Study notes

Genesis 8

Introducing GenesisWho wrote it, when, why, and what to look for as you read

6:1–8:14 Section

In Genesis 1:31 the writer of Genesis recorded that God saw everything he had made. He was pleased because it was very good.

When God created human beings, he told them to fill the earth. This meant that God wanted the earth to continue to be filled with good things. But instead people lived lives controlled by the power of sin. They filled the earth with evil and harmful things.

One example of this was marriage between women and the sons of God. The writer of Genesis recorded that God saw how sinful everyone was. God wasn’t pleased. He was very sad about this.

So God limited the number of years that people could live. He also decided to destroy what he had created. But Noah had faith in God and obeyed God. That is what it means to walk faithfully with God. God was very pleased with Noah.

God brought judgement against people and the earth through the flood. Yet God showed grace as well. He saved Noah, his family and some of every kind of animal.

8:1

  • God remembered: This key part of the great flood story does not mean God ever forgot Noah. It uses covenant language to show God's faithfulness to his promise to keep his covenant partner safe (see 6:18; 9:15–16; Exodus 2:24; Leviticus 26:42, 45).

  • wind: The same Hebrew word is translated as “Spirit” in Genesis 1:2. This and other similarities suggest that restoring the earth after the great flood was like a new creation (see Genesis 9:1–2).

8:4

The mountains of Ararat might be in the region of Ararat (Urartu), southeast of the Black Sea near Lake Van. This area borders parts of eastern Turkey, Armenia, and Iran. There is a Mount Ararat (Agri Dag) in Turkey, but this verse only identifies the region, not a specific mountain.

8:5

the waters continued to recede: This is another similarity to the creation week (see 1:9). This suggests that restoring the earth was like a new creation (see study note on 8:1).

8:7

The raven is the biggest bird in the crow family and in Noah's time the raven was considered ceremonially unclean (Leviticus 11:15; Deuteronomy 14:14). As a scavenger that eats dead animals, it could survive without returning to the boat.

8:11

Unlike the raven (8:7), the dove eats plants. Olive trees are short, so Noah knew the water was almost gone.

8:13

In Noah’s six hundred and first year, on the first day of the first month: This was two months after the mountain peaks first appeared (8:5).

8:15–11:32 Section

After the flood, the earth was like new. God began life on earth again with Noah and his family. He began it again with the animals that were on the ark.

God made a covenant. This was a covenant with Noah and his family and every living thing on earth.

Yet the flood didn’t destroy the power of sin over human beings. The city of Babel and the tower were examples of how sin continued. People worked together against God. The tower they built showed how full of pride they were. They wanted to stay in the city of Babel instead of filling the earth. Only when they could no longer speak the same language did they spread throughout the world.

The family lines of Japheth, Shem and Ham show how this happened. These family lines record the beginnings of many people groups.

Genesis continued the record of Noah’s family line through Shem. God chose to work through Shem’s family line in his plan for saving the world. Abram was part of Shem’s family.

8:17

be fruitful and multiply: See 9:1.

8:20

  • This first mention of an altar in the Bible shows how thankful Noah was for surviving the judgment.

  • offered burnt offerings: The same wording is used for the whole burnt offering in Leviticus (Leviticus 1:3–9), but it can refer to any offering that is burned. Noah gave this offering to thank and worship God, who saved him and his family from the great flood.

8:21

  • smelled the pleasing aroma: The narrator uses anthropomorphic language (he describes God’s activity in human terms) to show God’s acceptance of Noah’s offering (see also Exodus 29:18; Leviticus 1:9; Numbers 15:3). In the ancient Near East, people often believed that their gods ate the sacrifices offered to them. This idea is not found in the Bible.

  • in his heart: This is the same phrase as in 6:6. In the same way, here every inclination of his heart echoes "every inclination of the thoughts of his heart" (6:5). God’s commitment to a new order replaced his grief over the old.

  • Never again will I curse … destroy: The old curse remained (5:29), but God promised not to add to it. He set new limits for life in a chaotic world (compare Isaiah 54:9). The flood was meant to stop violence, not to change the human heart (the inner thoughts and desires that lead people to do wrong; Genesis 6:5). Human beings have a tendency toward evil, but this would be limited to some degree by a new law that holds people responsible for their actions (9:5–6).

Verse notes: Adapted by Mission Mutual (Aquifer Open Study Notes) from Tyndale Open Study Notes © 2023 Tyndale House Publishers. CC BY-SA 4.0. Section notes: Biblica Study Notes © 2023 Biblica, Inc. CC BY-SA 4.0, via BibleAquifer. About the sources