1Noah receiveth command from God, 7and entereth into the ark with his family and the living creatures. 10The beginning of the flood as soon as they are entered. 17Its continual increase for forty days. 21All flesh is destroyed by it. 24Its duration.
1AND the LORD said unto Noah,a Come thou and all thy 1house into the ark; for theeb have I seen righteous 2before me in this 3generation.
a 2 Peter 2:5.
1 That is, family. Also Gen. 17:12; 24:2; 39:11; Exod. 1:1; Prov. 31:17; Acts 16:15, etc.
b Gen. 6:9.
2 That is, not only outwardly, in show and profession, but inwardly also, in truth and in deed, and that through faith in the promised Seed, and sanctification of the Spirit. Also Luke 1:6.
3 See Gen. 6 on verse 9.
2Ofc every 4clean beast thou shalt take to thee by 5sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female.
c Lev. 11.
4Clean in regard of God’s ordinance, whereby He had separated these beasts from the rest for sacrifice, and for man’s food; whereof He had indeed revealed His will to the forefathers, but afterwards more perfectly declared the same by Moses. See Lev. 11:2.
5 Hebr. seven, seven, as also in the sequel, that is, of each kind three couples, and one left for sacrifice after the flood. The Hebrews do often put one or more words twice, when they make partitions. See Gen. 32:16; Num. 7:11; 29:10; Mark 6:39, etc.
3Of 6fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive 7upon the face of all the earth.
6 Namely, of the clean sort, as verse 2.
7 Hebr. on the face of all the earth, and so in the sequel.
4For 8yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and 9every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.
8 That is, after or against the expiring of seven days.
9 All living being, that is alive, namely, to remain alive, must live and sustain itself upon the earth and by virtue of the soul within, stands up as it were, and subsists of itself, whereas on the contrary, a dead body lies prostrate. See verse 23.
5Andd Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded him.
d Gen. 6:22.
6And Noah was 10six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.
10 Hebr. a son of six hundred year, also Gen. 5:32, etc.
7¶And Noah wente in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him, into the ark, 11because of the waters of the flood.
e Mat. 24:38; Luke 17:27; 1 Peter 3:20.
11 Hebr. from the face of the waters, or, before, etc., that is, for to escape the waters of the flood.
8Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth,
9There 12went in 13two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.
12 See Gen. 6:20.
13 See on verse 2.
10And it came to pass 14after seven days, that the waters of the flood 15were upon the earth.
14 See verse 4.
15 That is, came or fell on it.
11 ¶ 16In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, 17in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the 18great deep broken up, and the 19windows of heaven were opened.
16 Also verse 6. This was the year 1656 after the creation of the world.
17 What month this was, there are opinions of two kinds, according as the Hebrews had of two kinds beginnings of the year; in holy matters, with the month Nisan, agreeing for the most part with our month of March, when days and nights are of equal length; in civil affairs, with the month Tisri, answering mostly with our September, when days and nights are again of a like length. Of which year this second month here is to be understood, that we leave to the judgment of the intelligent reader.
18 That is, of the deep waters enclosed in the hollow parts of the earthly globe, from which all the fountains, rivers, streams and water-floods do issue forth.
19 Or, windows, so the clouds of rain are called, here and Gen. 8:2; 2 Kings 7:2, 19; Isa. 24:18; Mal. 3:10.
12And the rain was upon the earth 20forty days and forty nights.
20 This is the fulfillment of the threat spoken of in verse 4.
13In the 21selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and 22Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark;
21 Hebr. in, or, upon the bone, or, the being, or, existence of that day. Also Gen. 17:26. See Ezek. 2 on verse 3.
22 Hebr. Jefeth.
14They, and 23every beast after his kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind, and 24every fowl after his kind, 25every bird of every sort.
23 That is, all manner of beasts; as likewise in the sequel and elsewhere. Understand therefore not each particular beast, but of every sort here mentioned a certain number, as was expressed above verse 2.
24 The Hebrew word signifies all kinds of fowl or bird in general, but here properly are understood such only as are of the greater and heavier sort, seeing that there follows another word presently, which does mostly signify the smaller sort. Compare Lev. 14 on verse 4.
25 Hebr. all.
15And they went in unto Noah into the ark, 26two and two of all flesh, wherein is 27the breath of life.
26 Hebr. two two. See verses 2, 9.
27 See Gen. 6:17.
16And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: 28and the LORD shut him in.
28 Though Noah was permitted to shut the door from within, yet this implies a peculiar shutting up and securing the ark, made by God, either without means, or by the ministry of the angels.
17And the 29flood was 30forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth.
29 Understand this not of the main force and prevalence of the waters, which lasted one hundred and fifty days, verse 24. But of the rain only is mentioned in verses 4, 12.
30 Namely, natural days, consisting of twenty four hours apiece, that is, out of one day and night, verses 4, 12.
18And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went 31upon the face of the waters.
31 Or, on the waters. Hebr. upon the face of the waters.
19And the waters prevailed 32exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered.
32 Or, vehemently.
20Fifteen cubits 33upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered.
33 Above the mountains.
21Andf all flesh 34died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man:
f Luke 17:27.
34 According to the aforementioned threat of God, Gen. 6:13 and in this chapter verse 4.
2235All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the 36dry land, died.
35 Compare this with the annotations at Gen. 6 on verse 17.
36 Thus the fishes are clearly excluded. Compare this with verse 21.
23And every living substance was destroyed which was 37upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: andg Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark.
37 Hebr. upon the face of the earth.
g 2 Peter 2:5.
24And the waters prevailed upon the earth 38an hundred and fifty days.
38 In which are comprehended the days of the rain, being forty. See verse 17.