John Calvin Commentary Genesis 6:8

"But Noah found favor in the eyes of Jehovah." — Genesis 6:8 (ASV)

But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. This is a Hebrew phrase, which signifies that God was favorably disposed toward him and favored him. For this is how the Hebrews are accustomed to speak: ‘If I have found grace in your sight,’ instead of, ‘If I am acceptable to you,’ or, ‘If you will grant me your goodwill or favor.’ This phrase needs to be noted, because some uninformed individuals infer with pointless subtlety that if people find grace in God’s sight, it is because they seek it by their own effort and merits.

I acknowledge, indeed, that Noah is here declared to have been acceptable to God because, by living uprightly and piously, he kept himself pure from the common pollutions of the world. From where, however, did he attain this integrity, if not from the preventing grace of God? The beginning, therefore, of this favor was gratuitous mercy. Afterwards, the Lord, having once embraced him, kept him under His care, so that he would not perish with the rest of the world.