Wickedness Spreads on the Earth
Study note
As people multiply, a mysterious group called 'the sons of God' take human wives. This passage has been interpreted in many ways — some see them as fallen angels, others as powerful rulers, and others as the godly line of Seth mixing with the ungodly line of Cain. God limits human lifespans to 120 years. Giants called Nephilim live on the earth. The key point is that evil has become so widespread that every thought of the human heart is 'only evil all the time.' God is grieved in his heart and decides to wipe out his creation. But Noah stands out as a righteous man who finds grace in God's eyes.
1 As the number of people on earth kept growing, and daughters were born to them, And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,
2 Some heavenly beings noticed how beautiful the human women were. They married any of them they wanted. That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
3 Then the Lord said, "I will not let my Spirit keep struggling with people forever, since they are just made of flesh. I will limit their lifespan to 120 years." And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.
4 During that time — and even later — there were giants living on the earth. This happened when the heavenly beings had children with human women. Their children became the famous warriors and heroes of long ago. There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.
5 The Lord could see that people on earth had become terribly wicked. Every thought that ran through their minds was nothing but evil, all day long. And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
6 The Lord deeply regretted that he had ever made people, and it broke his heart. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
7 So the Lord said, "I am going to completely wipe out every person I created from the face of the earth. And not just people, but animals, crawling creatures, and birds too. I am sorry I ever made any of them." And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.
8 But there was one person the Lord was pleased with: Noah. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
Noah and the Ark
Study note
Noah is described as a righteous and blameless man who walks with God — the same description given to Enoch. Noah has three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. God tells Noah that the earth is full of violence and that he will destroy it. God instructs Noah to build an ark from cypress wood, coat it with tar inside and out, and build it with specific dimensions: about 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet tall. It will have three decks, a roof, and one door.
9 Here is Noah's story. Noah was a good and honest man — the only person on the whole earth who lived the right way. He walked through life in close friendship with God. These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.
10 Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
11 Meanwhile, the rest of the earth had become rotten to the core in God's eyes, and violence was everywhere. The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.
12 God took a long look at the earth and saw how ruined it was, because every person had completely gone off track. And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 So God told Noah, "I have decided to put an end to all people. They have filled the earth with violence, so I am going to wipe them out along with the earth itself." 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.
14 "Here is what I want you to do: Build yourself a massive boat out of cypress wood. Put rooms inside it and seal it with tar on the inside and outside." Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.
15 "Make the boat 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet tall." And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.
16 "Put a roof on it, and leave an 18-inch opening below the roofline. Build a door in the side, and make three levels inside — a bottom deck, a middle deck, and a top deck." A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it.
God's Covenant and Instructions
Study note
God tells Noah he is about to bring a flood that will destroy every living thing on earth. But God establishes a covenant — a binding promise — with Noah. Noah, his wife, his sons, and their wives will enter the ark. He must also bring two of every kind of animal, male and female, to keep them alive. Noah must also gather food for his family and the animals. The chapter ends with a powerful statement about Noah's obedience: he did everything exactly as God commanded him.
17 "Pay attention — I am about to send a massive flood of water across the earth to destroy every living thing that breathes. Everything on earth is going to die." And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.
18 "But I am making a special agreement — a covenant — with you. You will go into the boat along with your wife, your sons, and their wives." But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee.
19 "Bring two of every kind of animal into the boat with you — one male and one female — so they can survive." 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.
20 "Two of every kind of bird, every kind of animal, and every kind of crawling creature will come to you. You must keep them alive." Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive.
21 "Also, gather up every type of food and store it on the boat. It will feed you and all the animals." And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them.
22 Noah did everything exactly the way God told him to do it. Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.