Albert Barnes Commentary Genesis 6:9-22
Albert Barnes Commentary
Genesis 6:9-22
Albert Barnes Commentary
Genesis 6:9-22
SCRIPTURE
"These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, [and] perfect in his generations: Noah walked with God. And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And the earth was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God saw the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch. And this is how thou shalt make it: the length of the ark three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. A light shalt thou make to the ark, and to a cubit shalt thou finish it upward; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it. And I, behold, I do bring the flood of waters upon this earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; everything that is in the earth shall die. But I will establish my covenant with thee; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons` wives with thee. And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female. Of the birds after their kind, and of the cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive. And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them. Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he." — Genesis 6:9-22 (ASV)
דור dôr “age, time from birth to death,” applied either to an individual or the whole contemporary race, running parallel with some leading individual. Hence, the “race” or “generation” living during that time.
תבה tēbâh “chest, ark.” It is used only of this vessel of Noah’s construction, and of the little vessel in which Moses was put (Exodus 2:3), (Exodus 2:5). The root, according to Furst, means “to be hollow.” אבה 'ēbeh a cognate word, signifies “a reed;” κιβωτός kibōtos Septuagint. גפר goper hapax legomenon, perhaps “fir, cypress, resinous wood.” קן qēn “nest, room; related: prepare, rear up.”
צהר tsohar “shining, light;” not the same as the חלון chalôn (Genesis 8:6), or the aperture through which Noah let out the raven.
ברית bᵉrîyt “covenant; related: cut, eat, choose, decide.”
The close of the preceding document introduces the opening topic of this one. The same rule applies to all that have gone before. The generations of the skies and the land (Genesis 2:4) are introduced by the finishing of the skies and the land (Genesis 2:1); the generations of man in the line of Sheth (Genesis 5:1), by the birth of Sheth (Genesis 4:25); and now the generations of Noah, by the notice that Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. The narrative here also, as usual, reverts to a point of time before the stage of affairs described in the close of the preceding passage. Yet there is nothing here that seems to indicate a new author.
The previous paragraph is historical, and closely connected with the end of the fourth chapter; and it suitably prepares for the proceedings of Noah, under the divine direction, on the eve of the deluge. We have now a recapitulation of the agent and the occasion, and then the divine commission and its execution.
Here are the man and the occasion.
The generations of Noah. - In the third document we had the generations of man; now we are limited to Noah, because he is himself at peace with God, and is now the head and representative of those who are in the same blessed relation. The narrative, therefore, for the first time, formally confines itself to the portion of the human family in communion with God. Noah is here characterized by two new and important epithets - “just” and “perfect.” It is to be remembered that he had already found grace in the eyes of the Lord.
Adam was created good; but by disobedience he became guilty, and all his race, Noah among the rest, became involved in that guilt. To be just is to be right in point of law, and thereby entitled to all the blessings of the acquitted and justified.
When applied to the guilty, this epithet implies pardon of sin among other benefits of grace. It also presupposes that spiritual change by which the soul returns from estrangement to reconciliation with God.
Hence, Noah is not only just, but perfect. This attribute of character signifies not only the turning from darkness to light, from error to truth, from wrong to right, but the stability of moral determination which arises from the struggle, the trial, the victory of good over evil, involved in it. The just is the right in law; the perfect is the tested in holiness.
“In his ages;” among the men of his age. This phrase indicates the contrast between Noah and the men of his day. It is probable, moreover, that he was of pure descent, and in that respect also distinguished from his contemporaries who were the offspring of promiscuous intermarriage between the godly and the ungodly.
“Noah walked with God,” like Henok. This is the natural consequence of his victory over sin, and his acceptance with God.
His sons are mentioned, as they are essentially connected with the following events.
And the land was corrupt. - In contrast with Noah, the rest of the race were corrupt - entirely depraved by sin. It was filled with violence - with the outward exhibition of inward carnality. “And God saw this.” It was evident to Heaven. This is the ground of the following commission.
The directions concerning the ark embrace the purpose to destroy the race of man (Genesis 6:13), the plan and specification of the ark (Genesis 6:14–16), the announcement of the deluge (Genesis 6:17), the arrangements for the preservation of Noah and his family, and certain kinds of animals (Genesis 6:18–21).
The end of all flesh. - The end may mean either the point to which it tends, or the extermination of the race. The latter is the simpler. All flesh is to be understood of the whole race, although it does not preclude the exception of Noah and his family. This teaches us to beware of applying an inflexible literality to such terms as all, when used in the sense of ordinary conversation. Is come before me, is in the contemplation of my mind as an event soon to be realized. For the land is filled with violence. The reason. I will destroy them. The resolve. There is retribution here, for the words “corrupt” and “destroy” are the same in the original.
The ark. - Reckoning the cubit at 1.8 feet, we find the length to be about 540, the breadth 90, and the height 54 feet. The construction of such a vessel implies great skill in carpentry. The lighting apparatus is not described so particularly that we can form any conception of it. It was probably in the roof. The roof may have been flat. And to a cubit shalt thou finish it above. The cubit is possibly the height of the parapet round the lighting and ventilating aperture.
The opening occupied, it may be, a considerable portion of the roof, and was covered during the rain with an awning מכסה mı̂ksēh — (Genesis 8:13). If, however, it was in the sides of the ark, the cubit was merely its height. It was then finished with a strong railing, which went round the whole ark, and over which the covering, mentioned above, hung down on every side. The door was in the side, and the stories were three.
In each were of course many “nests” or chambers, for animals and stores. It may be curious to a mechanical mind to frame the details of this structure from the general hints here given; but it would not serve any practical purpose. Only the animals necessary to man, or unusual to the region covered by the deluge, required to be included in the ark.
It seems likely that wild animals in general were not included. It is obvious, therefore, that we cannot calculate the number of animals preserved in the ark, or compare the space they would require with its recorded dimensions. We may rest assured that there was accommodation for all that needed to be there.
The method of destruction is now specified. A water flood shall cover the land, in which all flesh shall perish. I, behold, I. This catastrophe is due to the interposition of the Creator. It does not come according to the ordinary laws of physics, but according to the higher law of ethics.
The covenant with Noah. Here is the first appearance of a covenant between God and man in Scripture. A covenant is a solemn compact, tacit or express, between two parties, in which each is bound to perform his part. Hence, a covenant implies the moral faculty; and wherever the moral faculty exists, there must necessarily be a covenant. Consequently, between God and man there was of necessity a covenant from the very beginning, though the name does not appear.
At first it was a covenant of works, in regard to man; but now that works have failed, it can only be a covenant of grace to the penitent sinner.
My covenant. The word “my” points to its original establishment with Adam: My primeval covenant, which I am resolved not to abandon. Will I establish. Though Adam has failed, yet I will find means of maintaining my covenant of life with the seed of the woman. With thee. Though all flesh is to perish through breach of my covenant, yet I will uphold it with you.
Go into the ark. This is the means of safety. Some may say in their hearts, this is a clumsy way to save Noah.
But if he is to be saved, there must be some way. And it is not a sign of wisdom to prescribe the way to the All-wise. Rather let us reflect that the erection of this ark was a daily warning to a wicked race, a deepening lesson of reliance on God to Noah and his household, and a most salutary occupation for the progenitors of the future race of mankind. And thy sons, etc. Noah’s household share in the covenant.
And of all the living. - For the sake of Noah, the animal species also shall be preserved, two of each, male and female. They are to come in pairs for propagation. The fowl, the cattle, the creeping thing or smaller animals, are to come. From this it appears that the wild animals are not included among the inmates of the ark. (See Genesis 7:2-3, Genesis 7:8.)
The word “all” is not to be pressed beyond the specification of the writer. As the deluge was universal only in respect to the human race, it was not necessary to include any animals but those that were near man, and within the range of the overwhelming waters. Fodder and other provisions for a year have to be stored.
The obedience of Noah and the accomplishment of his task are here recorded. The building of so enormous a structure must have occupied many years.