10. again he sent forth the dove—Her flight, judging by the time she was abroad, was pursued to a great distance, and the newly plucked olive leaf, she no doubt by supernatural impulse brought in her bill, afforded a welcome proof that the declivities of the hills were clear. read more
"The raven in seeking food settles upon every carcass it sees, whereas the dove will only settle on what is dry and clean." [Note: Keil and Delitzsch, 1:149.] Doves (Genesis 8:8), light, clean animals (Leviticus 1:14; Leviticus 12:6; et al.) in contrast to dark, unclean animals (Leviticus 11:15; Deuteronomy 14:14), return to their home when they find no place to land."The olive tree will put out leaves even under water." [Note: Ibid.] read more
1. The Flood 6:9-8:22The chiastic (palistrophic, crossing) structure of this section shows that Moses intended to emphasize God’s grace to Noah, which occupies the central part of the story."One mark of the coherence of the flood narrative is to be found in its literary structure. The tale is cast in the form of an extended palistrophe, that is a structure that turns back on itself. In a palistrophe the first item matches the final item, the second item matches the penultimate item, and so on.... read more
The Flood (continued)4. The mountains of Ararat] Ararat is the Assyrian ’Urardhu,’ the country round Lake Van, in what is now called Armenia; but the word also signifies ’highlands,’ and perhaps it is a general expression for the hilly country which lay to the N. of Assyria. Mt. Masis, now called Mt. Ararat (a peak 17,000 ft. high), is not meant here. 11. The olive leaf indicated that the tree was above water, and as the olive does not grow at a great elevation, the inference was that the... read more
(10-12) Again he sent forth the dove . . . —When, after another week’s delay, Noah again sent forth the dove, it remained away until “the time of evening,” finding both food and ground on which it could alight near the ark. It was not till nightfall that it came home, bringing to him “an olive leaf pluckt off,” or, possibly, a fresh olive-leaf. The olive-tree, which grows abundantly in Armenia, is said to vegetate under water; but what Noah wanted to learn was, not whether the topmost boughs... read more
Noah Saved in the Ark Genesis 8:1-22 Traditions of the Flood linger among all branches of the human race except the black. Remember from the Greek story of Deucalion, when Zeus had resolved to destroy mankind, after the treatment he had received from Lycaon, Deucalion built an ark in which he and his wife Pyrrha floated during the nine days' flood which destroyed Greece. When the waters subsided, Deucalion's ark rested on Mount Parnassus. Ten buildings the size of Solomon's temple could have... read more
THE FLOODGenesis 5:1-32; Genesis 6:1-22; Genesis 7:1-24; Genesis 8:1-22; Genesis 9:1-29THE first great event which indelibly impressed itself on the memory of the primeval world was the Flood. There is every reason to believe that this catastrophe was co-extensive with the human population of the world. In every branch of the human family traditions of the event are found. These traditions need not be recited, though some of them bear a remarkable likeness to the Biblical story, while others... read more
CHAPTER 8 Noah Remembered 1. Noah remembered (Genesis 8:1-3 ) 2. The ark resting (Genesis 8:4-5 ) 3. The raven sent forth (Genesis 8:6-7 ) 4. The sending forth of the dove (Genesis 8:8-12 ) 5. The waters dried up (Genesis 8:13-14 ) 6. The command to leave the ark (Genesis 8:15-17 ) 7. Noah’s obedience (Genesis 8:18-19 ) 8. The altar and the covenant (Genesis 8:20-22 ) Especially instructive are Genesis 8:6-12 in our chapter. Noah opened the window at the end of forty days, and... read more
A RENEWED EARTH The five months of floating on a shoreless sea would seem interminable to Noah and his family, and it can be well imagined that they would feel that God had forgotten them. "But God remembered Noah, and all the beasts and all the cattle that were with him in the ark," -- the wild beasts as well as domesticated animals. But a flood covering even the mountains would require a long length of time to subside, even with the wind God sent to help in this. However, the sources from... read more
Get Bible verse every day in your inbox
Read on Mobile
Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Genesis 8:6-12
"And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made: and he sent forth a raven, and it went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from the earth. And he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground; but the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him to the ark; for the waters were on the face of the whole earth: and he put forth his hand and took her in unto... read more