9. There went in two and two—Doubtless they were led by a divine impulse. The number would not be so large as at first sight one is apt to imagine. It has been calculated that there are not more than three hundred distinct species of beasts and birds, the immense varieties in regard to form, size, and color being traceable to the influence of climate and other circumstances.
16. and the Lord shut him in—literally, "covered him round about." The "shutting him in" intimated that Noah had become the special object of divine care and protection, and that to those without the season of grace was over (Mt 25:10).
17. the waters increased, and bare up the ark—It seems to have been raised so gradually as to be scarcely perceptible to its occupants.
20. Fifteen cubits upward … and the mountains were covered—twenty-two and a half feet above the summits of the highest hills. The language is not consistent with the theory of a partial deluge.
21. all flesh died … fowl … cattle, and … creeping thing—It has been a uniform principle in the divine procedure, when judgments were abroad on the earth, to include every thing connected with the sinful objects of His wrath (Ge 19:25; Ex 9:6). Besides, now that the human race was reduced to one single family, it was necessary that the beasts should be proportionally diminished, otherwise by their numbers they would have acquired the ascendancy and overmastered the few that were to repeople the world. Thus goodness was mingled with severity; the Lord exercises judgment in wisdom and in wrath remembers mercy.
24. an hundred and fifty days—a period of five months. Though long before that every living creature must have been drowned, such a lengthened continuance of the flood was designed to manifest God's stern displeasure at sin and sinners. Think of Noah during such a crisis. We learn (Eze 14:14) that he was a man who lived and breathed habitually in an atmosphere of devotion; and having in the exercise of this high-toned faith made God his refuge, he did not fear "though the waters roared and were troubled; though the mountains shook with the swelling thereof" [Ps 46:3].