And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. When he was five hundred years of age, and before the flood came upon the earth; and when it was so wicked as is next described: of these sons of his, and of the order in which they are placed; see Gill on Genesis 5:32 . read more
The building of the ark. I. THE MAN AND HIS CONTEMPORARIES . A common saying, and one possessed of a show of wisdom, that a person seldom rises far above the average goodness, or sinks far below the average wickedness, of the age in which he lives. Yet it is precisely in proportion as individuals either excel or fall beneath their generation that they are able to affect it for good or evil. All epoch-making men are of this stamp. Noah, it is obvious, was not a man whose character... read more
Righteousness and peace. The description of Noah is very similar to that of Enoch, just and perfect in his generation, that is, blameless in his walk before men, which is saying much of one who lived in a time of universal corruption. And he walked with God, i.e. devout and religious, and, from the analogy of the preceding use of the words, we may say, a prophet. He preached righteousness both with lip and life. To this good and great prophet the announcement is made of the coming... read more
And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth (cf. Genesis 5:32 ). Here (in the story of the Flood) if anywhere, observes Rosenmüller, can traces be detected of two distinct documents ( duorum monumentorum ), in the alternate use of the names of the Deity, the frequent repetitions of the same things, and the use of peculiar forms of expression; and in Genesis 6:9-13 , compared with Genesis 6:5-8 , Bleek, Tuch, Colenso, and others find' the first instance of needless repetition,... read more
- Section VI - The Deluge- XXIII. The Ark9. 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.14. 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,... read more
The flood (6:9-8:19)Amid the corruption, there was one man, Noah, who remained faithful to God. Therefore, God promised to preserve Noah, along with his family, so that when the former evil race had been destroyed, he could use Noah and his family to build a new people (9-12; cf. Hebrews 11:7; 2 Peter 2:4-5; 2 Peter 2:4-5).God’s means of destruction was a great flood. Besides preserving Noah and his family, God preserved a pair of each kind of animals in the region, thereby helping to maintain... read more
three sons. See Genesis 9:18 ; Genesis 10:1 ; and 1 Chronicles 1:4 . See note on Genesis 5:32 . read more
"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."Here once more is the great divisional marker in Genesis, the Hebrew word, [~toledowth]; and, as in all other instances of the use of it, there is... read more
This is the first time the important words "righteous" and "blameless" appear in the Bible. "The same explanation for Enoch’s rescue from death (’he walked with God’) is made the basis for Noah’s rescue from death in the Flood: ’he walked with God’ (Genesis 6:9). Thus in the story of Noah and the Flood, the author is able to repeat the lesson of Enoch: life comes through ’walking with God.’" [Note: Sailhamer, The Pentateuch . . ., p. 119.] "Noah is depicted as Adam redivivus (revived). He is... read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Genesis 6:8-10
We have here Noah distinguished from the rest of the world, and a peculiar mark of honour put upon him. 1. When God was displeased with the rest of the world, he favoured Noah: But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord, Gen. 6:8. This vindicates God's justice in his displeasure against the world, and shows that he had strictly examined the character of every person in it before he pronounced it universally corrupt; for, there being one good man, he found him out, and smiled upon him. It... read more